AboutFred Taylor Expertise I will attempt to answer questions about American antique furniture, including construction details, style, period, manufacturers, care, repair and storage. I do not have any background in appliances, musical instruments, sewing machines, lighting and clocks and will not respond to quesions about those items.
Experience I ran an antique furniture restoration business for twenty years. I am a nationally syndicated columnist on the subject of antique furniture for such publications as Antique Week and New England Antiques Journal. I have produced one video on the subject of furniture identification and my book "HOW TO BE A FURNITURE DETECTIVE" is now available.I have also published articles in Antique Trader, Chicago Art Deco Society, Northeast Magazine, Victorian Decorating and Lifestyles, Professional Refinishing, Antiques and Art Around Florida and Antique Shoppe. You can visit my website at www.furnituredetective.com
Education/Credentials BSBA Finance, University of Florida, MBA Finance, University of Florida
VT wrote at 2008-07-11 07:58:39
We inherited antique furniture from my father-in-law, who had been a heavy smoker, both pipes and cigarettes. His was one of those houses where the smoke stain was slightly visible on the upper walls. The wood furniture was also not particularly clean. I got the tobacco smoke odor out of the wood furniture by cleaning it with standard wood furniture cleaners (following label directions and caveats) and then wiping it down with vanilla-scented Pledge. Odor lingered even after repeated cleanings, but the vanilla Pledge got rid of it. It was a revelation. Crumpled newspaper stuffed inside the drawers and cabinets absorbs the tobacco odor from furniture interiors. You may have to discard and replace the paper several times, but eventually it will absorb all the odor from inside the drawers. Newsprint is like that. The area rugs went to a cleaner that could remove the smoke odor. Laundering removed the odor from washable textiles. Airing things will lessen the tobacco smoke stench, but rarely will do the whole job. Removing the smoke residue, absorbing the odor or breaking it down chemically will almost always be necessary to finally get rid of it.
