Best way to get cologne smell off of painted shelf?

[Patrick Maloney]

I just moved into a new apartment and the linen closet has this smell in it which smells like Old Spice or something. Looking closely at the shelves, I can see a few spots that look like something was spilled (these spots smell the strongest.

What can I use to clean this?

Also, the unpainted wood doors have a bad odor...not sure why...can I use furniture polish on them? They're the cheapie, light wood doors that have a thin laminate? maybe...there not solid wood. They're not painted.

tia

[malam]

Clean with Vinegar or if possible wet area with vinegar.

[Nobody]

malam wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Diluted, I presume?

[Patrick Maloney]

malam wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Diluted, I presume? What about the doors?

[Marina]

Patrick Maloney wrote in news:Xns983DEB7705EFpatXXrickmalXXoneyho@24.24.2.166:

I always use apple cider vinegar for taking away smells. I have no idea if the white vinegar works. Pour full strength apple cider vinegar into a shallow bowl and place the bowl on the shelf. Leave for a few days. The vinegar will absorb the odor. Replenish with new vinegar if the smell won't go away. Do not use styrofoam/paper since the vinegar will soak thru it.

[Norminn]

I would start by wiping it all down with alcohol .. ventilate the room and don't breathe too much of it. The odors are trapped in a closed closet, so it might help just to open it up, open windows, run a fan.

The bare wood, if it has absorbed a lot of whatever smells, can be sealed up with a clear finish of some sort.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

I see you got a lot of good suggestions. If they work, good. If they do not work, put a couple of coats of Bulls Eye shellac on the shelves and interior. That will seal in the odor and make it easy to clean.

[Patrick Maloney]

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in news:73gOg.2130$c03.68@trndny05:

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions!

[Patrick Maloney]

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in news:73gOg.2130$c03.68@trndny05:

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions!

[malam]

[nospambob]

[Norminn]

It wasn't the vinegar - it was leaving the doors open. The gasoline, being very volatile, evaporated. The OP has a spill that might be perfume or cologne, which has alcohol for a solvent. It can be gummy or sticky when the alcohol evaporates, thus the suggestion to try alcohol first to get it up.

[Patrick Maloney]

malam wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Thanks for responding. We're talking white vinegar, right? Every place I read says White = cleaning, apple cider = cooking...

[Patrick Maloney]

Norminn wrote in news:fXvOg.11884$bM.6379 @newsread4.news.pas.earthlink.net:

Is alcohol = "rubbing alcohol"?

[Patrick Maloney]

[e-mail] wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Can I just coat the shelves with this BE shellac and use as is? tia

A funny thing I read somewhere is that Bull's Eye shellac is approved for ingestion (when dry) as a candy coating (look under Non-toxic/hypoallergenic heading):

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Yes, it can be use as a finish, just as is. Dewaxed would be better if you intend to put another finish on top. In fact, shellac is often used as a barrier between two incompatible finishes.

[Norminn]

Good enough for this situation.