How to remove the smell from sealed wooden bowls?

June 29, 2015 7:07 PM

Mundane question, but: I had a couple of wooden bowls made on Etsy, and they were coated with General Finishes' Oil Based Salad Bowl Finish. The bowls are sealed just fine, but they reek of the finish to the point where it overpowers eating anything. Is there anything I can do to get the smell out?

For reference, I've tried washing them with a variety of soaps (all non corrosive), and wiping them out with vinegar. They've sat out for a few weeks now and that hasn't changed anything. Any ideas?

posted by gchucky to Food & Drink (3 answers total)

Have you asked the artist who made it?
posted by harrietthespy at 7:09 PM on June 29, 2015

A few weeks should have been long enough for the finish to cure. It's possible the original finish was put on too thick - did you read the instructions in the link you embedded? Especially this point:

"I rushed my project and now my Salad Bowl Finish won’t dry and it’s sticky. What can I do? This will happen when the underlying stain or top coat is not dry. To fix, wipe with a soaked rag of mineral spirits. This will open up the surface and allow the product to start drying again and take away the stickiness. Let dry a good 24-48 and then you can re-coat."

Note also that they advertise this finish as "non-toxic when cured"
posted by mr vino at 7:14 PM on June 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

Try sticking them out in the sun for a couple days to offgas and cure.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 9:24 PM on June 29, 2015 [1 favorite]