How can I remove the smell of moth repellent from an old cedar chest? I have tried sanding it down, wiping it with vinegar, setting it out in the sun, wadding up newspaper to absorb the odor and many other things as well. Nothing has diminished the smell. I love the chest, but I don't want anything I place in it to smell like moth balls! Please help. Thanks in advance.
By Laurie from Waldo, ME
How do you remove the scent of mothballs from an old cedar chest?
Rad
I would use baking soda, but don't just open the boxes and put those in the chest. I would dump them inside the chest and after a couple of weeks I would vacuum it out. Then you can proceed with sanding if necessary.
I just inherited a lovely cedar chest and put some blankets in it, and in a month, everything reeked of moth balls that had formerly been in the chest. After trying a few web suggestions, one suggestion, spraying Fabreeze in the chest, actually WORKED!
I tried Febreeze in my Cedar Chest and it did nothing whatsoever.
I don't have an answer but wish to offer a perspective based on my knowledge of chemistry. Moth balls are usually either 1,4-dichlorobenzene (AKA para-dichlorobenzene) or napthalene, though sometimes, camphor. All of these are semivolatile non-polar compounds. They will not react with acids (vinegar) or baking soda. Fabreze kills odors by sorbtion, and will only work short-term. The mothball chemicals are designed to vaporize and condense on the clothing stored in the chest, but they also condense in the wood, which is somewhat porous, and a bit oily--the cedar oil is why cedar chests work to protect clothing.
will activated charcoal remove moth ball odor from a cedar chest?
I HAVE THE ANSWER!!!!
After trying MANY options over the years, nothing worked except this:
I have a beautiful old solid cedar chest from my grandmother that until now was unusable due to the mothball odor.
Wow, thanks for letting us know. That's a great tip.
Thank you I will try it
So, the cedar chest company suggested wiping the entire interior surface with mineral spirits. Stating it would draw the naphalene out of the wood when it evaporates, may take several time.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I've seen countless posts on "what to try" to remove mothball odor from a dresser and I've tried many of them without success. I also don't see any follow up posts of folks saying what actually worked for them. My next attempt will be to cover the entire inside with polyurethane. Has anyone tried this? Does it work?
I'm asking that answers don't include "what to try" -- there are so many posts on the web to that effect already. Instead, I'd like to hear "what worked".
Thanks!
By Mike D
Get a bag of cedar shavings from the pet store (hamster or guinea pig litter). Put a 2 inch layer in the bottom of the cedar chest and close it up for 2 days. Clean it out (I used a shop-vac and reused the cedar shavings as mulch) and leave the chest open to air for a day. Repeat- this was fine for me. Repeat again - passed my wife's smell test.
I don't think I would use polyurethane. That would seal the wood and not help recover the cedar smell. I am about to tackle the same problem. Hope you are successful.
I don't think I would use polyurethane. That would seal the wood and not help recover the cedar smell. I am about to tackle the same problem. Hope you are successful.
I used cedar rings and balls and still have the smell in it
I always used pine shavings/bedding from Walmart for kitty litter. It completely absorbed all the odor from a litter box. So I dumped a bunch inside a cedar chest that has a strong mothball for. I plan to leave the shavings in the chest with the lid closed for at least a week. Will report back.
I think if the sun can get tomato stains out of plastic it should get mothball smell out of my cedar chest. I am going to set mine in the hot southern sun for a few days. Wish me luck!!
How do I get rid of moth ball smell in a blanket chest? It is part cedar and part particle board. I did not want to damage the wood, so I have just been airing out the chest when the weather is nice.
By Donna
Try a bowl of vinegar or coffee beans. The acidity should take care of the smell.
Pour some rubbing alcohol in a pump-type sprayer and mist the interior of the chest wait a minute and do it again, but this time wipe out the interior. Repeat a couple more times and stop for the day since you don't want to oversaturate it and also so you can check your progress in a couple days. If you have a place where you can put it in direct sunlight, place it there to dry. Drying it with a hair dryer works too (the heat helps it dissipate).
In between treatments, place a homemade deodorizer in the chest. Get some cedar chips from the pet store and also some activated charcoal. Mix together and put in an old stocking or two (easier than just dumping it in and taking it back out) and place your "log" in the chest and close the lid.
Repeat if necessary in a few days.
I had a chest that had a full box of mothballs PLUS a mothball holder (shaped like a daisy of all things) closed up in a chest for over 40 years. That chest took five treatments.
Actually, after the fourth I sanded down the interior and placed fresh deodorizer logs.
It smells great now. When the cedar smell starts to fade a bit I just scuff the inside lightly with a piece of sandpaper and it renews the smell. I have heard of people using natural cedar oil, especially if their piece wasn't solid cedar.
I've tried both and both worked for a while. Neither was a permanent fix. I've also tried kitty litter which was unsuccessful.
How do you remove the smell of moth balls from fabric and from a cedar chest?
By rel9465
I poured vinegar (3/4 of a gallon) on material, in the washing machine, and washed it. I then rewashed it in detergent... it worked perfectly... I have not found anything that works on the cedar chest so of yet
Have you tried Smelleze? I just ordered some to try and get the smell out of an old cedar chest. Good testimonials, is you can believe such. Anyhow, for $15 I'll give it a try.
I have a cedar chest that had mothballs in it for about a year and I am trying to get rid of the smell. Can anyone help me?
By Lucretia D.
That's a shame, best air it out, time will heal, also lightly sand inside of the chest and the cedar will be so renewed. gl
I used a charcoal closet deodorizer I bought at the hardware store. I put it in, and I honestly forgot about it. I don't know how long it took, but it got rid of the odor .
