Something to absorb smokers oder

[CarolBe]

I'm 31 weeks along with our 4th child and JUST got a new dresser (desperatly needed) from Freecycle. The baby will sleep with us in our room where the dresser will go (there is NO place else for this dresser, we live in a two bedroom townhouse that's SMALL for 6 people!). The problem with it is, that it REEKS of smoke, like cigerette smoke! HOW do I get rid of it?!?! I don't want to smell it all the time and I REALLY don't want the baby or my other kids breathing in this awful smell! PLEASE HELP!!!

Carol

[D'sMama]

Never used it, but there's Air Sponge: http://www.battyshopper.net/airsponge.html

You could also try some lemon essential oil on a few rags, tossed in each drawer. Be careful not to get it directly on the wood or it might stain.

Depending on the material, you might be able to wash it down with vinegar water or use Method Wood for Good cleaner.

[nighten]

If the above tips don't work (and hopefully they will!) I would have my husband paint it with KILZ. But that would be an extreme scenario. Hopefully the other tips will work. You might x-post in MHM for more tips if you need.

Good luck, mama!

[fek&fuzz]

wash and repaint the outside. sand the inside, then sprinkle a lot of baking soda in it for a few days then vacuum out.

[mamaw/two]

A few things that will absorb oder are baking soda, coffee grinds, and charcoal. I would wipe it down inside and out with some vinegar and water and then put one of the oder absorbers in. GL!

[NikkiJS]

I recently bought a indoor miniature swing set and it too reeked for smoke...really really strong, so bad it gave me a headache when I was taking it home in the van. So I googled how to get rid of the smell and one of the suggestions was to use cat deoderizer spray. I found this at Target in the pet aisle and I specifically used the cat (vs. dog) cleaner/deoderizer spray because on the bottle it said that it could be used on hard surfaces (dog spray didn't mention hard surfaces) so I sprayed it down, and let it sit overnight and the smell vanished!! I swear by the treatment and its very cheap and easy to get your hands on! Just spot test it on wood.

[MamaMonica]

Moved to Mindful Home Management.

[Fuamami]

How about Murphy's Oil Soap? It's recommended for cleaning wood, and it has a very strong smell itself. I like it, but I guess if you hated that smell, too, you'd be out of the frying pan and into the fire!

[Ruthiegirl]

Honestly, I think you need to seal and paint it. Kilz is a good product, Sherwin Williams also makes a really good sealer. Neither are real earth friendly, but nicotine tar will leach through regular paint without a good sealer underneath.

Or maybe just put it back on Freecycle and look for something else.

[boobybunny]

Wipe it down with Vodka.


Vodka is really good at getting smoke smells out of stuff.

[cristeen]

It's going to need to be cleaned thoroughly. Tar and smoke will cling to surfaces, and only by scrubbing it thoroughly will you remove the cause of the smell. By thoroughly I mean every nook and cranny. Be sure to wear gloves and a mask because you can get nicotine poisoning from your exposure doing this.

Sunlight can help dissipate the smell, and there are products you can use to paint over the tar to seal it in, but just using regular paint over it will not work, as the coating prevents the paint from properly sticking, and it will also eventually ooze through the paint. Even if you do decide to use a sealant, any metal pieces will have to be thoroughly scrubbed.

Honestly, extremely pregnant as you are, I would pass it along and look for something else.