Left case open and it got rained in

[youraveragebonist117]

I'm at a wedding right now for a gig, outdoor venue. Band is playing in a tent, but our cases are outside.

I left my case open outside and it got rained in, quite a lot. It's a regular king 3b hardshell case with the cloth interior. In between sets right now and I put the horn in the case and closed it to try to mitigate the damage.

What do I do here? Is the case a goner? Is my horn being in there gonna affect it?

[hyperbolica]

I would say leave it open and try to dry it out. Take the horn out at your first opportunity. I don't think it will ruin the horn, but it might depend which case you have if it survives - is it an older wood one or a newer carbon fiber?

I think if you get it dried out in time, you won't have much to worry about, but don't close it up wet if you can help it.

[Doug Elliott]

Bounty paper towels... get it as dry as you can, then leave it open, if possible in a small room with a dehumidifier running or at least in a fairly dry room with a fan to move air around.

Once it's pretty dry, use one of those dessicant containers of silica that absorbs moisture. DampRid is one brand. There's also a cat litter that's silica crystals. Fresh Step Crystals Unscented, and others. With desiccant, close the case.

If you can do it very soon you can probably avoid mildew.

[CharlieB]

No worries as long as you act promptly.
Stinky fungi quickly set up shop in damp areas.
Not tomorrow. Tonight, right after the gig...............
Remove the horn and dry the case interior as soon as you can. Bath towels, fan, hair dryer, sunshine ASAP.
Avoid putting the horn back into the case until the case is completely dry.

[whitbey]

Ozone generator.

[officermayo]

Fresh Step Crystals Unscented, and others.

It concerns me that you'd have that little factoid tucked away in your brain housing group.

[Doug Elliott]

I was just aware of its existence and found it on Google. I haven't had a cat in about 15 years.

Lots of other factoids are tucked away in my brain housing group.

[greenbean]

Update, please.

[whitbey]

I missed this.
I did this. Case open to air out and it started to rain.
I have this because I am a realtor and houses stink.
Ozone generator. You need to put it in the garage and let is run. Put is so no one gets contact with the ozone. A tent in the yard or something.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BDG ... =UTF8&th=1

[baileyman]

We got one of those for our old S2000 that gets damp. Cleans up the oder perfectly.

[Mamaposaune]

If you have some warm sunny days, leave it open in the sun. (Only is you're home though, I did this once and went out - forgetting about the case - and of course it rained ) The car can work too parked in the sun.
Once it is dry, if you can find this product (it is also known as Benefect) It will not only freshen it up, but restore the soft feel to the fabric. You may have to spray it lightly several times, working it into the fabric with a soft brush, and let it dry between applications.

[OneTon]

This sounds like a method worth trying. It lacks the panache and universality of Doug Elliott’s cat litter. Has anyone any experience with either of these methods on latent rather than immediately caused mildew issues?

[pjanda1]

Its difficult to redeem cases made of porous or natural materials. I had a Besson euph case that was caught open in a pouring thunderstorm at a summer gig. It was just plastic and styrofoam. I tried drying it out, but it developed some mold. I cut the foam interior out, cleaned the whole thing, let it dry, and glued it back together. It was more or less fine for many more years.

My efforts to fix wood cases that have gotten stinky have not been as successful. But, I do think that serial treatments of industrial Febreze-type products (like the Zep version at Home Depot) can be an effective addition to a cleaning and drying regimen. I recommend getting it as dry as you can, as quick as you can, and there are some good suggestions above.

Paul