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Forum -> Household Management -> Cleaning & Laundry
Weird smell in drawers... HELP!



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amother
Saddlebrown


 

Post Wed, Dec 09 2015, 6:22 pm
I inherited some very beautiful antique furniture (dresser, armoire, etc.) and am excited to use it but when I opened all the drawers and doors - well, it stinks inside. Just this stale, musty smell. Besides for leaving the drawers open to air out a bit, what can I do to remove this horrible smell and make it usable?
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abs




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 09 2015, 6:35 pm
Dryer sheets?
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zaq




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 09 2015, 8:44 pm
Dryer sheets will cover up the smell but won't kill it. Air, light and heat work best to kill mildew, which is what causes musty odors, but heat is not friendly to wood furniture. Put the drawers out in the sun for several days--in cool weather, the heat won't be a problem--and bring them in in the evening. You don't want dew settling on them overnight to warp the wood an encourage the mildew!

To absorb the musty smell that remains, place baking soda or charcoal briquettes inside and leave for several weeks. You can also spray with diluted alcohol or the cheapest vodka you can find, but these work well only on mild and not deeply-entrenched odors.

Lysol spray or Febreze MIGHT work, but despite claims of destroying odors, IME they really just add their own chemical smell to cover up. If you have the leisure--it could take months--just leave the drawers and doors open to air out until the odor dissipates. If you can leave the items open and outdoors for a long time in a sheltered area like a screened balcony or porch that would be best. Have patience and let the air and light do their job. Indoors it could take months; outdoors maybe a few weeks, less if it's breezy.
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The Happy Wife




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 09 2015, 8:52 pm
Coffee grounds work to get rid of weird smells. Try sprinkling them in the drawers and letting it sit fit a few days.
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cbg




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 09 2015, 10:45 pm
You can wipe the draws with cloth dampened with vinegar, then leave a small container of baking soda in each drawer.
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happyone




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 09 2015, 10:51 pm
Moth ballsl
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zaq




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Dec 10 2015, 4:47 pm
happyone wrote:
Moth ballsl


That will merely add the reek of mothballs to that of mildew and render the furniture not only an olfactory horror but a toxic one as well. Don't do it.
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amother
Saddlebrown


 

Post Thu, Dec 10 2015, 6:05 pm
happyone wrote:
Moth ballsl


I'm not sure if this was meant to be a joke, but I'm pretty sure that moth balls is one of the unpleasant scents already attached to this furniture. My grandmother was a moth ball freak.
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