You are here:

Cabinets, Furniture, Woodworks/cleaning old used furniture

Advertisement

Expert: - 4/9/2009


Question
Dear Eileen,

I forgot to ask specifically also how to clean the unfinished wood inside the drawers. Please also suggest a way to clean these areas and remove that musty smell as best as possible.

Thank you.
Jean

Answer
Hi again Jean
Clean all unfinished wood with a mild household bleach solution.
About a 1/2 cup in your scrub pail is fine. A scrub brush works great on the bare wood and saves your hands.
Let the drawers dry well. If you can leave them out of the dresser a few days all the better. The longer the better.
I like to place a couple of fabric softener sheets in each drawer after this.
Hope this helps
Eileen

Cabinets, Furniture, Woodworks

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

Eileen Cronk

Expertise

Hi..I can answer most questions about the repairing,stripping and refinishing of all your old furniture and wood items(the things we call antiques)I can give advice about what to buy/avoid at auctions/flea markets. I do not give appraisals on antiques.

Experience

I have been refinishing antiques for the past 30yrs. While I have taken several courses over the years,I have found that "hands on" learning is the best teacher. Perhaps I can help you avoid some of the mistakes I made while learning.

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.