Try soaking them in a white vinegar and water mix (I'd say a cup of vinegar per gallon of water) in a bucket or the sink. The vinegar smell will go away after you wash them. It will take more time than washing with ammonia, but at least it's not toxic. If that doesn't work you might try soaking them in Oxi-Clean. I soaked my son's football uniform after he conveniently forgot to bring it home for a few weeks (think smelly socks times a million!) and it took a couple of tries but it got clean.

This will happen if you cut onions or garlic on a wooden board. I keep a dishwasher safe plastic board for stinky stuff. You can redeem your board, you may have to try a couple of things before you have success, try them in order: 1)Sprinkle board with kosher salt. Cut a lemon in half, use the cut side of the lemon to scrub the salt into the board. Scrub well, then rinse and towel dry then let air dry thoroughly. Sniff and move on to step two if necessary. 2) Make a thick paste of baking soda and water. Scrub it in with a green scrubby. Same rinse and dry and sniff test. 3) Sand off 1/16". Some people would recommend a bleach solution before resorting to sanding, but I would rather just sand, then have bleach impregnate the pores of the wood that I will then cut on. Whichever one works, once you get rid of the smell, give the board a nice coating of oil to rejuvenate it after the harsh treatment. Good luck.

Vinegar is a very poor choice for cleaning wood. 1 - Wash ALL surfaces with warm water and a mild soap. Don't forget the underside. Use a toothbrush on the cracks. 2 - Rinse with water and let it dry 3 - Wash all surfaces with mineral spirits and 0000 steel wool or a green scrub pad. Wipe it dry. You should be odor free, grunge free, and ready to paint.

I just bought a used wood bed, turns out it smells like cigarette smoke. It's a dark wood color and I was planning on painting it in a distressed gray finish. What would be the best and easiest way to get rid of that awful smell? Is it ever going to smell neutral or will it always kind of smell...if so I don't want to put much effort into and would rather get rid of it.