Last week, I purchased a old, one-of-a-kind, handmade wooden sofa table from a vintage shop near me. It’s nothing fancy but has great character. It was neglected – evidence of old water rings on the top, very dusty, the bodies of small dead bugs collected in the drawers – but the wood, while quite dry, is beautiful. I don’t think it’s oak – the grain isn’t even enough for oak – but I don’t have a clue what it is. It is stamped “Made in Mexico” on the bottom.
Here’s the problem: I gently cleaned it with Murphy’s Wood Soap, let it dry, and then oiled it with Old English Furniture Polish. The oil brought out the grain but now the whole table absolutely stinks!! It’s like the furniture polish – which I admit is fairly old and is supposed to contain “genuine” lemon oil – has gone bad. I’ve aired out the house and living room every evening (thank heavens, the weather’s been nice) for almost a week but the smell just will not dissipate.
What on earth do I do now? I cannot stand that smell! Help!
I would wash it again removing as much of the oil as you can. Get a new furniture oil and apply lightly. If it keeps stinking I would keep washing it, trying not to damage the original finish. I would do it 3 or 4 times after that get some tung oil and refinish it, If you’re sure it’s not a serious antique.
Thanks, Beck. That’s all I could think to do, too. I don’t believe there actually is a finish on it for me to ruin or, if there was, it’s long gone now. I hope washing it again will help.
Tung oil will remove everything if you work it with steel wool long enough. Then there is sure enough stripper. Which is bad crap. I love tung oil, use it all the time. It is a bit chemical-y and bad for your skin but not near as bad as stripper. Don’t drink it, says so right on the can;)
Walnut oil is a good neutral oil that doesn’t go rancid and, unlike tung oil, has no initial odor. Or just use plain old mineral oil, which is far cheaper than walnut oil and accomplishes the same thing.
My problem has more been mildew/mold smells sometimes and I am/was just refinishing/fixing things for my personal use but ------- sometimes with smells I go straight for the nuclear option of 30-50% bleach water for the wash and a dry in the sun. Rather than a brush/sponge I use a bug sprayer and basically spray it down all around. With no actual finish worries and then some good tung on top, it has often worked for me.