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Conference vmszoo::consumer

Title:Consumer info exchange -- for Digital employees
Notice:Announcements in note 1, directory in note 1111
Moderator:VMSSG::CURTIS
Created:Sat Mar 08 1986
Last Modified:Tue Jun 03 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:2554
Total number of notes:20114

2549.0. "How to get smells out of wood" by PCBUOA::BAYJ (Jim, Portables) Tue Feb 18 1997 17:22

    We just bought some new furniture.  My wife wanted to fix it up "right"
    and bought some scented shelf paper at Crabtree & Evelyn.  They told us
    that this was their most delicate scent.
    
    Well, it was probably a dumb idea in the first place, because my wife
    gets migraines, and smells tend to set her off.  It turns out, and
    this was confirmed at a different C&E store, that this is their
    STRONGEST scent.
    
    It completely saturated her clothes, many of which still carry the
    scent.  
    
    We removed the paper immediately, and its been months now.  The scent
    is still horribly strong in the furniture, to the extent that if we
    open the doors to let it "air out", we then have to open the windows to
    air out the room.
    
    This stuff is REALLY powerful.  I can't recommend against it more
    strongly.
    
    We have tried lemon juice, soap, Pledge, Liquid Gold and several other
    things to get the smell out.  At best, it masks it briefly.  I would
    definitely never have believed this story if someone had told it to me. 
    But this truly is the odor from hell.  I've never seen anything so hard
    to get out, including cat urine.
    
    We are desperate and will try anything.  This was a brand new matched
    furniture set, and it would be very expensive, if not impossible to
    replace the piece and match the set.
    
    Any help would be gratefully appreciated.
    
    jeb
    
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2549.1Probably will find references here and elsewhere.EVMS::PIRULO::LEDERMANB. Z. LedermanWed Feb 19 1997 10:3918
    There are some discussions on this topic in HOME_WORKS.  You may also
    find some here with a title search.
    
    There are companies that use ozone to remove odors from houses, such as
    smoke smell in a house after a fire.  I suspect you will have to resort
    to something like this.  Check the two notes conferences (try something
    like DIR /TITLE="ODOR").
    
    Have you had the clothes laundered and/or dry cleaned?  Does the smell
    remain after cleaning?
    
    Exactly what is the "furniture" involved?  When you say matched
    furniture I think of a sofa and chairs and can't imaging what the shelf
    paper was for.  Odor doesn't usually get into finished wood, but is
    more likely to linger in fabric / upolstery.
    
    Does the room have cloth curtains, and did you clean them?
    
2549.2dresser drawers?WRKSYS::RICHARDSONWed Feb 19 1997 12:439
    I think Jim means that his wife lined the dresser drawers with shelf
    paper - not sure why anyone would want to do that anyhow.  Then again,
    I have allergy problems too, and I would never deliberately add
    anything scented to the house that wasn't absolutely necessary.  I
    don't know how to get the remaining scent out, either, if leaving the
    drawers out to air out after removing the paper and cleaning the
    surfaces didn't work.  Good luck!
    
    /Charlotte
2549.3Thanks!PCBUOA::BAYJJim, PortablesWed Feb 19 1997 13:2330
    Wow!  I think I'm losing my "noting" touch!  I've had trouble getting
    responses in other notes, but this is the first time I've obviously
    failed to communicate so dramatically!  Sorry!
    
    Charlotte (hi!) is right.  The furniture in question was a matched
    bedroom suit, and so consisted of bureaus, etc. with drawers and
    shelves for clothes.  Parts of the interior shelving area is finished,
    but other parts, and the interior of the drawers are not.
    
    Her clothes got "contaminated" when she placed them in the lined
    drawers.  And in fact, she has had trouble getting the smell out of the
    clothes even after cleaning.
    
    The odor is mostly contained in the furniture itself.  If we open the
    drawers to air them, then the smell is heavy in the room, but leaving
    them closed makes it livable.
    
    I think this is one of those screwy social myths we've thrust upon
    ourselves.  On several occaisions my wife has asked if I'd like her to
    wear perfume.  And I of course answer tenderly and caringly, "Don't be
    stupid - perfume gives you migraines!".  But even though it bothers her
    in public like in theatres when someone else has strong perfume, she
    really wanted to do this.
    
    Believe me, it will NEVER happen again.  But for now...
    
    I'll "nose" around in here and homework.  Thanks!
    
    jeb
    
2549.4Plain white vinegar might work.CADSYS::HEDERSTEDTLisa...Wed Feb 19 1997 13:378
    
    I don't know if this will help with unfinished wood but after my 
    parents house burned the furniture refinisher told them to use
    plain white vinegar to get the smell out of woodwork, walls, just
    about anything.  They doused everything in the house and you can't
    smell any smoke smell on anything.
    

2549.5try bleachSMURF::CCHAPMANWed Feb 19 1997 14:4711
    In removing the 'musky' smell you sometimes find in antiques I use
    bowls of Clorox Bleach in the drawers, shelves, what all.  Some of the
    more stubborn smells require the bleach treatment over a period of 
    several weeks, changing the bleach weekly.  I've found the best 'bowls'
    are glass cake pans -- exposing more of the bleach.  Using lemon
    scented bleach didn't work as you then had another smell to contend 
    with.
    
    If you can stand the bleach smell -- this should do the trick.
    
    Carel
2549.6OdorBanOCTAVE::VIGNEAULThttp://www.ultranet.com/~larryvThu Feb 20 1997 17:268
    
    There's a product called Odorban that works great at eliminating
    odors.  I buy mine at Sam's in Westboro, but I'm sure it's easy to
    find. It's a liquid that neutralizes odors.  We used it to eliminate
    a musty odor in our clothes washer.  Since, we find all kinds of uses
    for it.
    
      Rgds, Larry
2549.7Let nature do it?EVMS::PIRULO::LEDERMANB. Z. LedermanMon Feb 24 1997 14:027
    The easiest thing to try is wait for a sunny day, and then take
    whatever it is that needs deodorizing and place it outside where the
    sun and air can get to it.  Direct sunlight is best.
    
    Of course, some things aren't light-fast, but clothing and the insides
    of drawers should be.
    
2549.8WRKSYS::MACKAY_EMon Feb 24 1997 14:326
    
    Baking soda? Open a box and leave inside each drawer? It works for
    fridges and bathrooms...
    
    
    Eva 
2549.9Citrus cleaner?NETCAD::DREYERI need a vacation!!Wed Apr 30 1997 16:443
How about the citrus cleaner they sell for wood?

Laura
2549.10PCBUOA::mulder.ako.dec.com::bayjJim, portablesWed Apr 30 1997 16:525
Do you mean like lemon pledge, or something different?

jeb (still suffering)