de-oderizing a piano

[Thomas D. Seay, III]

>Hi,
>
>I wonder if anyone out there has a good method for de-oderizing a smelly
>old upright piano.  Apparently it was quite the hang-out for the in mice
>crowd.  Upon opening it up for the first time, I saw different colored
>threads strung all over the action like streamers at a party.  lots of
>confetti too!

Mouse Mardi gras?

>Is there a way to get the mice urine smell out of the keybed? It has soaked
>into the wood.

Two suggestions:

1.      Try several applications of baking soda (after a thorough cleaning
of the keybed, of course). Probably won't work very well, but it's worth a
try.

2.      This is a lot of work, but you can remove the keys, remove and
replace the keybed felt and balance & front rail punchings, polish the
pins, sand the keybed with 220 grit paper (after a thorough cleaning), and
seal the contaminated surfaces with a clear finish (such as Deft or even
sanding sealer).WARNING: USE A  RESPIRATOR WHEN SANDING ANYTHING
CONTAMINATED WITH URINE. Studies have proven that this can be VERY TOXIC
and extremely dangerous to your health! Be careful.

Good luck.





Tom Seay
The Unversity of Texas at Austin

t.seay@mail.utexas.edu

"Don't worry about your music too much - whatever you write will end up
being played
 on an old upright (piano) in a bar anyway!"  - Marvin Hamlish