I don't WANT to smell like a cough drop

February 2, 2022 12:37 PM

I have a new, used, dresser. Yay, new (to me) dresser! Boo, the dresser was apparently used as a menthol cough drop storage facility. Any clothing stored in it now comes out smelling like menthol. Thorough cleaning/polishing with orange oil has not resolved this issue. It's a beautiful antique cherry wood piece that I could never afford to purchase new. However, I don't want to spend my life smelling like a cough drop. What can I do here?
posted by Gyre,Gimble,Wabe, Esq. to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (14 answers total)

I wonder if what you're smelling is the remnants of mothball usage?

If there's any way you can take the drawers out and set them outside all day on a warm, sunny day, that may be enough by itself to break down the scent.
posted by erst at 12:51 PM on February 2, 2022 [11 favorites]

Best answer: If nothing else ends up working, you could try shellacing the inside of the drawers.

Restorers who repaint smoke damaged rooms use paint with shellac (synthetic or natural) in it b/c it locks in odors. You could try a clear sanding sealer like this Zinsser Bulls Eye

A couple coats and then sand with fine sandpaper to knock down the gloss.
posted by caseyblu at 12:54 PM on February 2, 2022 [5 favorites]

Best answer: When the weather is okay, put the drawers outside in the sun. Try layers of newspaper in the drawers. I think I'd try cleaning the insides of it with ammonia and water or alcohol and water to break down the menthol.

Never, ever mix ammonia with bleach or anything not specifically approved.
posted by theora55 at 1:42 PM on February 2, 2022 [1 favorite]

Put a dryer sheet in each drawer. Or get lavender sachets, or whatever scent you like. I've also had great luck with fancy bath salts (in pouches).
posted by Charity Garfein at 2:24 PM on February 2, 2022

Best answer: You could try unscented clay-based kitty litter. It's what some archivists use to remove odors.
posted by purple_bird at 3:00 PM on February 2, 2022 [5 favorites]

Best answer: I restore vintage clothes and furniture! You need something to absorb the odor. Leave bowls of kitty litter, vinegar, or coffee grounds in each drawer until the menthol smell goes away.

Pulling out the big guns means getting your hands on an ozone machine and running it overnight in a sealed area that is not in any way near where you are. Some car detailing places use these for truly awful car interiors and its expensive, but someone will probably be fine with using it on your dresser if you call around.
posted by ananci at 3:03 PM on February 2, 2022 [10 favorites]

There might be an easier way of implementing ananci's ozone suggestion.

Germicidal lights owe most of their germicidal effects to the ozone they generate, and there are germicidal compact fluorescent light bulbs out there (I happen to own a few), so it might be possible to remove the shade from a short, candle stick like table lamp, put it on its side in the bottom drawer with a glass baking dish under the bulb but not touching the bulb, and so that all parts of the bulb are at least a couple of inches from any wood surface to eliminate any fire risk, and run the lamp for a few days with all the drawers closed and empty, maybe moving it from drawer to drawer if feasible.

I think it would be paramount to run it for an hour or so in any new configuration and then open it up to check and make sure there’s no heat buildup taking place, and I think it should be in a location where people don’t spend much time and is well ventilated, such as a shed or a back porch.
posted by jamjam at 4:31 PM on February 2, 2022

And I would turn the drawers above the bottom drawer upside down so that they would fill with the warmer ozone laden air from the lamp below.
posted by jamjam at 4:48 PM on February 2, 2022

Get a can of cheap supermarket coffee. Split it into open containers and put one in each drawer (or just spread the contents in the drawers and vacuum it out later). Let it sit for a few days to a week until in smells like coffee instead of camphor.
posted by bink at 5:29 PM on February 2, 2022 [2 favorites]

I second trying the coffee, but my preferred method is to use cheap whole beans (less messy than grounds).
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 9:30 PM on February 2, 2022

I was dealing with a similar situation, only it was cigarette smoke rather than menthol. Airing the drawers out and wiping them down with vinegar helped a bit, but it wasn't quite enough to defeat the funk. The next thing I tried was putting little bowls of vinegar in each drawer for a couple of days, and that helped a lot. I also added dryer sheets, sachets, and bars of soap to the drawers to try to beat out any lingering smoke stank.

The smell did mostly fade, but it took awhile, and still now if I leave an article of clothing in the drawers for too long, it sometimes picks up a faint cigarette whiff. I could probably hit the whole thing with vinegar again, but at this point I'm too lazy to empty all the drawers just to try it again haha. Good luck!
posted by helloimjennsco at 9:51 AM on February 3, 2022

I’ve not used this product, Ozium Air Sanitizer but I’ve seen it recommended (here?) for odors. You definitely don’t want to be breathing it but putting a drawer into a large clear plastic bag, cinching the neck as much as possible and spraying carefully might do the trick. It’s is supposed to eliminate odors, not mask them.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 12:17 PM on February 3, 2022

Response by poster: Thanks, everyone! If the sun ever shows its face around here again I will try that first. I do like the shellac idea. Unfortunately - I had already gone with the drawer sachets and soaps - and just had menthol scented sachets.
posted by Gyre,Gimble,Wabe, Esq. at 3:37 PM on February 4, 2022

I couldn’t find a link for it when I made my previous comment, but Xaomi makes a nifty tiny ozone generator for deodorizing refrigerators that I think would be perfect for your dresser as well, used as I suggested using a germicidal light, above.

Sachets and drier sheets won’t eliminate the menthol which is getting on your clothes; they’ll do nothing but add competing odors and reduce your ability to perceive any odors at all, respectively.
posted by jamjam at 5:28 PM on February 4, 2022 [1 favorite]