Musty Wood Dresser

I inherited a couple of old dressers that smelled horrible and I cleaned them with Murphy Oil soap out side on a sunny day pulled all the drawers out and cleaned insides too. Then I left it out inthe sun all day. at the end of the day I went over it again with Orange Glo wood cleaner and polish. That pretty much took care of it. It smells a little on really humid days but doesn't seem to get into the clothes. I hope this helps. The other ideas sound good too. You may combine a few to get the best results. Good luck!!
Jess

1 mom found this helpful

K.,

It sounds like it needs to be conditioned. I would start with giving it a good cleaning with Murphy Oil Soap, per the instructions on the bottle. Then I would slather on lemon furniture oil and let stand unwiped for 24-48 hours. Before putting on the oil I would put down newspaper or plastic under the dresser so the excess doesn't ruin your flooring if it isn't wood. After the time has elapsed, wipe off the excess oil using a clean cloth rag. Then finish off with a SC Johnson Paste Wax, per the instructions on the container.

While you are doing this cleaning and reconditioning, I would also be treating the drawers with a baking soda treatment. Just place a small open container of baking soda in each drawer and keep the drawer closed if possible. This container can be a small bowl filled using a much larger box of Arm & Hammer's baking soda. I would leave the containers in there for at least a week if possible. Before you put the clothes in, I would line the drawers with a scented drawer liner so the clothes on the bottom don't pick up a musty smell. You can make your own by spraying brown craft paper from Michael's or Hobby Lobby with Febreze or a neutralizer if you don't like that scent. Just cut the sheets to fit the drawers.

Good luck.

1 mom found this helpful

Of course, clean the dresser, but before you seal it or wax it try the idea below:

Borrow a friend's ionizer/air purifier and run it in the same room as the dresser. You could take the drawers out and point them and the dresser at the ionizer. Close the door to the room!

A.

I love the idea of using the brown paper to line the dresser! When my son was born, we used the wrapping paper from his baby shower to line the old dresser we used as a changing table!

All the suggestions so far are great. Sounds like you're going to be busy! After you have cleaned, treated, and whatever else you can do to remove the odors, you can put some scented dryer sheets in the drawers. I use them in my soccer coaching bags to remove the smell of the soccer pennies and miscellaneous equipment that the players use at practice until I get a chance to wash or clean them.

I read the other responses, and they are great ideas.

My first instinct, however, was to put cedar chips inside the drawers.

You might also want to take the drawers out and set everything out in the sun.

also besides a good cleaning, staining it will help seal it, so that then you can clean it again after to get rid of the smell. but sachets are a good idea, bc some wooden dressers will smell forever! (sorry thats prolly not what you wanted to hear!)

I like all the suggestions so far. The only I didn't see, which the kitty litter was close, was coffee grounds. I've heard they work great at pulling out smells from places. Just another idea! Good Luck! K. G

Stuff the drawers with crumpled up newspaper and leave it alone for about a week. If that doesn't work you can also use kitty litter (the cheap kind). Put a tray of it in each drawer and leave it alone for a week.

I guess I would start with a good cleaning, and since it seems to help with everything else although it is not designed for wood I would probably fabreze it. You might also try a furniture store or Home Depot for suggestions about both cleaning it and the odor.

I would probably look into sachets that can be put in the drawers, you can use the same type of lining you have in a kitchen cabinet that is either permanent or can be removed, to create a barrier between the wood and clothing, and cedar chips might also help.

The outside I would probably pledge the heck out of to see if I could get it smelling better in general.

Hi K.,
I have tried baking soda on several musty-smelling pieces of furniture...depending on the size of the dresser, you may have to use a lot of boxes of it!

vinegar and baking soda