[Elecraft] OT: removing "smoke smell" from electronics

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is a wonderful deodorizer and much cheaper
than those "commercial" products that are supposed to drive people into an
orgy of wanton sniffing. 

The most effective way is to dump the baking soda all over it, leave it for
a bit and then vacuum it off again, just as you would with carpet. That's FB
if there's no sticky residue on the old unit or you plan to give it a
water/alcohol bath afterwards. Most PCB's will stand for that treatment just
fine. 

Less messy options are to simply put the parts in an enclosed space (the
more airtight the better) with a bunch of baking soda lying open for a few
days. A plastic bag is a good airtight container. Set it on a shelf, place
an  open dish (largest surface area that will fit) inside along with the
parts and then seal up the opening. The problem with that option that there
might be oily tars and other residue on the surfaces that will continue to
release molecules into the air for a very long time. That's where washing in
water/alcohol comes in, if the parts involved aren't harmed by water. 

Of course baking soda is great for making cookies, cleaning (use instead of
soap), emergency toothpaste, and a tablespoon in water does a great job with
heartburn after than extra slice of pizza. What more could a fellow want
(besides another "807")? 

Ron AC7AC

-----Original Message-----

I have a kit which I picked up from a ham who must've been quite a smoker. I
was wondering if anyone has any tips as to how to eradicate the cigarette
smell from the parts. Luckily, lots of stuff was still in plastic bags...but
the PCBs were not. :-(

Thanks.
-john W4PAH