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How to remove varnish smell on new wooden table

17 years ago

A friend of mine just had her new wooden side table delivered and it has an extremely strong varnish odor/smell that is giving her a migraine headache. Does anyone know how she can remove this strong smell...otherwise she will have to send the table back.

All suggestions welcomed and very much appreciated! TIA

My thought was maybe wipe it down with a white vinegar solution. Any thoughts on this????

clinda

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Comments (3)

lindac
17 years ago
Time will cure the problem....just let it air out....and the varnish will cure and the smell will be gone.
Don't wipe it witn anything.
Linda C
User
17 years ago
The varnish isn't cured yet. Wait a month or so, it will dissapate. You may want to try to mask the smell, try putting a tablespoon of cinnamon in a pan of water on the stove, and heat. It should smell like apple pie baking. Good luck.
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I've bought pieces in the past that were an absolute mess. Try using Ivory dish soap and water in a mild solution. Sometimes a terrycloth rag has just enough oomph to scrub the grunge without damaging the finish. Dry the chairs immediately after rinsing. If that doesn't work, move to *gasp* Murphy's Oil Soap. In some cases, it's the only thing that will remove the yuck. Howard's makes a good soap as well that is formulated for wood and fabric. I found it in one of my local antique shops. All of that said, the finish could be compromised. Do you know what sort of finish is on the chairs? Some yuck, especially organic based, will eat away at certain finishes. The grayish/whitish spots that show up when wet indicate that may have happened. It could be the finish itself that's sticky. There's not much you can do about that short of removing the finish and starting over. I hope for your sake that's not the case.
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miss_marble
17 years ago
I do not think this should be the case with furniture coming from a store. Did they just make the piece for her before it was delivered? First thing she should do is complain to the store and make sure she can return it if it doesn't go away in a reasonable time.

At any rate, if she's going to keep it, she could:
a. Put it in the garage or in a storage unit until it is cured.
b. Send it back to the store and ask them to keep it there until it is cured.
c. Send it back to the store, period.
d. Not sure about this one -- but cover it with some plastic to contain the fumes until it cures. If it is really really strong the fumes will still come out.

I would do "a" if I really loved the table.

Masking the odor is not going to do anything to help, it is the fumes that are the problem.

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