How to remove musty smell from old furniture

[Neil Brooks]

Neil has answered the TSP question. I have never tried an ozone generator. The last time I ckecked the cheapest effective size generator was around $400. I would like to hear from anybody that has deodorized furniture with ozone. Does it last, do odors return, does it penetrate the wood, does it effect the finish? Plus a lot more questions. Maybe I need one and don't know it.

In '96, I bought a used Airstream motorhome from ... a pair of smokers.

It ssssstunk.

I rented (many/most rental places have them) an ozone generator and did a 24hr on/24 hr off cycle.

Thing smelled like the pine forest, in the spring, after a warm rain, after that.

It did THAT good a job

[Gary Hodgin]

Brian,
TSP is trisodium phosphate, a powerful cleaner. I'm pretty sure you can find it HD, Lowe's, and paint stores. It's probably in the paint department at HD or Lowe's. Here is a link.
http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infxtra/inftsp.html

[Jerome Stanek]

Tom, what is TSP?
-Brian

Trisodium phosphate

[Maurice Ungaro]

I think we've covered the TSP issue.

Another household item that is good at killing fungus is good old apple cider vinegar. I've used it on musty leather with very good success.

[Josiah Bartlett]

I have had good luck with leaving things outside in the sun for a few hours. I would open the piece up so the sun can hit the inside of the cabinet. It may take more than one session.

As mentioned above, ozone works well for killing many odors. If you can't find the equipment, some fire and flood restoration contractors can do it for a fee.

I wouldn't leave an antique piece exposed in the sun for long. It could really change the color or grain visibility. Cherry and Walnut are really succeptible to this.

I'd leave an open box of baking soda in it for a while. TSP (trisodium phosphate) or oil soap probably works fine by binding with some of the aromatic oils that are stinking it up. You could also try a citrus oil cleaner- they smell nice.

[Robert Chapman]

I volunteer at a Habitat for Humanity Restore and we get used refrigerators donated that don't always smell good. One of the things that we do that seems to work is to put some coffee [ground and fresh] in a sock and let it sit in the fridge for a few days - seems to get the ordor out. Might be worth a try.

[Jamie Ray]

Just ran across this. It should be helpful.

http://woodworking.about.com/od/deal...ovingOdors.htm

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Tom, what is TSP?
-Brian

cleaning agent, food additive, stain remover and degreaser.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trisodium_phosphate

Note that it is inexpensive. Should be able to get it at a big box store, hardware, amazon, etc...

[Bill ThompsonNM]

You might have TSP in your cupboard already.. If you have a box of the dry Spic N Span cleaner... it's almost all TSP.. just some fragrance added..
the TSP in the paint dept at the BORG is almost always cheaper if you're buying some however....