Chest of Drawers

How do I get cigarette smoke out of a chest of drawers?

Bought a beautiful cherry chest of drawers. What I didn't realize was that the previous owner was a smoker. The insides of the drawers have contaminated my clothes with cigarette smoke. It's disgusting. How do I get the cigarette residue out of the wood inside the drawers?

Public Comments

1. get loads of deodarant spray it in.... loads of sweet smelling stuff too (like lavender), boil a kettle, chop up the pile of whatever u have got and put in a bowl overnight in the draw/s (make sure u give it a good stir and don't fill it up too full!) that should do the trick.
2. put a small dish of vinegar in the drawer for a day or two... the cigarette smoke will be attracted to it and leave with the dish of vinegar!
3. I suggest you actually wipe down the entire chest/drawers inside and out with warm water and Murphy's Oil soap . Don't saturate, but wring out the cloth (terry cloth is best) and use a lot of elbow grease to wipe it down. this will actually get the tar and nicotine residue off the wood surfaces. Then, put the entire chest and drawers (separately) outside in the direct sun as it dries. This should take care of most of the odor if not all. If there is still some lingering odor, sprinkle baking soda in all the drawers and let it sit for a day or two before you put clothes back in. Good luck!
4. The problem with cig smoke is the nicotine and tar, take a bucket add 1/2 gal hot water , 1/2 cup lemon juice and1/4 cup white viniger, mix and wash out drawers, let dry over night. This should fix your problem.
5. Kleeneze do a nicotine remover. Pledge does a soapy wood cleaner which also removes nicotine. When dry, line your drawers with perfumed liners.
6. Another possibility is a small bowl of baking soda to absorb the smell... or how about charcoal? Crushing a couple brickets for each drawer. Leave in the closed drawer for a few days.
7. Try a solution of Murphys Oil Soap. I have had good luck with this product removing odor.