There’s nothing worse than scoring a beautiful piece only to get it home and realize it smells terrible. One of the worst smells that stubbornly clings to wood furniture is smoke. And if you don’t stop to take a good sniff before you pick it up, you may not notice the offensive smell until you get your furniture home. That’s exactly what happened to us with an adorable french provincial dresser we picked up. Here we’ve put together a list of 5 things you can do to get smells, including cigarette smoke, out of wood furniture:
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1. A good scrub may remove odors from wood furniture
Residues on furniture can trap in the smells. The nicotine and tar from cigarettes leave a visible sticky residue behind on furniture. Your first step in trying to eliminate the smoke smell, or any other smell, should always be to clean off these residues. Use a soft cloth, water and a mild soap solution. We used TSP (Trisodium Phosphate) or an alternative like this without any fear of what it might do to the surface since our plan was to refinish the piece anyway.
2. Vinegar to get smells out of furniture
Vinegar, or acetic acid, is a great odor remover. You can use vinegar two ways. You can place a few bowls of vinegar inside your furniture piece and leave them for at least 48 hours. The acid should absorb some of the smell. You can also use a solution of equal parts water and vinegar to wipe down EVERY surface. In this application the vinegar will also react to eliminate the odor causing chemicals.
3. Coffee grounds and newsprint help eliminate smells
This technique surprised us. Line each drawer/shelf with newsprint and sprinkle coffee grounds on each. Let it sit for at least 48 hours and the smells should be absorbed. I’m not sure I understand the science behind this one, but it does seem to work! Not to mention, it’s one of the easiest ways to get smells out of wood furniture!
4. Baking soda/pet deodorizer to take out the stink
If you’re like us, you keep a box of baking soda in the fridge for it’s odor eating properties. Good news! You can also use it on furniture. Sprinkle a generous amount all over your piece and let it sit for at least 48 hours. Vacuum up and you should be good to go. We used an extra strong pet deodorizer version of baking soda by Arm & Hammer. We were impressed and it really seem to eliminate, not just mask, the smell!
5. Shellac blocks furniture smells
If all else fails, instead of getting the smell out, you can block it in using a shellac based product. We’ve found the Zinsser B-I-N sealer to be very effective. You have to apply the primer ON EVERY SURFACE to block the smell completely. Every surface includes all the inside parts of the furniture as well – every wood surface must be covered for the shellac to be effective at eliminating odors.
We should also point out the Zinsser B-I-N shellac it is VERY expensive. However, one can will last a long time.
You may be successful with only one of these techniques or you may, like us, have to combine a few. With our french provincial dresser, we gave it a good scrub, wiped it with vinegar and lastly covered it with pet deodorizer. While there was some improvement, in the end we used the BIN shellac primer to make sure the smoke smell wouldn’t be a problem for the new owners. We’re pleased to report it was a success and there is no longer a smoke smell.
Have you had success removing smoke smells from wood furniture? What techniques have you used? Be sure to comment below so others can benefit from your experience!
I have a beautiful roll top desk didn’t no the smoke was in it. We moved it in a rental truck. When they put it in the house WOW. I need to try some of your other things. Done the vinger and news paper. Time for the coffee
Hi Kathleen,
Hopefully you won’t have to Shellac prime everything since it wasn’t exposed to the smoke for very long! Good luck!
If you are going to have the smoke damaged furniture painted professionally do you have to Shellac the outside or just the inside to get rid of the smoke smell?
Hi Lynda, if the smell doesn’t go away with some of the simpler techniques, then you will need to shellac prime every single surface (inside AND out) to block in the smell. Thanks for asking!
What about for painted wood? We just picked up two pieces that were painted and they smelll like heavy cigarette smoke ?
Hi Giselle, sorry to hear that! The same techniques should still work. Good luck!
I have a painted piece as well. The Zinsser B-I-N sealer/primer is white, correct ? Is there another option for the painted parts as I wanted to leave the painted parts intact ?
Hi Karri, depending on the paint type, it shouldn’t hold any smells and can be cleaned to get off any residue that might be contributing to the smell. The shellac based Zinsser is the one that will seal in any smells. Good luck!
I just purchased a beautiful oak desk. I had an n95 mask on (thanks COVID ?) when I looked at it and loaded it in the back of our SUV. As soon as I took my mask off I could smell the cigarette smoke . I planned on trying the baking soda / pet deodorizer in every drawer, but I wondered if I should wash down with Murphy’s soap or vinegar wash first or after .
Thanks ! Kay
Hi Kay, it is a really good idea to clean it first to get off the physical residue from cigarettes. Once that’s removed, the baking soda/pet deodorizer stands a much better chance. Good luck!
Good morning,
How many coats of shellac is needed please.
Hi Toya, you should really only need one good coat to seal in any smells. However, a second coat to make sure you didn’t miss any spots might be necessary. Good luck!
Hi my name is suzanne,,my problem is when we bought the a table that goes behind sofa the smell of cigarette is awfull,,, how do you deal with a nice table and fancy legs on it, thank you in advance
I have a “library” table in my preschool classroom. Because we wash it and disinfect it often, it is beginning to show cracks. What can I do to prevent this and preserve its natural beauty?
Hi Debbie, if the wood is cracking it is most likely getting dried out from all the washing and disinfecting. You can try applying oil to rehydrate it. We usually use hemp oil on our natural wood finishes. If the cracks are large, the may need to be sanded out. Good luck!
Is vinegar and water okay to use on pieces freshly treated with hemp oil and varnish? My aunt gifted me a beautiful MCM dresser but it smells of cigarette smoke 🙁
Hi Haley, I don’t recommend using anything other than a damp cloth with water to clean painted surfaces. If it’s a old varnish finish, you might be able to do. I’d test it out on an inconspicuous side area first. Good luck!
Should the coffee grounds be fresh or after use?
Hello, we’ve used the grounds fresh. Hope it helps!
Hello,
I just purchased two dressers on Marketplace that I plan to use for clothes. When I got home I realized they had at one time been with a smoker. My question is, if I thoroughly clean with TSP, seal it with BIN shellac and then paint it, is there any risk of the smoke seeping through overtime?
If the oil based shellac covers every surface, then smell should be sealed in and you won’t smell it!
I purchased a beautiful wardrobe that is in perfect condition and doesn’t need to be refinished but, the cigarette smell is so strong. I have wiped it done with Murray’s oil soap and placed vinegar in a bowl I the wardrobe. Is there something else I can try that will get rid of the horrible cigarette smell without damaging the wood finish. Any advice would be appreciated!!
So far, we have tried baking soda in the drawers, coffee grounds, washing it with straight vinegar (threw in a little baking soda for good measure- be careful, it bubbles up!), and lastly, we ozoned the room it is in (HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS IS DONE BY PROFESSIONALS! We made sure NO HUMAN, PET OR PLANT was in the house for this process, and waited at least 2hrs before re-entering to air it out. VERY DANGEROUS / FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS!).
The smell is almost gone, but more remediation is needed. Last step before getting rid of it is MinWax to strip the finish.
In my experience having owned an antique shop, cleaning with 50/50 mixture of Linsead Oil and turpentine did a tremendous job of cleaning and saved me many refinishing tasks. The Linsead absobs quickly to feed the wood and the turpentine cleans. Use the softest grade of steel wool if needed and wipe clean. Follow with a wipe of 50/50 mix of water and vinegar…vinegar helps neutralize odors. Repeat if necessary. Finish with a rub of lemon oil. Dirt and odors…gone!
Thanks for the tip!
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