Cigarette Smoke

Gdetrailer wrote:
Walk away, cig smoke is one of the most difficult smells to get rid of.

Not only the smoke but tar and other leftovers of second hand smoke will have coated every inch of paneling, drawers, cabinets along with every nook can cranny..

One of the most disgusting things I hated back in the days of repairing consumer electronics was when a customer who was a heavy smoker brought in a TV or stereo.. It smelled up the shop and it coated everything not only on the outside but the inside.. Took a lot of hard work to clean up and still smelled, but at least when I was done the customer thought it was a new unit..

There ARE a "surplus" of used RVs, in other words there are more used RVs than buyers, go and find one that was not smoked in.. You WILL be happier.

Gdetrailer,

I did the same sort of work and noticed the same thing. Sometimes the inside almost looked like it had a coating of ear wax. Usually I only cleaned pots and tuner sections, 1st with alcohol/q-tips/vasoline, then later with aerosol contact cleaner/lube when that became commonly available.

Did you ever find a bulk cleaner that you preferred to economically clean the entire component assembly, i.e. immersion/spraying? Carbon Tet once came to mind long ago, but that is hard to find anymore, dangerous and may still damage some plastic components. I never considered soapy water as that seems certain to leave some residue damage. Maybe not, if a distilled water rinse is used. Maybe evaporate the remaining water inside a vacuum bag?

One reason I ask is that a former BIL left me several oscilloscopes, generators, meters and other equipment. I hate to just throw them and would try to rummage them if they weren't so filthy. The other reason is, that type thorough cleaning is also best required of house, automotive or RV electronics, if there is serious smoke damage.

Wes
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