Oh my God, it smells like something died in here!
Apparently, in my circle of friends, I am the go-to person if you have this kind of problem.
I hope it’s not because my furniture and house stinks but rather because I’m always rehabbing old, musty, dusty furniture. I have a little bit of experience with getting rid of odor in furniture.
My friend, Amy, who is a real-life CSI, recently sent me this query:
You can imagine that crime scene investigators like me get interesting questions. However, tonight’s, though forensically sound, is more appropriate for my Atta Girls. Neighbor: “How do you get the smell of ‘dead’ out of furniture?” 🙂 Seems a 78-year-old, sentimental chest of drawers in her garage became home to a decaying critter without her immediate knowledge. She’s tried Fabreeze and bleach, which not only didn’t work, but also warped a thin, wood packing crate her father used to craft the piece. Any suggestions from the Atta Girls or Friends of Atta Girls?
Well, I certainly have experience with stinky furniture, but thankfully dead is not a stench that I’ve encountered — yet. So, I turned to some of my blogger friends on Hometalk for their input on Amy’s “something died in here” query.
In my experience, the best solution for getting rid of stinky odors is to neutralize them, not to mask them. Because no matter how much air freshener you use, it always seems the stench comes back. I suspect that what the neighbor’s chest needs is a good airing out — lots of sunshine and fresh air — with some neutralizing agent thrown into the mix.
Here are some tips for getting rid of stinky odors, pulled from my own experience and from the suggestions of the Hometalk bloggers:
- Clean the stinky chest of drawers, inside and out, with an appropriate cleanser. For the neighbor’s chest, the safest option may be a slighty dampened rag with water or another furniture-safe cleanser. Vinegar and water is another option. For another stinky container, like a trash can or a dirty diaper genie, I would scrub with a bleach-based cleaner and also apply Lysol liberally. The neighbor may be able to use Lysol on her stinky piece of furniture.
- Sprinkle the drawers with baking soda, which should absorb the odors. Let the baking soda sit for several days, and vacuum it up. You may need to try several applications. Alternately, you can place a bowl of baking soda inside each drawer. The longer it is left in, the better.
- Let the stinky piece air out. Leave it outside in the sunshine — for days, if necessary.
- Line the drawers with dryer sheets, and let them work their magic for several days (weeks even, if the smell is quite malodorous).
- Pour kitty litter into the drawers and leave it for several days. It should absorb the odor. Dump it out, vacuum well and sniff. Repeat, if necessary.
- Put coffee beans inside the drawers to absorb and mask the odor.
- Place a few jars of white vinegar inside the furniture. The vinegar smell doesn’t linger and it should remove the odor. Depending on how bad the smell is, you may need to leave the vinegar in place longer and repeat, as necessary.
- Furniture painting pal Lori Young of Vintage Charm Restored swears by TSP cleaner, available at home improvement stores like Lowe’s and Home Depot.
- Paint can sometimes mask and cover odors. If the neighbor paints the inside of the drawers, the smell may go away.
- Once the drawers are clean and the odor has been removed, consider storing scented candles inside the chest of drawers. The candles will cover up any lingering scent that may return over time.
Thanks to bloggers Janel at Nellie Bellie and Cheri at It’s So Very Cheri!, as well as my friend Kaaren, for weighing in with tips on how to get rid of stinky smells in furniture. And for more tips on removing odors from furniture, check out this post from Living with Lindsay, and be sure to read the comments for even more suggestions.
For answering this question, I think we all deserve a “get-out-of-jail-free” card from the other Amy! 🙂
If you have suggestions for Amy’s friend, please add them to the comments. I’ll make sure you get your very own get-out-of-jail-free card for adding your two cents.
jennjin
I’m not sure why people suggest vinegar for removing odors? I have a room mate who tried placing glasses of vinegar in their room as an air freshener, and the smell of sour pickles filled the hallway outside their room. I told then to cut it out as it didn’t smell good at all.
Pat
I am at loss as to what to do with a antique dresser i bought, the outside of it beautiful, , my fault I did not check the inside and drawers. but I did think there was a bit of a peculiar smell to it,but wouldn’t be a problem i use different methods to get rid of smells in furniture I buy. . The lady said it had came out of a old shed and husband had saturated all the inside of the wood dresser and the four large drawers with many spray cans of bug killer. The smell is so powerful just taking the drawers out is awfell. washed it all with bleach., then vinegar,, tried baking soda,,hydrogen peroxide , cat litter, newspaper and charcoal I have stood , the drawers and dresser outside hoping the smell will go. Now it seems to smell like cat pee as well, probably all the chemicals have blended to make the smell even worse. I do not want to spray sealer. This foul smell is 10 times worse than cat pee smell . I noticed mention of Vodka, but what is vodka that would make the smell disappear ? I think there is no hope left for this beautiful victorian dresser.
Patti
Try placing all the stinky furniture in a room with an ironizer, turn it on close the door and seal the bottom of the door with a rolled up towel. Do not have it running in an open room and keep pets and children away from it. It is bad for your lungs. I don’t know if you can rent them anymore. Places that deal with fire clean up may be able to help you. We put ours in an root cellar in the basement, seal off the door and in less than 24 hours the furniture smells better than new. Good luck?
Lee Ann
I learned from a resort owner that she used an ozone machine to eliminate cigarette and cigar odors from a unit used by smokers on a 3 week fishing vacation. It totally removed all the odors. However, it can only be used for 24 hours because then it starts to break down any fabrics in the room – drapes, bedspreads, etc. Another time a friend used an ozone machine to remove odors from several pieces of antique furniture that had been in a mouse-infested house. Then she used it in the house itself. It worked great in both instances. I called a hazmat cleaning supply company once, wondering what they used at stinky crime scenes. They have products that run the gamut from the mildest to the severest imaginable cleaning/odor needs. They’re a good resource because they know about chemical properties in stains and odors the rest of us don’t need to know, thankfully, so were good about offering easy, inexpensive but effective solutions as well. They may even know where to rent something like an ozone machine. Some friends used one on things that smelled smoky but not badly enough to be thrown out after a small house fire after the fire dept removed their big fans. It never hurts to ask questions. Otherwise, I’d never have learned years ago that an ozone machine for getting rid of odors even existed.
Atta Girl Amy
Great suggestions, Lee Ann.
Kat
I bought an old art decco wardrobe and it smelled awful. I tried vinegar, baking soda and coffee whole bean and ground. The only thing that worked was those laundry freshener beads. I bought the ones made like Gain. It worked beautifully! No more yucky smell!
Atta Girl Amy
That’s a great tip, Kat. I haven’t tried those in furniture, but I can see how those would totally work. Are you talking about the fabric softener beads that you put in the wash? Just want to make sure I’m clear on what you’re using so I can add this to the list of tips in the blog post.
Michelle
This is a great article! Thank you!
Brenda Rocha
Great ideas. Will these work for furniture that has been exposed to years of cigarette smoke? I am renting a furnished bedroom and the furniture is disgustingly odiferous! It is made out of compressed wood. The whole room stinks . It is a temporary situation and can’t move. HELP!!!!
Nancy
I can’t thank you enough for these ideas! Always turning down “smelly” bargains at yard sales. Never again!
Sarah
Hi there, I recently purchased a turn of the century dentist cabinet that has an extremely strong odour of dental chemicals that I would love some advice on how to try and remove? It was in the dental clinic for 3 generations, so smell is very overwhelming. It seems more prominent in the top glass sections of the unit, so I am assuming items were only stored there as the drawers etc don’t seem too bad?
Item is currently painted in an organic type paint, but I was going to strip, stain and varnish?
Any advise would be great, as I love this unit but the smell is almost unbearable.
Michele
Iv’e tried many things for bad smelling furniture, and the only one that has worked for me is
1 part CLEAR shellac, and 1 part DENATURED alcohol. I mix it in a jar, shake it up good and paint the inside of
of the offending piece. Sometimes you can just get away with painting the inside of a drawer or two and sometimes you have to paint the inside of a whole piece. Whatever it is, this will work. Once in a while you have to do two coats. Just know that
it goes on fast and dries fast. There are some smells that just don’t give up with one coat. I swear by it. Give it a try.
You have nothing to lose but a BAD smell.
Ellen Manson
For cleaning stinky furniture: Take the furniture outside or into the garage. Take all drawers and/or shelves out. Dilute Murphy Oil Soap in water according to directions. Scrub it down inside and out until the water is relatively clear. If the odor is strong or the piece was covered in dirt, repeat above process. Wash it down with a garden hose. Pat it dry with soft absorbent cloths. Apply lemon oil with a soft cloth.
Ellen Manson
One of our grandchildren fell asleep and had an accident in one of a matching set of new club chairs with matching ottomans. It happened at night. By the next morning the smell of urine was strong all around the chair. Really strong.
My thoughts about the situation were 1. The chair in its present shape is headed to the dumpster. 2. If I take this chair out on the deck and pour gallons of warm soapy water over the stained area, hose it down with a garden hose until the water runs clear and it ruins it, so what! So that is what I did. It worked perfectly. It smelled fresh and no trace of odor. We have been using it for years since.
Important to know:
The temperature outside was 98 degrees more or less. I left it in the sun all day, brought it in before dark and kept a fan blowing on it that evening.
I checked the tag on the chair regarding type of fabric and cleaning instructions. In my case it didn’t matter but some fabrics cannot be washed!