Musty smell in old furniture

[aaronfude]

Hi,

Just bought a very nice dresser, but it has that old musty smell.

Are there good ways of getting rid of it?

Thank you very much!

Aaron Fude

[Lew Hodgett]

Same as last time.

Rent an ozone generator.

Lew

[Leon]

Lowe's sells a product called Natural Magic. It is in a round plastic jar about 3" wide and 3" tall. It contains an odor absorbing gel. Stick one inside the piece and leave it a few days. Costs about $4.

Stupid simple!

[aaronfude]

Thank you for the suggestions. I will probably go with this suggestion, but I'm wondering whether the smell would come back when the jar is removed. Sounds like it eliminates the odor rather than the cause of the odor.

[Jeff Gorman]

wrote

Though I haven't tried it, cat litter is reputed to work.

Jeff G

[Ross Hebeisen]

put it on ebay ross

[nospambob]

[Phisherman]

Allow sunlight into the drawers.

[Leon]

It does not eliminate the cause but furniture sets for long periods accumulating odors. If it is new furniture the smell is probably off gassing of the materials and finishes. This will eventually stop. Old furniture sets for years accumulation odors. Either way, the odor absorbing gel works very well but may need to be used now and again.

This is what you are looking for.

You can also order it from here however Lowe's is about the cheapest place to buy the product and much cheaper than direct.

[billcha]

Soak with Gasoline and put a light to it

[Phisherman]

Fill a mesh bag with charcoal briquettes and store this in the dresser for a month. And, make sure to remove granny's bloomers.

[aaronfude]

You mean the kind for the grill?

And put some in each drawer?

Where do I get a mesh bag. Even my wife doesn't have one.

[Andy Dingley]

Grey fuller's earth cat litter, and not scented. The expensive sorts and the red clay sorts don't work.

Ball mill it before use (shake it in a bucket with a couple of rocks) and spread it out thinly on baking trays or plates.

[Baron]

1. Wipe down the inside with Listerine or other such mouthwash. The thymol will kill off any remaining mold and mildew.
2. Fresh air and sunlight.

1. Lastly, seal the inside with shellac followed by a very light sanding. The shellac step may not be necessary depending on how successful you are with the first two steps. The light sanding removes any roughness while still keeping the wood sealed. Clothes will not snag on any rough wood.

Good Luck.

[aaronfude]

Hi, thank you so much for the good advice. Can you answer the follow up questions, please?

Should I use a liberal amount or just a damp cloth? I'm concerned that the moisture will hurt the wood.

Is there a risk that the sun will dry the wood out and damage it? Does it work if the sunlight passes through a window first? Also are you talking about persistent exposure or just a couple of hours here and there?

Shellac as opposed to poly?

Thank you

[Baron]

A fairly damp cloth. You appear to be aware of the problem with what might happen if it is too wet.

The sun will not dry out the wood as it is already quite dry and will adapt to it surroundings. I suggest a ful day. Just be aware of the possible bleaching effect if it is a dark wood or a darkening effect if it is a light wood.

Do not use poly. It takes way too long to fully cure and will cause the inside to smell of the solvents forever. Shellac is cheap, dries fast, and is readily available at hardware stores.

[loxybagle]

At the upscale antique shop I worked at we would wash down the insides of musty pieces with ammonia solution (maybe a cup per gallon, sometimes straight up if it was bad). It worked well and the ammonia would evaporate in a short while. The only piece it wouldn't work on was an old pine server found in some barn. Inside we found the remains of some raccoon dissolved into the boards. Nothing would get that smell out and it took many many coats of chellac to seal it in. Hell knows why the customer still wanted it.