Musty Piano

[bwylde]

We were recently blessed with a very old piano but it has a musty old "museum" smell to it and it is making my house smell weird. It's about 100 years old, massive and not in the greatest shape as it was salvaged and recovered from a dilapidated building (although the friends who gave it to us had it for at least 20 years). But I was wondering if there was anything I could do about the smell it is giving off.

[cristeen]

I'm assuming it's an upright? Take a close look at how it's constructed, upright pianos are meant to come apart fairly easily for repairs. My piano comes apart with 2 pop-off panels and 6 screws. Start removing panels, then get your vacuum and gently vacuum all the dust/hair/etc. out of it. If you're nervous about this, any qualified repair person can do it, but it's more expensive... when you have it tuned though, they can show you how. Once that's done, I'd put the panels in the sun for a little while to air out... make sure they won't get wet (or stolen) though. Then put the piano back together and you can put a box of baking soda (the kind that won't spill) in the bottom of the piano away from any moving parts before you close it up again. That should help.

[bwylde]

The only problem is where it was damaged, it has been bolted and glued all together. It was left in a very humid environment and needed extensive repair, but it is fully functioning. It has been in a home environment 20 years, so it's a little surprising it smells as it does.

I can open the part which opens to the pins and other inner piano workings, but that's about it (it is an upright, btw ). I can probably get in with one of the vac. attachments.

I'll mention it to the piano tuner when he comes to see what he thinks.

[pranamama]

Did it recently get wet? It is weird to have it smell now. I'd probably vacuum it all out and then crank up the heat in the room. I hate stinky musty odors.

[bwylde]

You know, I'm not sure if it got wet recently since we just got it little over a week ago. My friend lived in a trailer home which was kind of damp, so maybe it was just too humid there and it's climatizing. It's not overpoweringly musty, but on warm days I really notice it.