How do you get the smell of must/mold out of wood?

Question

My armoir was in an apartment that had terrible water damage, it sat there for six months before I picked it up and now it smells so badly that I can't even use it. Can anyone help me out?? Thanks

Answer 1

wash it down with bleach water. Bleach kills mold and mildew.
You'll have to let it sit out somewhere where you can't smell it. After a day or two, was it down with Murphy's Oil Soap.

Answer 2

I have heard bleach is supposed to work. Wipe it down with a mix of bleach and water. You could add cedar chips in there too. Most armoir are supposed to have a cedar smell. Moth balls might work to, it depends on what you want you clothes to smell like. You can usually get cedar chips at a pet store. I lived in Oregon and when the chip trucks went past you it was very aromatic.

Answer 3

You may have to have it stripped and restored by a professional or yourself for the odor to dissappear. What has happened is the moldy water has seeped into the wood and dried there. Well until the wood gets wet again and washed and dried again it will not leave. Is theodor coming from teh drawers interior surface this might be able to be fixed by washing them with a sponge soaked in bleach water and allowed to dry in the sun. .

Answer 4

I had this problem from storing my China Cabinet and other furniture in an out building here is what I did
I used a bleach solution
then let it sit in the sun to dry
Sun dries out wood naturally and kills mold too.

Or you can try this other method I found on line from the experts.


This works on mold and musty smells too

www.mdsdogs.com


Cleaning Mildew from Wood
For cleaning mildew from wood, thoroughly clean mildewed surfaces, woodwork, and other wooden parts by scrubbing them with a mild alkali, such as washing soda or trisodium phosphate (eight to 10 tablespoons to a gallon of water), or with disinfectants, such as a quaternary disinfectant or pentachlorophenate. Paint and grocery stores and janitors' supply houses sell these products under various trade names.

Rinse the wood well with clear water, and allow it to dry thoroughly, then apply a mildew-resistant paint. Mildew-resistant paints in all colors for outdoor wood surfaces are available for use in untreated paints.

If the mold and mildew has grown under the paint or varnish, remove all the paint or varnish from the stained areas, then scrub with a solution containing eight to 10 tablespoons of trisodium phosphate and one cup of household chlorine bleach to a gallon of water. Use stronger solutions if necessary. Wear rubber gloves. If the stain remains, apply oxalic acid (three tablespoons to one pint of water). Finally, rinse the surface thoroughly with clear water. Dry well before refinishing. (The acid is poisonous, so handle it carefully).

Answer 5

Use lemon Lisole for wood, it smells great!

Answer 6

I am surprised it didn't warp so badly you can't use it. Spray bleach water on it.

Answer 7

set it on fire, the smell is there for good.