| Author | Content |
Sofonisba
Putnam County, NY
(Zone 6a)
September 4, 2006
7:19 PM Post #2691541
| I recently recieved an entire dresser set including a vanity from my boss's mom. She must've smoked all her cigarettes in her bedroom with the door and windows closed every night since she bought the set in the 40's. Now the dressers have this awfully overwhelming smell to them. I'm on the verge of getting rid of the set, but it's a nice one and I'd rather not. It turns my clothes very smelly. Does anyone know of how I can rid these dressers of the smell once and for all?
Thanks,
Sofie |
ecrane3
Dublin, CA
(Zone 9a)
September 4, 2006
7:33 PM Post #2691604
| I've had decent luck with Febreze on fabric, not sure what it'll do to wood though! |
Sofonisba
Putnam County, NY
(Zone 6a)
September 4, 2006
8:01 PM Post #2691687
| ecrane, I'll try anything. I've only tried cedar and lavender spray. Febreze is next on my grocery list. Thanks! |
ecrane3
Dublin, CA
(Zone 9a)
September 4, 2006
8:08 PM Post #2691711
| You may have to use it a few times if the smell is really bad--they make an extra strength version so I would get that one if you can find it! I used it to get rid of skunk smell from my dog, upholstery, etc after he had a little run-in with a skunk, and I also used it many times on clothes back when I lived somewhere that smoking was allowed in bars and restaurants--now that I live in wonderful smoke-free CA I don't have to worry about that anymore though! |
june_nmexico
Albuquerque, NM
(Zone 7a)
September 5, 2006
1:36 PM Post #2694216
| My husband smokes in our den. I hate it. This essential oil blend really eliminates funky smells, doesn't just cover them up. You might try spraying it in the drawers, then putting them outside in the sun to dry. You may need to repeat the processs since the cigarette smoke has permeated the wood inside the drawers. I wouldn't use the spray on the outside of furniture since the oils will wreck the finish. Another thing that might work is a very strong solution of baking soda and water sprayed in the drawers and sun drying them.
In a 2 oz glass spritzer bottle, mix:
10 drops Bergamot Mint
20 drops Lemon Myrtle
OPTIONAL: 10 drops Perfumer's Alcohol (NOT rubbing alcohol). This helps disperse the oil in water.
Fill bottle with distilled water. Shake thoroughly before each use.
I order my essential oils from [HYPERLINK@www.naturesgift.com,] but you may find them in other places.
This message was edited Sep 5, 2006 12:03 PM |
Sofonisba
Putnam County, NY
(Zone 6a)
September 5, 2006
3:56 PM Post #2694685
| Thank you June! I wish I had some sun... it's been raining for ages, it seems. The drawers may have to dry in the basement.
Sofie |
ecrane3
Dublin, CA
(Zone 9a)
September 5, 2006
6:32 PM Post #2695210
| I think the sun actually helps with the odor removal process--obviously you can't control whether you have any sun or not, but you may not get as good results drying them indoors. |
DanceyTx
Midway, TX
(Zone 8b)
September 5, 2006
8:21 PM Post #2695476
| Most likely the furniture exterior finish will have nicotine stain on it. You may want to get a cleaner to clean the finish to remove that too. Nicotine gets on everything!
Lin |
Sofonisba
Putnam County, NY
(Zone 6a)
September 5, 2006
9:06 PM Post #2695562
| I'm sure the sun will come out eventually... I hope... |
Sofonisba
Putnam County, NY
(Zone 6a)
September 5, 2006
9:08 PM Post #2695568
| I'll give the outside a thorough wash for appearance sake, but it's the smelly inside that is the most aggrivating. Pee U! |
anastatia
Vancouver, WA
(Zone 8a)
September 6, 2006
1:33 PM Post #2697440
| The way to eliminate smoke or cooking odors (such as curry) is with an ozone generator.
It produces a gas that changes the structure of the odor molecule.
As it changes the molecular composition, it neutralizes the smell to a completely odorless state.
It's amazing how such a little machine can solve such a big problem.
If the drapes and blinds haven't been cleaned yet, start there.
If that doesn't do the trick, we recommend you look into having it thermo-fogged.
Because latex paint is porous, it allows air and odors to pass through it.
Some odor fighters use thermo-fog deodorizing smoke to penetrate through latex paint, cabinets
and even your heat & air conditioning system to permanently eliminate odors.
This is also effective in treating odors caused by tobacco smoke,
some mold and mildew problems and even moth ball odors.
We rented an ozone generator to eliminate the horrible smell of rotten chicken left in the freezer after the freezer was unplugged. We tried the charcoal filter prior to that and it did help some. We rented this machine at a place that sells commercialcleaning supplies etc. It is used also to eliminate smell of a decomposed bodies in buildings, fyi!! |
gaiadisciple
Fuquay-Varina, NC
(Zone 7a)
September 6, 2006
2:13 PM Post #2697551
| DancyTX nailed it on the head...
Smoke permeates everything, and over time, it will leave a residue on every surface. Febreeze and other "stink" removers really only work on fabrics. Your best bet to eliminate the smoke funk would be to refinish it.
I tried one of those "finish it yourself" kitchen sets because I thought it looked like a fun project. Jeebus!!! It was such a pain in the tush, and my cat managed to get a few hairs into the lacquer here and there. I couldn't image doing the stripping AND refinishing. I say it is worth the money to take it to a professional
good luck |
basket_case
Backus, MN
September 6, 2006
2:38 PM Post #2697628
| I enjoy shopping yard and auction sales, but have found the odor in wood to be unbearable. I recently discovered this trick that has worked for me:
Put a good amount of cat litter into each of the drawers and close them and forget about them for a few weeks. The results are amazing!! I have found that sprinkling cat litter between every few pages of old cookbook (another of my passions) is also effective in remove most of the odor.
Good Luck!!
Linda |
ecrane3
Dublin, CA
(Zone 9a)
September 6, 2006
3:39 PM Post #2697777
| I would be careful about stuff like the ozone generator mentioned above--ozone is not something you want to be breathing in, there was a big thing in Consumer Reports a while ago because a lot of the air purifiers (Ionic Breeze, etc) were generating amounts of ozone in amounts higher than what's considered safe, and the ozone generator is likely much higher than that. I'd leave it for the pros after all else fails. |
Sofonisba
Putnam County, NY
(Zone 6a)
September 6, 2006
6:35 PM Post #2698193
| Thank you so much everyone. I think I'm going to use my least favorite dresser and do some 'testing' on it. Then, whatever seems to work the best, I'll use on the furniture that I like.
I'm starting to feel like I got suckered into buying this furniture...
Sofie |
DanceyTx
Midway, TX
(Zone 8b)
September 7, 2006
9:48 PM Post #2702076
| I can't believe I smoked for so many years! Yuk! I had to wash the whole house, walls and all. |
Sofonisba
Putnam County, NY
(Zone 6a)
September 7, 2006
10:13 PM Post #2702142
| Well congratulations on stopping! I have to wash my walls too. They still get dirty. ...sigh... |
Bubba_MoCity
Missouri City, TX
September 11, 2006
12:33 PM Post #2712352
| To remove yellow/brown built up smoke stain, try Greased Lightning. Spray on waid a few minutes and wipe away. Removed many years of buildup at our restaurant, when the non-smoking ordainance passed. |
Sofonisba
Putnam County, NY
(Zone 6a)
September 13, 2006
9:20 AM Post #2718573
| Good idea Bubba! Where do I get it from?
sofie |
Bubba_MoCity
Missouri City, TX
September 13, 2006
9:36 AM Post #2718603
| Lowe's or Dollar General. Probably other places, too.
I use Lowe's because they are close and the gallon or 5 gal refill is economical - about $7 for the 1 gal. and $28 for 5.
Worth the initial $3 for a quart sprayer - that way it is labeled for the product - no mixup or confusion for the "troops".
Could not believe how the aluminum window frames went from "gold" to normal. Same for years of build up on the vent hood over the grill. That took a few sessions, but worked. Like other chemicals, give it time to work. Extra elbow-grease is a waste of effort and time. |
june_nmexico
Albuquerque, NM
(Zone 7a)
September 13, 2006
10:30 AM Post #2718772
| Thanks, Bubba. I'm going to pick up a gallon of Greased Lightening today and try it on the underside of the upper oven on the 28 year old Roper range that came with our house. That oven is only 13 inches over the stove top burners and has accumulated years of cooking grease. In such a tight space it's hard to rinse cleaning solutions off because it drips onto the burners below. Will the Greased Lightening do any harm if there's a residue of it left? |
Bubba_MoCity
Missouri City, TX
September 13, 2006
3:11 PM Post #2719597
| Not that I have found, but a followup with a wet/damp cloth to remove the residue is all that is needed. You might want to spread some newspapers over the stovetop before spraying to catch any drips - they are really ugly. I am a strong believer in doing things the laziest way possible - hate doing double work. |
june_nmexico
Albuquerque, NM
(Zone 7a)
September 14, 2006
9:14 PM Post #2724168
| Well I got that messy stove pretty clean today, Bubba. It did take some final scraping with a razor blade to peel off layers of baked on grease but for the most part I let the Greased Lightening do the work. Previous occupants had a grease fire on that stove and that's probably what baked the crud on. Thanks for tipping me off to the Greased Lightening!
June |
Bubba_MoCity
Missouri City, TX
September 15, 2006
2:06 PM Post #2726786
| Glad to know it helped.
When we lived in Colorado, the house had formica that looked like slate. The black at the wetbar never bothered us , but the white in the kitchen always looked dirty. Tried everything, then one day I cracked the bottle of Fantastic or 409 and did not notice that it was leaking for about 20 minutes. When I cleaned up the "flood" - all of the old "crud" came up, too. Finished the entire counter the same way. That is when I learned to give the products time to work. |
Sofonisba
Putnam County, NY
(Zone 6a)
September 16, 2006
7:23 PM Post #2730498
| That's good to know Bubba! Usually I just spray and wipe. |
akdebs
Juneau, AK
September 16, 2006
8:10 PM Post #2730645
| Another thing that may help with the dresser is to use a solution of white vinegar and hot water. My mother used to swear white vinegar helped get rid of smoke smells. Good luck! |
Sofonisba
Putnam County, NY
(Zone 6a)
September 16, 2006
11:40 PM Post #2731327
| Really? That's a cheap solution. Thanks. I've yet to try any of these suggestions, I've been so busy - but I'm grateful for them! Keep 'em comin'!
sofie |
Sofonisba
Putnam County, NY
(Zone 6a)
September 16, 2006
11:40 PM Post #2731328
|
This message was edited Sep 16, 2006 11:40 PM |
pepsidrinker
La Salle, MI
(Zone 5b)
September 20, 2006
4:05 PM Post #2743028
| Don't know if anybody mentioned this above, only scanned a few of the messages, but clean all the wood with PURE Lemon Oil...
Works for me, and also is great for the wood :o)
cg |
Ms_Carolina
Lexington, NC
(Zone 7b)
September 24, 2006
6:27 PM Post #2755686
| For cleaning wood furniture, cabinets (even kitchen with grease residue), get some Murphy's Oil Soap. Use hot water. It works, is safe for wood, and the room smells clean when your done. It's the only cleaner I use on wood. |
Bubba_MoCity
Missouri City, TX
September 26, 2006
7:47 AM Post #2759801
| Not only that, but Murphy's is GREAT in the garden. Mix an ounce or two in a quart sprayer - most bugs hate it, but the plants love it. |
Sofonisba
Putnam County, NY
(Zone 6a)
September 26, 2006
1:32 PM Post #2760675
| Wow! Good to know! |
joepyeweed
Peoria, IL
September 27, 2006
3:18 PM Post #2763863
| I second the kitty litter idea.
I've gotten really bad funk smell out of an old chest using kitty litter and charcoal.
Both substances have porous molecules that absorb odors.
|
