Mitchdesj, I have to disagree, most perfumes I have ever bought are bad after a year, and these little sample bottles were not quite a year old, they were a sample give-away last summer. And the seller refused to refund, but eBay found in my favor and refunded the entire price, I unfortunately left positive feedback too soon before I got to smell it! Doh.

I know this sounds weird but try replacing your potpurri with a kitty litter sachet! My mother in law had the dog attack a skunk under her car and the car was so foul that you couldn't be near it without being nauseated. The kitty litter worked at getting that stench out!

When the weather is okay leave it outside to air or near an open window for a few days and see. If still there just try out that specific area with soapy water and leave to dry. I have a feeling something was spilt on it and never washed out.

I'm not sure if this is comparable?...Our house had pine paneling in most of the rooms. Stained and varnished several times over the decades. 50+ years of smokers in the house made our house smell like a dirty ashtray. I scrubbed the walls so many times over the years and still smelled of cig smoke/ash tray. When I painted most of the paneling, I primed twice, then two coats of high quality paint in a semi-gloss (more sealing that flat). That helped very much. The bedroom and coat closet that did not get painted still smell of cigs/ash tray, so I know I'm not imagining the improvement. To me, the cig smell is similar to cat urine, in that it's a forever scent once it's built up and very hard to remove. But the priming and painting sealed the cig smell. Maybe think of painting the cabs after a primer? Not sure if applying the schellac like you just did would seal the smell in. Maybe as it cures, it might?