Tag sale finds: how to get smells out of wood?

That is a great idea. I did that with vinegar once and it worked.

[Meenah]

I have a piece of furniture from MIL that smells like moth balls. I have done everything to get the smell out and can't. I even painted the inside of the drawers and can't get rid of the smell. I'll just tag on to your request here!

[Malpka]

I stuffed a bunch of dryer sheets in an old dresser I bought that had a very strong OLS. Several in every drawer, and shut them up tight for a few days. really did the trick!

[Sheherezade]

I've heard that you can wipe the piece down with dilute white vinegar. I've also heard about resting the bowls of vinegar (or bleach) in the piece to "catch" the smell. Other ideas are to stuff the drawers with old newspapers or dryer sheets. Both also absorb odors.

I've also heard that sometimes you just have to let it air out in the sunshine. It's hard to do, but I finally got the mothball smell out of an old trunk by setting it out on the front porch opened up for a few weeks. Extreme, I know....but it worked when nothing else did!