ARCHIVED FORUM -- March 2012 to February 2022READ ONLY FORUM
This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
Hi All,
Ive just bought some beolab 8000s from a guy who smoked cigarettes in his house. As a result the cloth covers (sorry I don't know he correct terminology here) really smell of smoke.
I'm wondering how the hell I could rid of this odour? It's really strong.
Is this material something I can buy and re-cover the speakers with myself or should I bring them to the B&O store for replacement covers.
I think I'd rather do this the budget way if I can.
Any advice?
I forgot to mention the cloth covers have a few loose bits like they where pulled by a kid or something. Is there anything I can do a out this? Steam or something to tighten them up??
Finally the stems (the actual organ pipe part) needs a cleaning. He had put some stickers on the top and I need to clean the adhesive that has been left on them. What is the best thing to clean the stainless steel with?
Thanks a mill for any advice. Really appreciate any help
E
The first thing you should try is spraying them. e.g. Febreze. Goo Gone is a gentle citrus-based product that will remove the adhesive.
If they are as bad as they sound, I would just bite the bullet and buy new frets. They are pricey but will make your Labs look brand new.
Beo4 'til I die!
I'd remove the frets and put them in the bathtub with some mild detergent, you'll be amazed to see what color the water will have after half an hour
Thanks Bob
Any idea what these puppies might cost?
Okay so I followed root's advice (thanks root) and i put them in the bath tub with a fabric softener also. And whatdya know... they are clean. And look better too.
I got the sticky stuff off with olive oil and an earbud. Thats all i had in the house.
My final problem is this;
The body of the speakers actually smell too, I can get the odor as soon as I enter the room. What would be a safe cleaning product to use on the speakers body? am i correct in assuming I shouldn't touch the loudspeakers cones??
it's like buying an old car that belonged to a heavy smoker - there's not a lot you can do!
replacing all the smelly damping materials, foam, etc. would maybe help but it's a dirty job, I've done that once because the foam inside my Lab 8000 speakers detoriated and was stuck on the PCBs so the speaker did not turn on anymore. After cleaning and replacing the foam (the sets can be ordered from B&O) they work fine until today.
The aluminium body of the speakers is anodized, using an abrasive cleaner like brasso or cif will destroy the finish. So if they are yellowish you'll have to find something that is able to remove the layer of tar and nicotine without scratching. No idea what product to suggest as they are differently named in every country and I'm not from the UK.
What I would suggest as well is removing the base plates (it's just one screw at the bottom of the speaker) and take them to the bathtub for a good scrub!