My Mom gave me a dresser many months ago to use for my new baby (now 4 1/2 months). The dresser was once my great grandmothers and is definitely old. My great aunt had it before my Mom did and she had it sanded down and never refinished so it was/is just sanded bare wood and has been that way for at least a few years now. Anyway, long story short - my Mom used to be a smoker and she would smoke in the house and this dresser was in my Moms house for a few years, unfinished and being exposed to filthy stinky smoky air. When I got it from her place back in Jan I think it was I aired it out with the drawers out of it and then I cleaned it with vinegar and water and then again let it air out. Then I waited until a week or so before my baby arrived to put the clothes in it because I wasnt a fan of the unfinished wood. So fast forward to now and many/most of the things that I take out of there that hasnt really been used until now reaks of smoke. I even went as far as to place receiving blankets down on the bottom of the drawers before I placed the clothes in there and still everything stinks. Is there anyway to get rid of this smell and is it at all dangerous for my baby to be wearing these stinky clothes and being exposed to 'second hand smoke'? Thus far if I find something stinks too bad I just toss it in the laundry
PS - Im in the process of finishing a new dresser for her but in the meantime and for after use I would like to get rid of the stench
Thanks in advance
Never thought about baking soda, which is really obvious. I do know that sanding it down and refinishing it doesn't work, because I did that. You might want to try a cleaner called, "oder ban" from Home Depot. My contractors told me there's a better one called, "Order Gone," but I couldn't find it at Home Depot.
You can fill it up with charcoal for a few days. That should absorb the odor.
I'm sorry but I am not sure it is worth using this dresser. I would empty it and take it outside to dispose it. Then I would rewash all the clothes and just store in baskets or plastic bins until you get the new dresser. Good luck.
I had the same situation. Grandmother (heavy smoker) gave me a dresser that had been in our family for a long time, to use for my baby. You could pull open an empty drawer and the smoke smell just overwhelmed. I took baking soda and sprinkled heavily in all the drawers, then pushed them back in closed. I put baking soda on top of the dresser too. I let it sit unopened for a few days, then took out the drawers and vacuumed the baking soda out. Then I found decorative scented drawer liners, put those in the drawers with the baby clothes and problem solved. No more smoke smell, my daughter still uses the dresser and never smelled like smoke.
Why not sand it down and refinish it? Sanding will take off the top layer of wood and staining and varnishing will seal anything else in.
Slice up a bunch of apples and put them in the drawers. This absorbs the tobacco smell.
It worked for me when my mom died. You can't smell anything now.
Sanding all surfaces might get rid of the smell.
I don't think the smell will harm your baby. The chemicals are pretty much reduced over time.
Try painting the wood with a sealer.
