Removing odor from furniture
by
Dianna Brown
+14
I have a wonderful piece of furniture that my husband and I are revamping so it will fit in the room we are creating for our grand-kids when they spend the night. It was in my fathers basement for years and has a very musty smell. Any suggestions as to how to remove the odor. I have tried charcoal with now success.
17 answers
-
Hi Dianna, Is it a couch? Sometimes you need to get rid of the cushions and replace them as well as recovering the couch because the material is saturated. If that isn't feasible, you could try cleaning it with a shampooer and then cover it with newspaper since it also absorbs odor and dampness. Change it twice a day. If it can sit outside for anytime, air can do wonders, too. Good Luck and I hope you find a solution that helps!
Dee W
on Jul 25, 2013
-
@Dee W I guess I should have added that fact. Its a drawer section from an old vanity. Cute as can be but also smelly as can be. I did spray it with some hospital disinfectant yesterday and it help a little. I'm going to try again today and put it out in the sun.
Dianna Brown
on Jul 26, 2013
-
I agree with the sunshine. Wash it down, including the drawers and set outside. Oh dry it first.
Sherrie
on Jul 26, 2013
-
@Sherrie that sounds like a great idea..I never thought about washing it...dah...makes sense. I will do that this morning...we are suppose to have sun today so sitting in the sun should also help dry it. Thanks
Dianna Brown
on Jul 26, 2013
-
Dianna, over time, you may find that you catch a whiff every now and then of the mustiness even though it is clean. I had the same issue plus the added smell of cigarettes when we inherited a buffet from my FIL. I found that if I place dryer sheets either under or inside the drawers, they seem to control the smell. I just have to replace them every 6 months. I think the wood actually got saturated. The reason I put dryer sheets under some of the drawers is to protect tablecloths/napkins from the sheets-I wasn't sure if they could stain them or create too heavy of scent.
Dee W
on Jul 26, 2013
-
@Dee W That sounds like a great idea...that's to funny. I added dryer sheets to my hubbies car because he is a smoker and I hate getting into his car. Crazy I never thought of that for this. I would imagine when it gets very humid that odor would come out. Great idea...will give it a go. I did after washing it down rub it with some lavender not sure if that was a wise choice but figured couldn't hurt. Now I have that musty smell in my noise and throat...gross!!Thanks again..
Dianna Brown
on Jul 26, 2013
-
@Dianna Brown be sure to post either "before and after" or "as you work" pictures of the room, I'd love to see what you do and how it turns out. Lucky Grandkids!
Dee W
on Jul 26, 2013
-
@Dee W Wish I would have thought of that before we revamped it. It was to big for the space, way to deep, being that it was one of the sides from a vanity. I needed some thing around 9 inches deep to fit in the space I wanted it for. Hubby dissembled it in the back, and we cut off 81/4 inches, then he reassembled it. Now its cute as can be and fits perfect where I need it perfectly. But I will take photos of it before starting to prime and paint it. I will also get a shot of it placed in it's spot. Thanks for the heads up on that. I thought about it but we were so busy working on it, time went by and it was done.
Dianna Brown
on Jul 26, 2013
-
I had the same problem with a dresser I got from a second hand store and since I got it very cheaply: I decided to wipe it down with vinegar. The wood was very damp when I finished and I turned a fan on it until I could get it out in the sun. Did great. Hope this will work for you.
Lgsmith
on Jul 26, 2013
-
@Lgsmith Thank you..I did think about trying that since there has been so much talk about vinegar lately. I will give it a shot, so far nothing has really solved the problem completely I will let you know.
Dianna Brown
on Jul 26, 2013
-
This works for all furniture, even upholstered. Buy or borrow an air cleaning machine that has an "Ozone" function. Put the furniture in a small room or closet that you can close off with the machine on ozone for several hours, or over night. Don't do this in a room that is occupied by people or pets, as concentrated ozone is not healthy to breath for long (with ventilation, it is great). This removes musty smells, smoke, even gasoline or other strong chemical smells. I've used it many times without fail, and the results are permanent. Good luck!
Pamela Joy
on Jul 27, 2013
-
@Pamela Joy Thanks, if all else fails I will give this a try, makes sence.
Dianna Brown
on Jul 27, 2013
-
Pun intended? ;-)
Pamela Joy
on Jul 27, 2013
-
I have used ozone machines with great sucess. Here is the problem before you use one. You have to remove the source of the problem. Nicotine leaves a film, and you need to remove the mold spores if it was in a damp place. Then you can use the ozone machine. We have used them in cars, and when my fathers house burned down. We cleaned all the furniture and other things we could save and put it in our garage with the machine running for several days. It did help all most all of it. We rented the machine. We also used it underneath our house after it flooded and we dried it out. But if upholstery has mold it will not take care of the smell because mold grows and it flakes, which is toxic to your health.
Sherrie
on Jul 28, 2013
-
Well..I wiped it down with some vinegar & water mix inside and out and so far so good. You can hardly smell the musty odor. I figure once I kiltzs it, it should be fine. Kiltz tends to remove odor also. Then paint it , this should really do the trick. Still sitting out in the sun (when we have sun) to help also. Not gonna hurt, right? Here's how it looks in the raw. To bad I didn't think to take a photo before we cut 81/2 inches off the back.
Dianna Brown
on Jul 30, 2013
-
Oh, it's darling!!! I am so glad you are smelling a difference, and am excited to see this when it is all done and ready for the room.
Dee W
on Jul 30, 2013
-
Thanks...I fell in love with it. My father used to have his drill press on it in the basement. When he passed away that was one of the first things I put my stamp on. My older brother thought I was crazy. I believe it was my grandparents. My problem with it is that it was so deep for being so narrow to place anywhere. Brain storm.... cut it down. The weather here in Michigan has been so rainy, it kind of depends on that has to when I get her painted. But I will post a picture when she is finished.
Dianna Brown
on Jul 31, 2013
Sign Up to Answer
Related Discussions
Suggested Project Book
