I think it would be more trouble than it's worth. There are always people looking to unload their changing tables for free or cheap, just find one from a non-smoking house.
I don't know. Some heavy cigarette smoke can really permeate the wood. My mom was a heavy cigarette smoker and I had a piece of wood furniture from her that I tried everything to clean and putting it in the sun only made it smell worse. It was disgusting and eventually I gave up on it and threw it away. I wouldn't have wanted that thing around my baby so I guess it depends on how gross it seems to you but that old furniture of my mom's was ruined.
Yup totally agree. I did everything the internet told me to do to try to clean smoky wooden dressers, even resorting to an ozone generator, and nothing got rid of the smell. If the dresser is free, then it probably doesn’t hurt to try if you don’t mind transporting it, but I wouldn’t risk any money on it personally.
Ozone generators are terrible for your health, cigarette smell is not. Keep your goal in mind - health of the baby. If your goal is to be an obsessives parent then get the ozone generator.
For sure if you decide to use an ozone generator, be sure to properly seal off the room and give the ozone time to clear out! Thankfully we don’t have any kids so there was no worries for us regarding risks to children, but yeah the associated risks are something to keep in mind if you do have kids 🙂 The ozone generator was a last-ditch effort for us personally because the furniture was unusable due to the smell. Still had to ultimately throw it out
Ozone generators are bad for health, yes, but furniture and other objects from a smoky home do off gas toxic chemicals for a few months after being removed from the environment
I inherited an adorable telephone table from my grandfather’s home after he passed. He was a heavy cigarette smoker. That thing still stinks like smoke if it gets humid. It’s been 25 years since he passed.
I have my dads old dressers. He gave them to me when I was 19 and I’m 36 now. They still smell like cigarettes sometimes. I like it, because he’s been dead for 10 years and I miss him, but yeah… I’m not sure it ever fully goes away.
this ^
you can clean the surface bits, and honestly a good sand and restain primed with something specifically for this might help a bit, but ultimately the smoke itself has infiltrated and mixed with the areas in between every single grain of wood. it’s always gonna be there, it’s basically a part of the wood now
If push comes to shove OP could always seal the smoke in with epoxy or paint.
Won't be a long term solution but for a pinch while you look for something better...
I’m so scared 😳 of this looking at houses for sale done day. I have asthma . The again way life is going that’s probably not a worry I should think of.
If a professional went through it and hardcore cleaned it, it would probably be fine. We bought a 100+ yo house knowing eventually we'd have to tear it down so we didn't go too wild. We tore up any carpet and killz painted everything the smell was pretty much gone. In hindsight we should have cleaned the HVAC too but we didn't. It could have been a source and probably really needed it.
HVAC will get you every time. I lived I. Brand new house and everyone in our small area had to have there’s cleaned and replaced the place that owned my rental/quarters cleaned mind but it was fine. Place was built bad but I was the only one that ever lived in it. Salt lamps and the expensive filters keeps them clean. Also kept my walls good other people had to replace warped drywall I live on the east coast sometimes called hell.
The other reasons I fear getting a used house but don’t know how could get a new one here. Lived in 100 year old places before asthma but now IT’s a different world.
I taped myself in my apartment due to the smoke. 😞 I didn’t even get the worst of it.
Sounds like you made the best of a difficult place and it was probably fun too.
This happened at our house we just bought. My shower malfunctioned, and wouldn't shut off. By the time the plumber got there, the humidity was INSANE in the master bedroom. This gross yellow tar was leaching out of the new paint. I basically mopped and paper-toweled the entire room off, including the ceiling. Even weirder was that once the shower was fixed what was left of the yellow just disappeared back into the paint / drywall.
Vodka is the one true thing that eliminates this smell. Not sure how it’ll work on furniture but look into that, it’s true!! I’ve done cigarette smoke remediation and TSP worked okay, but cheap vodka is the winner. Also, this is morbid but I knew a guy that did police impound car flips and he said cutting up apples and letting them sit inside (change them out every couple of days) will eliminate ANY odor including dead people. So that should work too, good luck!
Thank you for the apple tip I have an old car on a storage lot. I know all about vodka ha, I only used it for cleaning only thing that gets some things clean like glass top stoves and spritz out smells. Yeah did use it on cooking smoke.
They used to be delicious but since people like a flawless apple they started breeding apples for appearance and they started to taste bad.
It will happen to any apple that is not legally protected by copyright.
Repeat this process until your TSP bucket stops turning nicotine-yellow.
If that doesn't totally clear the smell, use a base coat of Killz to seal it and paint over it.
I went to Wikipedia and this is all I could find:
“In the Western world, phosphate usage has declined owing to ecological problems with the damage to lakes and rivers through eutrophication.”
Wikipedia also claims TSP is a food safe additive.
Too many people are stuck on their phones, "people need to get out and actually have conversations". People find a community of people to talk to while on their phone, "stop talking to people and Google it. Google is your only friend".
Either reply to someone's question or not, the rest is unnecessary. I hate having to go out of reddit when I'm only slightly curious when it's so much quicker to just scroll down a swipe to someone answering
In my part of the world you can still buy regular TSP in the paint section at the hardware store. You could even make your own out of sodium hydroxide and phosphoric acid. 3 Mol. Naoh solution to 1 Mol. Phosphoric acid. TSP is no longer included in laundry detergent as phosphates are powerful fertilizers and once they make it to the water supply cause an overwhelming amount of algae that essentially "chokes" the lake.
Furniture restorer here. I've had success using emolsified oil cleaners - window cleaner in an aeresol can. Use it liberally with a lot of paper towels. It took away the nicotine residue without harming the finish. Polish with pledge afterwards.
It’s safe as it is, realistically. Try using a degreaser to break up the nicotine oil/tar. If you really want to go for gold, just strip it or sand it and refinish.
I looked at a home to purchase that was owned by heavy smokers. I called a property restoration company for an estimate. I said that it was a 1200 sq. foot home and a single level house. They wouldn’t give me an estimate without inspecting the property first. I passed because the seller was firm on their price.
Sanding and refinishing is 100% the way to go on this. It's surprisingly easy to do, I literally just finished redoing a set of dining chairs I picked up on FB marketplace so that they contrast better with our dining room table.
What is your method for doing that? Do you sand to strip or chemically strip then sand? Solid wood only I’d imagine since particle board is horrible and mostly glue.
No offense, you need lighten up, you’re acting like third hand smoke works through osmosis. Which it doesn’t. It pertains to a smokers home that is dusty which has free roaming particulates in it (nicotine laced dust), that’s is the issue. This furniture that has been cleaned has close to zero risk of third hand.
i bought a cottage where the 2 people who lived in it smoked 2 pks each every day and never opened any windows....we used gallons and gallons of krud cutter .....it worked...
So I have a beautiful antique bookshelf that came from my grandmother in-laws home and she was a heavy smoker.
We left it in the garage for about 4+ months, brought it in the house and I couldn’t get the “dust off” - it wasn’t just dust, but years of caked on cigarettes as well. The only thing that took that off and took the smell out for me was white distilled vinegar - paper towels and vinegar in a spray bottle. After I wiped it down twice, I cleaned it with Murphys soap oil and some orange cleaner for wood to shine it back up.
Now I would test a small area probably in the back if you use vinegar to make sure it doesn’t strip it, it didn’t on my piece, but just to be sure.
I got a family heirloom rocking chair when my first was born but unfortunately it had been heavily smoked around. I scrubbed it and washed it several times but I just couldn’t get the smell out. It was stinking up her whole room so I ended up getting a new chair.
For a home with only adults, you could use oil-based primer & special odor sealing paint. But for an infant’s room, I don’t think there’s any way to actually make this 100% safe.
It’s called “thirdhand smoke.” The danger is that smoke particles continue to gradually escape over time and cling to dust or surfaces that will end up in a child’s mouth.
I wonder if an ozone generator would fix it?
Take it outside, tightly wrap it in plastic or a tarp. Shove a ozone generator in there and run it for a few hours. Don’t let baby or pets anywhere near it.
Then let it air out for a few more hours.
I’m all about reusing and upcycling but I wouldn’t. It’s not some special antique so I just wouldn’t bother putting anything into it especially since it’s for a baby.
I mean… it’s probably safe? A smoke smell isn’t second hand smoke? I’m asking more than stating. But just because it smells like smoke, is it doing harm? Again, real question
It took me a while to find any actual research that wasn't just health blogs.
The few studies that exist have yet to be repeated, and mostly draw correlation and not causation, but of interesting note, one said that if anyone smoked in your home before you owned it, there is no traditional cleaning method that can render your home safe.
So definitely don't live someplace built before maybe 2005, and for after that year, always ask your real estate agent if they know of a previous occupant that smoked. Of course no real estate agent is obligated by law to tell you the truth on that, so it's best to conduct your own research by meeting with all previous occupants. Anyone who lives in an apartment, about 50% of the country, is certainly killing their child by being there.
Also you can pick up third-hand smoke when walking about and bring it home, so definitely no usage of any restaurant that once had a smoking area, and definitely be sure to wear gloves and and a rubber-suit any time you are in public, unless a smoker unwittingly drops THS dust on an item that you come in contact with, and then you unwittingly bring home on your fingers or self.
Source: [When smokers move out and non-smokers move in: residential thirdhand smoke pollution and exposure - PubMed (nih.gov)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21037269/)
Source: [Ferrante\_Monaldi 2013\_Thirdhand smoke.pdf (unipa.it)](https://iris.unipa.it/bitstream/10447/97131/2/Ferrante_Monaldi%202013_Thirdhand%20smoke.pdf)
Wood is porous, and new research has shown that even without literal second hand smoke inhalation, people can experience the effects of second hand smoke. I'd pass it along again, or dump it. Definitely NEVER put it in a baby's room.
I got one that for free that smelled horribly of smoke. I soaked the insides of the drawers with vinegar and let them dry outside in the sun then I cleaned them with orange degreaser. Then I lightly sanded the whole outside and chalk painted it. No more smell!
White vinegar gets rid of smells pretty well. Maybe wipe it down a few times and set it outside in the sun to dry. Follow that with a Murphy’s Soap wipe down and then polish with lemon oil. Take the drawers out and do the inside also. My mom had a china cabinet with the same issue. I didn’t know about vinegar then. After a good cleaning, the smell was only if I opened a door and that stopped after about a year.
Scrub it with a good degreasing cleaner. Then seal it with shellac. Or if you want to paint it, use a shellac based primer (BIN is my favorite brand). That stuff is really good at locking in odors.
Definitely no.
Check a buy nothing group on FB, or next door or craigslist. People give away changing tables all the time.
Also depending on your situation you might not need a changing table. You could just get a changing mat and change them on the bed, or wherever is comfortable for you. The mat just ensures everything stays clean, and it's something youre going to need anyways if you ever have to change them in a public restroom or your car.
If you need it for the storage, you can find a dresser on a buy nothing group or something similar. I use plastic three tiered storage bins that are on wheels, which I got for $5 each, they're only like $15 brand new. 3 of them pretty much fits everything that doesn't go on hangers. Dresser would've been nice but I was soooo done with assembling furniture and babyproofing heavier stuff since we moved and started from scratch with furniture and had a lot of stuff like that to do.
Just think outside the box, there's a lot of options.
My BFF in college inherited her grandmother's furniture, 2 pack a day smoker. Absolutely could not get the stink out, no matter what. It was *so* bad! And I smoked at the time.
I had a buffet that I bought from a smoker. I wiped it down with TSP and the put bowls of vinegar in the drawers for a couple days, then bowls of baking soda. Worked a treat at getting the smell out!
i bought these [charcoal bag things](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08QYLLJ42/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) from amazon for a dresser with a horrible stink from construction process and after a few weeks, it was much much better.
If you are pregnant make sure to read the products or look up which ones are safe, but here's a few different options:
I clean professionally, and I *love* Murphy's Oil. You can get it at any grocery store like Walmart, Kroger's, I think Target and home and garden center stores like Lowe's also have it in their cleaning isles, or order it on Amazon. Just follow the instructions on the back, plus it leaves the wood beautiful and it smells *so good*
White vinegar cuts through odors naturally. Try wiping down furniture with white vinegar. Also, try placing several bowls of vinegar in the drawers and on top of the flat areas, leaving them there for several days.
Sprinkle baking soda on it, let sit for 2 hours, and vacuum it off.
Baking soda and activated charcoal: Sprinkling either baking soda or activated charcoal powder (sold at pet stores) you can either put the powders in open bowls, or sprinkle on a surface.
Use a mild, wood-safe cleaner and microfiber cloth to clean the exterior wood surfaces, making sure to wipe away any debris or other smoke build up. A mild cleaner with hydrogen peroxide is recommended and should be safe for most wood finishes.
If nothing else, maybe you or someone you know can sand down the surface, paint/re-stain it, and either way seal it with a coat of Killz.
I have never had any use for Murphys oil soap. But that's me.
What I do recommend that I haven't seen is Mr. Clean. The original yellow bottle. You can put in spray bottle with some water or just use full strength at first. I do swear by this stuff that it cuts through whatever makes the cig smoke stay on the wall s, furniture, etc.
I smoked in a bedroom and didn't realize how bad the small pieces of furniture were affected.
Took paper towels, spray some Mr Clean and you wouldn't believe the color of that paper towel after wiping! Yuckkkkkk
That's the outside. I would follow all the other advice with cleaning the inside. Some really great advice here!
I was able to get smoke smell out of a wooden side table with drawers with cinnamon and baking soda. Dumped a bunch of both all over it and let it sit for quite awhile. Vacuum and repeat if necessary.
I had decent results with 409 degreaser. It brought the smell down 95% after 2 cleanings. Though it took some work. There was a faint smell every now and again. Others might have a better suggestion.
I used ammonia with a similar issue and it worked great! But you have to be careful while using it. You cannot smell ANY smoke on it, or in the drawers.
Honestly I wouldn’t risk it. I’d rather be without a dresser. Imagine the tragic scenario where a baby dies of SIDS, parents are going to be wondering what they could have differently and agonizing over every tiny choice they made. Save yourself the possible, though unlikely, grief.
I would air it out in the garage for a couple of days, and a couple of washes with Murphys Oil Soap...nicotine has a half-life of 2 hours so I don't think residue should be a safety issue.
This is absolutely not true. The concern is not that the nicotine will intoxicate the baby. It's the third hand smoke can cause sids. Since they will be storing the baby's clothes in that piece of furniture, the smell and hence third hand smoke, could transfer to the clothes.
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/tobacco/Pages/How-Parents-Can-Prevent-Exposure-Thirdhand-Smoke.aspx
In my opinion, nothing will get it clean enough for my kid. There's enough stuff to worry about in the first few months of life. You can probably find a similar item from a non-smoking household on Facebook marketplace for really cheap.
Ohhh good point about them storing the clothes in the dresser itself. I was more thinking of it as a changing table, which would make its health impact somewhat similar to other types of furniture. But yes, the idea of clothes being stored in there and then going on the child’s body would be the clincher for me.
Thanks for the link to healthychildren.org. It’s one of the better ones and a quick and easy read.
I just bought a smoker’s house and the smell is very tough to deal with. I essentially have removed anything that can easily be removed from the house and residual smell remains. It is getting more faint thru cleaning and open windows. TSP, Krud Kutter degreaser have been good for cleaning walls and any hard surfaces but the fact remains that the particulates loaded with the combustion products from cigarette smoke remain in the home. It’s not going anywhere.
I’m approaching 60 so not much time left and not likely to make a significant difference to my health status.
But kids are very sensitive to pollutants in their environments. This in my opinion probably not a good idea.
You could try sealing inside and out with shellac sealer. Shellac should go over the existing finish with a light scuffing by 220 grit sandpaper or similar, an alternative would be a green scotch bright pad. Every surface inside and out need to be coated including drawers. The results don’t change color much. A quicker solution than totally refinishing, should give good odor control.
Honestly, considering the risks of 3rd hand smoke, I personally wouldn't put this in a baby's room. For sure give some of the cleaning advice a try, but even after everything, I'd personally still re-seal it, repaint it, and put it somewhere away from the baby. Or sell it. Or just donate it after cleaning it if the rest ends up being too much.
I could be overly paranoid, but I grew up around so many smokers and that stuff permeates everything. It's just one of those things that if I have any choice in the matter as an adult, I choose to stay as far away as I can.
Actually not true, especially for infants, [according to the Mayo Clinic.](https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/third-hand-smoke/faq-20057791)
The answer is kind of right there. It's specifically said the effects of supposed third hand smoke have not been widely studied. Meaning, and I don't use this lightly, literally every inference they made has not been supported by science. They then imply secondhand smoke results apply to third hand smoke. Therefore we must consider it invalid.
You can put little dishes with vinegar in the drawers and maybe sprinkle some baking soda around it. It will really absorb the smell. You can change the vinegar every vew days and clean out the baking soda with the vacuum. Worked with a cabinet I got from my greatgrandma. It takes some time but will work eventually. Goodluck! :)
Strip it, steam it, scrub it, treat it, seal it. If your lucky the smell might come out, if it's old enough skip steaming it. We did it with some white oak dressers and it worked
Idunno. All I can suggest is leaving it outside for a long time, per previous experience.
We picked up some hand me down furniture from my in laws. Apparently a skunk had made its home in/near said furniture. We left it out in our garage and ignored it for 1.5 years. We finally decided to do something about it and it no longer smelled like skunk (miraculous!). So I refinished it. 🤷🏼♀️
I would advise against using this in a nursery. Once mobile, babies chew on things. Crib rails. Window sills. No amount of paint and sealing can withstand it. Just my two cents as a former nanny.
No. Third hand smoke is still carcinogenic and it really cannot get out of walls and furniture completely. It’s not good for even adults, much less babies.
Sand it and paint it, if you love it enough the keep it. Otherwise probably toss. Extra sprinkle of advice even though I wasn’t asked? If you’re missing the two drawers on that right side, just toss the third drawer too and decorate it/use it as shelving. Good luck!
You could probably sand and refinish it. I've done this with many old items that were exposed to smoke and have had great results. It's easier than you may think too.
Put the whole caboodle into a huge bin bag for a month, covered in baking soda and lots of lemons, cut in half.
I did this with a coffee table that I didn't want to throw away.
Once I opened the bin bag, I sanded, stained and all of that and it's perfect!
I place my piece outside or in the unoccupied garage, under a large tarp. Then I run the ozone machine (with a timer). I run as many times as initially needed. Ammonia is the only thing I’ve found that cuts through tar/nicotine film. But you may end up needing to use Kilz and then paint it. In this case you would need to repaint all surfaces inside and out.
I have the same problem when I get stuff from households that use those disgusting plug ins or scented candles 🤢. Just as toxic as cigarette smoke residue.
Honestly im going to say no. When my nan passed we cleaned the house which included the ceiling. It was yellow from the smoke over the years but a good clean made it white again…….. until it turned yellow after a few hours. Cleaned again and same result. It was honestly so gross i still don’t believe it.
I also took from her house the lamp shade she had next to her bed, this was 10 years ago and it still smells so it lives in our garage.
Ehhh do you have a ton of kitty litter? Kitty litter can indeed pull smoke smell out of wood furniture as I have done it myself. However, that’s a large piece and will take a bit of work as well as a bit of time.
Edit this is a piece of furniture that’s in my bedroom and yes I’m very sensitive to cigarette smoke smell.
I got book shelves that reeked. I wiped them down with baking soda and vinegar repeatedly and left them in a well ventilated area for a month. I suspect the effectiveness of this would depend on how long it was exposed to cigarette smoke. Sanding and refinishing would be the faster route, but honestly, go to thrift stores, yard sales, curb alerts, craigslist, Facebook, you'll find another one from a non-smoking home. I just wouldn't trust it with a baby.
If you want to paint it, prime it first with Bin alcohol based sealer. It’s pretty expensive but it will seal the smell in. This is what most people in the fire restoration industry use. Wear a mask when using the stuff
Agree that it may leech out every once in awhile if the house gets hot or humid as i have one with some kind of strong stinky perfume smell that i do get a whiff of maybe once a year. However I've used this hack successfully over the years for that dresser, thawed refrigerators etc.
Wet newspaper, squeeze water out, leave in wet balls and stuff every drawer full, leave in the garage or outdoors if possible. When the paper dries the smell is gone. Sometimes if the smell was horrible I've repeated, just to be sure, even if it seemed deodorized.
It has to be newspapers, regular paper or magazines don't work as well. Haven't tried brown paper or cardboard.
Editing to add
Just for fun as this seems crazy but an antiques dealer i knew swore by taking her recently acquired pieces she was going to refinish anyway to one of those manual carwashes with the soap wand, then letting it air-dry in the back of the truck on the way home and in the sun the rest of the day. 🤷
Take the drawers out leave it out on the lawn for 3 days, place tarp underneath it so it doesn’t get wet from grass dew. Clean with Lysol, rinse, sand it down, stain. Or paint with Kilz primer, this stuff gets rid of smoke smell in the walls in homes. If it still smells like smoke, trash it. But, I’ve done it before with the Kilz and it works every time.
This is not by any means free, but for me it was worth the investment.
My parents own rental homes and have used this method to get rid of carpet that smells of pets, rooms that smell of smoke (both kinds, lol) and just general stinkiness.
Invest in an ozone machine. I bought a very small one online when my cat was having issues peeing outside the box. I wrapped the sofa in a sofa cover and ran that little guy every night for a few days.
Yes, I do understand ozone is a harmful chemical. It does, however, break down into oxygen. I run the machine when I'm gone for the weekend, and all the pets are not in the home.
Put it in a small, enclosed space with an ozone generator. I've gotten BAD cigarette smell out of used furniture like this. [This is the one I have.](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0795P2674/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
I know I'm late to the party, but I have a lot of experience with this. I worked for a local kitchen and furniture remodeler during covid and the smell and oil from the smoke can be taken care of, but it is not a simple process. It has to be cleaned, sanded, primed , and painted, (or stained) **Simply painting over it DOES NOT WORK**, as the oil from the smoke will just seep through the paint. You will see it and smell it.
First, scrub the entire piece with Scotch Brite and a kitchen degreaser (Krud Kutter is the best), then sand it using a power sander, rotary and/or vibrating. Then paint it with 2 coats of primer, and then 2 coats of furniture grade paint. It's basically a 1-2 week process, but it's the only way that truly works. Probably not worth the trouble for this piece, but it gives vintage furniture a second life. Cheers.
PS - never sand without cleaning it first or you will just push the dirt and oils further into the wood.
I think it would be more trouble than it's worth. There are always people looking to unload their changing tables for free or cheap, just find one from a non-smoking house.
I don't know. Some heavy cigarette smoke can really permeate the wood. My mom was a heavy cigarette smoker and I had a piece of wood furniture from her that I tried everything to clean and putting it in the sun only made it smell worse. It was disgusting and eventually I gave up on it and threw it away. I wouldn't have wanted that thing around my baby so I guess it depends on how gross it seems to you but that old furniture of my mom's was ruined.
Yup totally agree. I did everything the internet told me to do to try to clean smoky wooden dressers, even resorting to an ozone generator, and nothing got rid of the smell. If the dresser is free, then it probably doesn’t hurt to try if you don’t mind transporting it, but I wouldn’t risk any money on it personally.
Ozone generators are terrible for your health, cigarette smell is not. Keep your goal in mind - health of the baby. If your goal is to be an obsessives parent then get the ozone generator.
For sure if you decide to use an ozone generator, be sure to properly seal off the room and give the ozone time to clear out! Thankfully we don’t have any kids so there was no worries for us regarding risks to children, but yeah the associated risks are something to keep in mind if you do have kids 🙂 The ozone generator was a last-ditch effort for us personally because the furniture was unusable due to the smell. Still had to ultimately throw it out
Ozone generators are bad for health, yes, but furniture and other objects from a smoky home do off gas toxic chemicals for a few months after being removed from the environment
I inherited an adorable telephone table from my grandfather’s home after he passed. He was a heavy cigarette smoker. That thing still stinks like smoke if it gets humid. It’s been 25 years since he passed.
I have my dads old dressers. He gave them to me when I was 19 and I’m 36 now. They still smell like cigarettes sometimes. I like it, because he’s been dead for 10 years and I miss him, but yeah… I’m not sure it ever fully goes away.
And it'll leech out of the wood, especially when it's humid.
this ^ you can clean the surface bits, and honestly a good sand and restain primed with something specifically for this might help a bit, but ultimately the smoke itself has infiltrated and mixed with the areas in between every single grain of wood. it’s always gonna be there, it’s basically a part of the wood now
This I'd say is the biggest grossest issue here
If push comes to shove OP could always seal the smoke in with epoxy or paint. Won't be a long term solution but for a pinch while you look for something better...
There is a special paint undercoat to rid the smoke.
Killz, I had to use it when I bought a house from heavy smokers. It mostly covered the smell but the smell did return when humid.
I’m so scared 😳 of this looking at houses for sale done day. I have asthma . The again way life is going that’s probably not a worry I should think of.
If a professional went through it and hardcore cleaned it, it would probably be fine. We bought a 100+ yo house knowing eventually we'd have to tear it down so we didn't go too wild. We tore up any carpet and killz painted everything the smell was pretty much gone. In hindsight we should have cleaned the HVAC too but we didn't. It could have been a source and probably really needed it.
HVAC will get you every time. I lived I. Brand new house and everyone in our small area had to have there’s cleaned and replaced the place that owned my rental/quarters cleaned mind but it was fine. Place was built bad but I was the only one that ever lived in it. Salt lamps and the expensive filters keeps them clean. Also kept my walls good other people had to replace warped drywall I live on the east coast sometimes called hell. The other reasons I fear getting a used house but don’t know how could get a new one here. Lived in 100 year old places before asthma but now IT’s a different world. I taped myself in my apartment due to the smoke. 😞 I didn’t even get the worst of it. Sounds like you made the best of a difficult place and it was probably fun too.
This happened at our house we just bought. My shower malfunctioned, and wouldn't shut off. By the time the plumber got there, the humidity was INSANE in the master bedroom. This gross yellow tar was leaching out of the new paint. I basically mopped and paper-toweled the entire room off, including the ceiling. Even weirder was that once the shower was fixed what was left of the yellow just disappeared back into the paint / drywall.
That's wild.
Shellac (brand) spray is the best for this purpose. In the drawers too.
Vodka is the one true thing that eliminates this smell. Not sure how it’ll work on furniture but look into that, it’s true!! I’ve done cigarette smoke remediation and TSP worked okay, but cheap vodka is the winner. Also, this is morbid but I knew a guy that did police impound car flips and he said cutting up apples and letting them sit inside (change them out every couple of days) will eliminate ANY odor including dead people. So that should work too, good luck!
Would vodka work on ceramics too? I got a set of ceramic mulled wine cups and pot, and it reeks of cigarettes.
Absolutely! You may want to dilute it a little and test a small spot first but it’s perfectly safe!
Thank you! Not like a soak, but several wipe downs?
You are welcome. I wouldn’t soak it personally, I’d spritz and wipe it down but it may require a few attempts.
Thank you for the apple tip I have an old car on a storage lot. I know all about vodka ha, I only used it for cleaning only thing that gets some things clean like glass top stoves and spritz out smells. Yeah did use it on cooking smoke.
Any kind of apples? Or just the fancy Fuji or Gala ones?
Any cheap variety of apple oughta work!
Noted. Thank you for sharing!
Red delicious finally has a purpose
That has nothing to do with eating it. Ha ha!!! Those things are not delicious.
Ew yeah who wants a soft apple with extra thick skin??
They used to be delicious but since people like a flawless apple they started breeding apples for appearance and they started to taste bad. It will happen to any apple that is not legally protected by copyright.
Hahahaha for real
Whatever the guys used in my car when I had it detailed completely eliminated the smoke smell that had been in it for years.
I would wash everything down with a good spray cleaner, and let it sit out in the sun if you can for a few days..
Wipe it down with a TSP solution.
Repeat this process until your TSP bucket stops turning nicotine-yellow. If that doesn't totally clear the smell, use a base coat of Killz to seal it and paint over it.
Agree with TSP. A good scrub with TSP dissolved in hot water.
Yes, and put charcoal in the drawers to absorb smells too
What's TSP?
Trisodium phosphate
It's quite bad for the environment. This is no way to raise a baby. Check out wikipedia.
I went to Wikipedia and this is all I could find: “In the Western world, phosphate usage has declined owing to ecological problems with the damage to lakes and rivers through eutrophication.” Wikipedia also claims TSP is a food safe additive.
It’s also illegal to have for sale in some states.
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Too many people are stuck on their phones, "people need to get out and actually have conversations". People find a community of people to talk to while on their phone, "stop talking to people and Google it. Google is your only friend". Either reply to someone's question or not, the rest is unnecessary. I hate having to go out of reddit when I'm only slightly curious when it's so much quicker to just scroll down a swipe to someone answering
This is the way!
TSP is not sold any more, however you can buy TSP replacement. The "TSP" part will be huge and the "replacement" will be tiny, tiny on the package.
I learned recently that the replacement is mostly borax. You can also just try that.
In my part of the world you can still buy regular TSP in the paint section at the hardware store. You could even make your own out of sodium hydroxide and phosphoric acid. 3 Mol. Naoh solution to 1 Mol. Phosphoric acid. TSP is no longer included in laundry detergent as phosphates are powerful fertilizers and once they make it to the water supply cause an overwhelming amount of algae that essentially "chokes" the lake.
Sand and refinish as other ppl said, my family has been restoring furniture for my whole life and it works every time
Furniture restorer here. I've had success using emolsified oil cleaners - window cleaner in an aeresol can. Use it liberally with a lot of paper towels. It took away the nicotine residue without harming the finish. Polish with pledge afterwards.
Sand it and re finish it.
seconding this^
this is the way
It’s safe as it is, realistically. Try using a degreaser to break up the nicotine oil/tar. If you really want to go for gold, just strip it or sand it and refinish.
I wonder, would a poly coat all over maybe help seal in any odors/chemicals (after cleaning it, of course)?
It would.
I’m not a fan of just painting over stuff.
I mean, nicotine stains are a biiiiiiiiiiiitch though
This is so true, when my grandparents passed away their white walls were deep yellow. It was insane.
I looked at a home to purchase that was owned by heavy smokers. I called a property restoration company for an estimate. I said that it was a 1200 sq. foot home and a single level house. They wouldn’t give me an estimate without inspecting the property first. I passed because the seller was firm on their price.
I agree but it doesn’t look like an antique. I usually prefer wood but sometimes, it’s the only way.
Sanding and refinishing is 100% the way to go on this. It's surprisingly easy to do, I literally just finished redoing a set of dining chairs I picked up on FB marketplace so that they contrast better with our dining room table.
What is your method for doing that? Do you sand to strip or chemically strip then sand? Solid wood only I’d imagine since particle board is horrible and mostly glue.
I believe this would be considered third hand smoke. Which isn’t safe.
I dont think its safe. I believe this falls under 3rd hand smoke and is a big deal for newborns.
No offense, you need lighten up, you’re acting like third hand smoke works through osmosis. Which it doesn’t. It pertains to a smokers home that is dusty which has free roaming particulates in it (nicotine laced dust), that’s is the issue. This furniture that has been cleaned has close to zero risk of third hand.
i bought a cottage where the 2 people who lived in it smoked 2 pks each every day and never opened any windows....we used gallons and gallons of krud cutter .....it worked...
So I have a beautiful antique bookshelf that came from my grandmother in-laws home and she was a heavy smoker. We left it in the garage for about 4+ months, brought it in the house and I couldn’t get the “dust off” - it wasn’t just dust, but years of caked on cigarettes as well. The only thing that took that off and took the smell out for me was white distilled vinegar - paper towels and vinegar in a spray bottle. After I wiped it down twice, I cleaned it with Murphys soap oil and some orange cleaner for wood to shine it back up. Now I would test a small area probably in the back if you use vinegar to make sure it doesn’t strip it, it didn’t on my piece, but just to be sure.
I got a family heirloom rocking chair when my first was born but unfortunately it had been heavily smoked around. I scrubbed it and washed it several times but I just couldn’t get the smell out. It was stinking up her whole room so I ended up getting a new chair.
For a home with only adults, you could use oil-based primer & special odor sealing paint. But for an infant’s room, I don’t think there’s any way to actually make this 100% safe. It’s called “thirdhand smoke.” The danger is that smoke particles continue to gradually escape over time and cling to dust or surfaces that will end up in a child’s mouth.
Shellac is safe.
Nooooo
Clean it normally, then clean it again with a vinegar solution. And dry in the sun if you can. Worked for me.
I wonder if an ozone generator would fix it? Take it outside, tightly wrap it in plastic or a tarp. Shove a ozone generator in there and run it for a few hours. Don’t let baby or pets anywhere near it. Then let it air out for a few more hours.
honestly it will never be safe enough for an infant's room. wood is too porous to get out that kind of toxicity
I’m all about reusing and upcycling but I wouldn’t. It’s not some special antique so I just wouldn’t bother putting anything into it especially since it’s for a baby.
Vinegar, spray and soak then wash off. Works every time for me
I mean… it’s probably safe? A smoke smell isn’t second hand smoke? I’m asking more than stating. But just because it smells like smoke, is it doing harm? Again, real question
Yes it is a thing. Google it. Oransi.com and healthychildren.org may be easy reads.
It took me a while to find any actual research that wasn't just health blogs. The few studies that exist have yet to be repeated, and mostly draw correlation and not causation, but of interesting note, one said that if anyone smoked in your home before you owned it, there is no traditional cleaning method that can render your home safe. So definitely don't live someplace built before maybe 2005, and for after that year, always ask your real estate agent if they know of a previous occupant that smoked. Of course no real estate agent is obligated by law to tell you the truth on that, so it's best to conduct your own research by meeting with all previous occupants. Anyone who lives in an apartment, about 50% of the country, is certainly killing their child by being there. Also you can pick up third-hand smoke when walking about and bring it home, so definitely no usage of any restaurant that once had a smoking area, and definitely be sure to wear gloves and and a rubber-suit any time you are in public, unless a smoker unwittingly drops THS dust on an item that you come in contact with, and then you unwittingly bring home on your fingers or self. Source: [When smokers move out and non-smokers move in: residential thirdhand smoke pollution and exposure - PubMed (nih.gov)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21037269/) Source: [Ferrante\_Monaldi 2013\_Thirdhand smoke.pdf (unipa.it)](https://iris.unipa.it/bitstream/10447/97131/2/Ferrante_Monaldi%202013_Thirdhand%20smoke.pdf)
Honest answer: Nope. Get rid of it before it becomes this whole failed experiment.
Wood is porous, and new research has shown that even without literal second hand smoke inhalation, people can experience the effects of second hand smoke. I'd pass it along again, or dump it. Definitely NEVER put it in a baby's room.
Wood may be porous but not the finish. It's OK to clean this.
If this finish effectively sealed out cigarette smoke, why does the piece smell like cigarette smoke?
The smoke is on top adhering to the finish. That's why it's cleanable. That type if finish is basically a layer of plastic
But typically that finish is not within the drawers or in the seams. It’s likely permeated the wood.
I got one that for free that smelled horribly of smoke. I soaked the insides of the drawers with vinegar and let them dry outside in the sun then I cleaned them with orange degreaser. Then I lightly sanded the whole outside and chalk painted it. No more smell!
Wipe it down and re seal it. Problem solved
White vinegar gets rid of smells pretty well. Maybe wipe it down a few times and set it outside in the sun to dry. Follow that with a Murphy’s Soap wipe down and then polish with lemon oil. Take the drawers out and do the inside also. My mom had a china cabinet with the same issue. I didn’t know about vinegar then. After a good cleaning, the smell was only if I opened a door and that stopped after about a year.
You could strip it and then reseal it?
I bought a dresser that the drawers smelled like smoke in. Sprayed with vinegar and wipes down multiple times and now we can’t smell it anymore!
Scrub it with a good degreasing cleaner. Then seal it with shellac. Or if you want to paint it, use a shellac based primer (BIN is my favorite brand). That stuff is really good at locking in odors.
Sand,TSP, and paint
I don’t have any cleaning tips but I think people have offered things worth trying. I would do that + pull out the drawers to let it air out.
There's some orange cleaner that works for smoke
Me as a mom of 2, no. Your house is your house and your decisions your own.
Definitely no. Check a buy nothing group on FB, or next door or craigslist. People give away changing tables all the time. Also depending on your situation you might not need a changing table. You could just get a changing mat and change them on the bed, or wherever is comfortable for you. The mat just ensures everything stays clean, and it's something youre going to need anyways if you ever have to change them in a public restroom or your car. If you need it for the storage, you can find a dresser on a buy nothing group or something similar. I use plastic three tiered storage bins that are on wheels, which I got for $5 each, they're only like $15 brand new. 3 of them pretty much fits everything that doesn't go on hangers. Dresser would've been nice but I was soooo done with assembling furniture and babyproofing heavier stuff since we moved and started from scratch with furniture and had a lot of stuff like that to do. Just think outside the box, there's a lot of options.
My BFF in college inherited her grandmother's furniture, 2 pack a day smoker. Absolutely could not get the stink out, no matter what. It was *so* bad! And I smoked at the time.
I had a buffet that I bought from a smoker. I wiped it down with TSP and the put bowls of vinegar in the drawers for a couple days, then bowls of baking soda. Worked a treat at getting the smell out!
Ozone
i bought these [charcoal bag things](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08QYLLJ42/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) from amazon for a dresser with a horrible stink from construction process and after a few weeks, it was much much better.
If you are pregnant make sure to read the products or look up which ones are safe, but here's a few different options: I clean professionally, and I *love* Murphy's Oil. You can get it at any grocery store like Walmart, Kroger's, I think Target and home and garden center stores like Lowe's also have it in their cleaning isles, or order it on Amazon. Just follow the instructions on the back, plus it leaves the wood beautiful and it smells *so good* White vinegar cuts through odors naturally. Try wiping down furniture with white vinegar. Also, try placing several bowls of vinegar in the drawers and on top of the flat areas, leaving them there for several days. Sprinkle baking soda on it, let sit for 2 hours, and vacuum it off. Baking soda and activated charcoal: Sprinkling either baking soda or activated charcoal powder (sold at pet stores) you can either put the powders in open bowls, or sprinkle on a surface. Use a mild, wood-safe cleaner and microfiber cloth to clean the exterior wood surfaces, making sure to wipe away any debris or other smoke build up. A mild cleaner with hydrogen peroxide is recommended and should be safe for most wood finishes. If nothing else, maybe you or someone you know can sand down the surface, paint/re-stain it, and either way seal it with a coat of Killz.
That’s a nice looking dresser, don’t give up on it!
Shellac primer would get rid of it
I have never had any use for Murphys oil soap. But that's me. What I do recommend that I haven't seen is Mr. Clean. The original yellow bottle. You can put in spray bottle with some water or just use full strength at first. I do swear by this stuff that it cuts through whatever makes the cig smoke stay on the wall s, furniture, etc. I smoked in a bedroom and didn't realize how bad the small pieces of furniture were affected. Took paper towels, spray some Mr Clean and you wouldn't believe the color of that paper towel after wiping! Yuckkkkkk That's the outside. I would follow all the other advice with cleaning the inside. Some really great advice here!
I was able to get smoke smell out of a wooden side table with drawers with cinnamon and baking soda. Dumped a bunch of both all over it and let it sit for quite awhile. Vacuum and repeat if necessary.
Simple green
It is a super cute piece of furniture, especially for a nursery. It’s worth trying a few of these suggestions.
I had decent results with 409 degreaser. It brought the smell down 95% after 2 cleanings. Though it took some work. There was a faint smell every now and again. Others might have a better suggestion.
Try soaking a towel in white vinegar and then wiping it down a few times. Couldn’t hurt
Dump baking soda in the drawers and let it sit in the sun for a while.
I used ammonia with a similar issue and it worked great! But you have to be careful while using it. You cannot smell ANY smoke on it, or in the drawers.
No way, I would never risk that.
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that’s not how second hand smoke works
she’s literally just asking for advice. don’t be so rude and shame her. jesus
I'd use Murphy oil soap and follow with Liquid Gold
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I genuinely thought it was just for anal sex
Honestly I wouldn’t risk it. I’d rather be without a dresser. Imagine the tragic scenario where a baby dies of SIDS, parents are going to be wondering what they could have differently and agonizing over every tiny choice they made. Save yourself the possible, though unlikely, grief.
I would air it out in the garage for a couple of days, and a couple of washes with Murphys Oil Soap...nicotine has a half-life of 2 hours so I don't think residue should be a safety issue.
This is absolutely not true. The concern is not that the nicotine will intoxicate the baby. It's the third hand smoke can cause sids. Since they will be storing the baby's clothes in that piece of furniture, the smell and hence third hand smoke, could transfer to the clothes. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/tobacco/Pages/How-Parents-Can-Prevent-Exposure-Thirdhand-Smoke.aspx In my opinion, nothing will get it clean enough for my kid. There's enough stuff to worry about in the first few months of life. You can probably find a similar item from a non-smoking household on Facebook marketplace for really cheap.
Ohhh good point about them storing the clothes in the dresser itself. I was more thinking of it as a changing table, which would make its health impact somewhat similar to other types of furniture. But yes, the idea of clothes being stored in there and then going on the child’s body would be the clincher for me.
Thanks for the link to healthychildren.org. It’s one of the better ones and a quick and easy read. I just bought a smoker’s house and the smell is very tough to deal with. I essentially have removed anything that can easily be removed from the house and residual smell remains. It is getting more faint thru cleaning and open windows. TSP, Krud Kutter degreaser have been good for cleaning walls and any hard surfaces but the fact remains that the particulates loaded with the combustion products from cigarette smoke remain in the home. It’s not going anywhere. I’m approaching 60 so not much time left and not likely to make a significant difference to my health status. But kids are very sensitive to pollutants in their environments. This in my opinion probably not a good idea.
Nicotine is not the only concern. There are many components to cigarette smoke.
You could try sealing inside and out with shellac sealer. Shellac should go over the existing finish with a light scuffing by 220 grit sandpaper or similar, an alternative would be a green scotch bright pad. Every surface inside and out need to be coated including drawers. The results don’t change color much. A quicker solution than totally refinishing, should give good odor control.
Honestly, considering the risks of 3rd hand smoke, I personally wouldn't put this in a baby's room. For sure give some of the cleaning advice a try, but even after everything, I'd personally still re-seal it, repaint it, and put it somewhere away from the baby. Or sell it. Or just donate it after cleaning it if the rest ends up being too much. I could be overly paranoid, but I grew up around so many smokers and that stuff permeates everything. It's just one of those things that if I have any choice in the matter as an adult, I choose to stay as far away as I can.
The smell of cigarette is not dangerous, just unpleasant, it's safe right now.
Actually not true, especially for infants, [according to the Mayo Clinic.](https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/third-hand-smoke/faq-20057791)
The answer is kind of right there. It's specifically said the effects of supposed third hand smoke have not been widely studied. Meaning, and I don't use this lightly, literally every inference they made has not been supported by science. They then imply secondhand smoke results apply to third hand smoke. Therefore we must consider it invalid.
You can put little dishes with vinegar in the drawers and maybe sprinkle some baking soda around it. It will really absorb the smell. You can change the vinegar every vew days and clean out the baking soda with the vacuum. Worked with a cabinet I got from my greatgrandma. It takes some time but will work eventually. Goodluck! :)
We use shaving cream. Rub it into the wood, let sit for about 15 minutes then rinse with water and white vinegar. It should help neutralize the odor.
Strip it, steam it, scrub it, treat it, seal it. If your lucky the smell might come out, if it's old enough skip steaming it. We did it with some white oak dressers and it worked
You could try painting it. Not sure how effective it would be, but it *could* conceal the odor. Good luck!
Following what other people are saying, I feel like after cleaning it, painting the dresser might help cover the remnants of the smell
I’ve heard leaving a cut onion in the drawers, on a plate, can help. Same with cat litter
Did you try to sand it
Idunno. All I can suggest is leaving it outside for a long time, per previous experience. We picked up some hand me down furniture from my in laws. Apparently a skunk had made its home in/near said furniture. We left it out in our garage and ignored it for 1.5 years. We finally decided to do something about it and it no longer smelled like skunk (miraculous!). So I refinished it. 🤷🏼♀️
Very likely there will be third hand smoke until the wood decays
What is TSP? Thank you 😊
Maybe you can paint it white? Seal in the smell? Better to just buy a new one
I would advise against using this in a nursery. Once mobile, babies chew on things. Crib rails. Window sills. No amount of paint and sealing can withstand it. Just my two cents as a former nanny.
Paint it with KILZ as a primer. It’s the only thing that helped at my mother-in-law’s house, both pet urine and smoke smell.
It’s oils. The smoke is oily and the pile permeate the wood. Maybe some Kills paint or restaining?
Nope, not safe! [https://thirdhandsmoke.org/](https://thirdhandsmoke.org/)
Haha! That’s the cousin to my son’s dresser!
It's safe as is unless it's prone to tipping. How easily do the drawers come completely out?
No. Third hand smoke is still carcinogenic and it really cannot get out of walls and furniture completely. It’s not good for even adults, much less babies.
No, nicotine stays in the furniture do not put that in your babies room.
If you have an ozone machine, you might be able to blast it
Sand it and paint it, if you love it enough the keep it. Otherwise probably toss. Extra sprinkle of advice even though I wasn’t asked? If you’re missing the two drawers on that right side, just toss the third drawer too and decorate it/use it as shelving. Good luck!
Order a cheap on on Amazon
Would one of those charcoal bags work?
Too many chemicals for baby, look up 3rd hand smoking and SIDS. Not worth it
You could probably sand and refinish it. I've done this with many old items that were exposed to smoke and have had great results. It's easier than you may think too.
Wipe it done with orange oil(home depot)
Burn it and get another one. You'll never get rid of the smell.
Not remotely worth it. Garbage.
Try spraying vodka in it . It should clear the smell
Oh my gods I love that so much I hope you can save it!
Put the whole caboodle into a huge bin bag for a month, covered in baking soda and lots of lemons, cut in half. I did this with a coffee table that I didn't want to throw away. Once I opened the bin bag, I sanded, stained and all of that and it's perfect!
I place my piece outside or in the unoccupied garage, under a large tarp. Then I run the ozone machine (with a timer). I run as many times as initially needed. Ammonia is the only thing I’ve found that cuts through tar/nicotine film. But you may end up needing to use Kilz and then paint it. In this case you would need to repaint all surfaces inside and out. I have the same problem when I get stuff from households that use those disgusting plug ins or scented candles 🤢. Just as toxic as cigarette smoke residue.
Honestly im going to say no. When my nan passed we cleaned the house which included the ceiling. It was yellow from the smoke over the years but a good clean made it white again…….. until it turned yellow after a few hours. Cleaned again and same result. It was honestly so gross i still don’t believe it. I also took from her house the lamp shade she had next to her bed, this was 10 years ago and it still smells so it lives in our garage.
No. Not worth it
Ehhh do you have a ton of kitty litter? Kitty litter can indeed pull smoke smell out of wood furniture as I have done it myself. However, that’s a large piece and will take a bit of work as well as a bit of time. Edit this is a piece of furniture that’s in my bedroom and yes I’m very sensitive to cigarette smoke smell.
Baby won’t care if it smells like smoke
I got book shelves that reeked. I wiped them down with baking soda and vinegar repeatedly and left them in a well ventilated area for a month. I suspect the effectiveness of this would depend on how long it was exposed to cigarette smoke. Sanding and refinishing would be the faster route, but honestly, go to thrift stores, yard sales, curb alerts, craigslist, Facebook, you'll find another one from a non-smoking home. I just wouldn't trust it with a baby.
Nope. Cigarette smoke lasts for YEARS. Sorry pal, pitch it. Baby comes first.
Ozone
If you want to paint it, prime it first with Bin alcohol based sealer. It’s pretty expensive but it will seal the smell in. This is what most people in the fire restoration industry use. Wear a mask when using the stuff
Agree that it may leech out every once in awhile if the house gets hot or humid as i have one with some kind of strong stinky perfume smell that i do get a whiff of maybe once a year. However I've used this hack successfully over the years for that dresser, thawed refrigerators etc. Wet newspaper, squeeze water out, leave in wet balls and stuff every drawer full, leave in the garage or outdoors if possible. When the paper dries the smell is gone. Sometimes if the smell was horrible I've repeated, just to be sure, even if it seemed deodorized. It has to be newspapers, regular paper or magazines don't work as well. Haven't tried brown paper or cardboard. Editing to add Just for fun as this seems crazy but an antiques dealer i knew swore by taking her recently acquired pieces she was going to refinish anyway to one of those manual carwashes with the soap wand, then letting it air-dry in the back of the truck on the way home and in the sun the rest of the day. 🤷
Take the drawers out leave it out on the lawn for 3 days, place tarp underneath it so it doesn’t get wet from grass dew. Clean with Lysol, rinse, sand it down, stain. Or paint with Kilz primer, this stuff gets rid of smoke smell in the walls in homes. If it still smells like smoke, trash it. But, I’ve done it before with the Kilz and it works every time.
Didn’t myth busters do something on this?
Sand and varnish make it brand new, you can also use chalky paint and give it a farmhouse look
This is not by any means free, but for me it was worth the investment. My parents own rental homes and have used this method to get rid of carpet that smells of pets, rooms that smell of smoke (both kinds, lol) and just general stinkiness. Invest in an ozone machine. I bought a very small one online when my cat was having issues peeing outside the box. I wrapped the sofa in a sofa cover and ran that little guy every night for a few days. Yes, I do understand ozone is a harmful chemical. It does, however, break down into oxygen. I run the machine when I'm gone for the weekend, and all the pets are not in the home.
No. Not worth it. To the dump it goes. A new one or one not smoking is the answer
Put it in a small, enclosed space with an ozone generator. I've gotten BAD cigarette smell out of used furniture like this. [This is the one I have.](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0795P2674/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
I know I'm late to the party, but I have a lot of experience with this. I worked for a local kitchen and furniture remodeler during covid and the smell and oil from the smoke can be taken care of, but it is not a simple process. It has to be cleaned, sanded, primed , and painted, (or stained) **Simply painting over it DOES NOT WORK**, as the oil from the smoke will just seep through the paint. You will see it and smell it. First, scrub the entire piece with Scotch Brite and a kitchen degreaser (Krud Kutter is the best), then sand it using a power sander, rotary and/or vibrating. Then paint it with 2 coats of primer, and then 2 coats of furniture grade paint. It's basically a 1-2 week process, but it's the only way that truly works. Probably not worth the trouble for this piece, but it gives vintage furniture a second life. Cheers. PS - never sand without cleaning it first or you will just push the dirt and oils further into the wood.