descenting untreated wood

[Lily left the valley]

So I realized as things with house hunting are calming that I still haven't actually used the vanity drawers since we bought the piece. When I opened them the other day to start amending that, I was immediately struck by the aroma of scented satchel of something-that-makes-me-sneeze which, even if it is quite pleasant, I don't want to be sneezing every time I wear something I've put in there.

The insides of the drawers do not have any apparent sealant/finish on them, so I first tried sprinkling some baking soda in two of the drawers and leaving the drawers open in the hopes they would air out. After a day, not much better. So then I left the baking soda in there, but closed the drawers because it made sense to try at the time. I just checked it a bit ago, and no discernible difference from when they were left open.

I'm leery of the idea of even damp towel wiping down the drawers because they are untreated. The backs of the drawers are also not a regular piece of wood, it's some sort of thin panel composite of that time. Is there a better method I could try that doesn't involve directly wetting them down?

One notion I have is putting the drawers without the baking soda on the floor of our bathroom while showering, in the hopes that the steam might encourage the scent out of the wood. I do have a small hand steamer like you would use for clothes, but I thought maybe the shower steam would be more efficient. I do not have a higher temp project steamer yet, so that's not an option. I have no idea if this is a sound idea, or just tired brain out in left field idea.

I am open to suggestions, as I am coming up short on this.

[Sow's Ear Mal]

Hi. Avoid the steam idea, your drawers will never fit back in. I had a washstand that hosted a mouse family in the drawer. The only thing that worked to seal out the smell was shellac. -Mal

[Mick_VT]

A damp towel wont do any harm, but I would avoid the steam. It's the wrong time of year for it but putting things outside for a day in the sun can work wonders. Shellac would certainly work Zinnsner sealcoat is sold partly for the purpose of sealing stains / smells. I used it to great effect to seal a slightly smelly plywood floor once. I think if I were to go that route I would only seal the inside of the drawers

[Lily left the valley]

I am so glad I posted my notion. I was worried about swelling (and a bit about that composite falling apart), and you both brought my brain back to sense.

Since we're still in that in between time with our possibly closing, and I don't absolutely need to use the drawers right now, I may just keep some soda in them, maybe swapping it out in a month or so. Then when spring comes and (hopefully) we're at Baker, I'll put them outside in the backyard (propped off the lawn) on a few sunny days and see how it goes. Hmm. Now I have an excuse to build some sawhorses this winter.

At that point, it will be nice enough that if I have to resort to sealing them, it will be a fine time to do so.

Thank you both!

[JacquieJet]

Depending on how you feel about the scent of coffee, it can be a wonderful deodorizer. Put some fresh coffee grinds in a bowl and place it in the drawer- sure, it will smell like coffee in there, but if you like that sort of thing then it will most likely do the trick. Years back when my husband worked at a car dealership, this was their trick for cars that were traded in by smokers (or other lingering scents)- an open can of coffee (like Folgers or the like) left in the car for a few days. It was very effective.
One thing to be aware of is that since coffee is oily, make sure to use a bowl or container- do not put the grinds directly in the drawer, or else there will be some staining.

[Lily left the valley]

JacquieJet, I like the smell of coffee, but don't really drink it much. This is definitely worth a try. Thankies for the suggestion.

[phil]

how about putting some sawdust in the drawer for a while? cedar dst might work best but any sawdust might help? you could fill the drawer with it and leave it for a while?

[Lily left the valley]

Phil, that could be a great idea except I'd have to find/make some. We're still in the apartment we moved into in spring, and there's no workshop space, hence my tools being divided between the living room and the three season porch.

I will definitely keep it in mind for the future, though.

[phil]

since it's the season , maybe some Christmas tree branch bits?

most drawers were not finished , especially on the sides and the slides. a coat of oil isnt' really damaging but also they have made it this far with no finish. A bit of wax can help them slide better sometimes I'd try putting an opened box of baking soda in there and leave it for a while as you are doing. You can always use the stuff for cleaning later.

I dated this lady a couple years ago. Every time I got close I could smell this weird smell. It was a real turn off but i tried to ignore it as best I could. I knew I recognized it but couldn't figure it out.. why did she stink? Eventually it clicked, Mothballs! When I did go to her place, well she'd had this excessive compulsive buying disorder. this woman had a big house and huge closets full of clothes and mothballs ! Not just a little bit she was actually locked in the mental hospital for a month on account of it. I dated her and got invited to come with her to Europe and bought tickets to go with that were non refundable then while we were waiting to go she got locked up lol.. she was released from hospital and got her passport and we did go on that trip but broke it off along the way. turned out to be mean as well as nutty. She kept buying so much she had to keep mailing boxes home, Shoes , lingerie more and more of it everywhere she went she had the sales people dancing all around her.. It was so crazy.. like something out of a movie it was..

She had thousands and thousands of dollars worth of brand new expensive clothes that wreaked of the stuff lol.. I know how to pick em lol... I am sure that for the rest of my life I will think of her whenever I smell mothballs .. yea dont' use mothballs sorry i got off track I couldn't resist telling the story

[Lily left the valley]

I think the [local organization of some type] tree sale is coming up soon. Some of them usually have branches you can use for mantles or wreath making, so if I can, I'll look into that. There's two other garden/nursery type places in town I can check too. We're not getting a tree this year since we're saving for whatever house related.

I use soda a lot for various things. So if I go the whole box route, it will get used for something or other later. I'm thinking I might get the fridge style boxes, as they might help matters.

Loved the mothball story, although I'm sorry it wasn't a pleasant one for you. My mom has the hoarder buyer issue, but she doesn't use mothballs at all. It's something my dad has had to deal with since they married. When QVC first came on TV, the UPS guy was at our house on a near daily basis. (I wish I was kidding.) I forget how my dad got her to slow down a bit (I seem to recall something about canceling credit cards), but I do know it's still an ongoing issue. It's actually because of her hoarding that I am very aware of how much stuff I have on hand at any given time. I don't ever want to live like that again.