A bowl of coffee grounds or kitty litter really help with such smells.

Thank you so much marita! I have never heard of using either of those, but I will definitely give that a try.

Also try some activated charcoal (search web). It will be even more effective than the coffee grounds or kitty litter (which sometimes has activated charcoal additive).

I'm pretty certain one can get activated charcoal at any place that sells aquarium supplies...people use it in the filters of their fish tanks.

Great information! I will check out pet stores and/or aquarium supply stores and see if I can find some activated charcoal. Thank you!

The best thing for smells is air. Even for cars you roll down the windows in the heat of the day, and it gets rid of all odors.

Is the buffet too big to take it outdoors for a day, as long as there's good weather? Don't put it in sun though. A shady, windy area would be ideal.

I'd air it outside from morning until evening, then use the above suggested items. (I hear the charcoal is great)

OTOH, I'd LOVE to have that smell! lol

We might be able to carry it outside. There is a nearby covered porch, but it's very heavy and was a huge struggle to get it inside in the first place. But that's yet another great idea. I hadn't even thought about taking it outside.

Probably the oils of the candles or incense or whatever are in the wood. The best way to get rid of the smell is to seal it in. Get a can of shellac and another can of denatured alcohol, thin the shellac by about half and brush it on.
Or you can get a spray can and spray it on every inside surface of the smelly compartments.
Charcoal, coffee, wadded newspaper all work for things like a musty smell....but I think you are dealing with essential oils....best to seal them in.
Linda C

A couple of inexpensive other thoughts:
- a couple of dryer sheets would help absorb odors.
- wipe the wood with a cloth/sponge wetted with white vinegar.

Oh I really hope the oils haven't saturated the wood. If I simply cannot get the smell out, I will give your suggestion a try, lindac. I hate the idea of altering the piece (since I am certainly not a professional).

kathleenca, I certainly have white vinegar and dryer sheets laying around, I'll give that a try as well. Maybe attacking this with multiple techniques will help.

What Linda said ... seal the interiors with clear shellac.

I have an oak desk that I bought in the 1970s with the strong scent of sandlewood incense in the top drawer. It still smells of incense, but less strongly. If it had bothered me, the only remedy would have been to seal it.

Before you go to too much trouble or expense, just give it some time. I have had that issue with three pieces -- two I bought off CL and one I rescued from my daughter's room. They all smelled of candles or incense. Eeek! I thought I was doomed.

I left the last one on the porch for a couple weeks, but they other two, I just toughed it out. Within a month or so, the smells abated. There is no guarantee this will work for you, but try my cheap "slacker" approach first! :-)

Hi There! I am cracking up because you had the EXACT same problem that I am looking all over the internet for an answer too! I bought a kitchen island and no doubt the people stored absolutely HORRID floral scented candles in it..I'm dyin...my ceramic mugs EVEN picked up the odor! lol.. I had aired it out OVERNIGHT AND also washed it with almond oil, which I usually use for my used furniture an it works awesome, soapy and nice with water and smells great! But nope, this time only the candle smell came through! I'm wondering since this thread is from 2011 one, if you even have the same ID an go on Houzz and two, what finally worked for you? Was it the activated charcoal? ( I also tried baking soda....no go ;( oh well..lol ) Thanks!!

How about using another scent that you like, maybe some dried lavender or wipe down the inside with lemon oil?

Oh wow this is a very old thread! So this is embarrassing, but I never fully eliminated the candle odor. Sorry!

lol..omg..no way..really? Oh wow, so you gave up..or you weren't able to remove it? I wonder if there is any hope for me? Last night I put coffee grounds ALL over the inside of the island's cabinet...closed the doors, let it stay overnight..lol In the morning the whole house smelled of coffee.. I vacuumed it out..wiped it down with warm water and OMG I could STILL smell the faint scent of those horrid candles through the coffee ( I hate coffee btw )...so now I have TWO scents that are making me nauseous! lol.. I may try that lemon oil that other person said, or try to find that deactivated charcoal..otherwise I'm going to sand it down and paint it or put some kind of contact paper? I'm at the point I want to toss the island..but I JUST got it and Love it..Damn damn damn! Ugh!! lol

Thankfully the drawers which we use for daily storage don't smell. The two side cabinets still stink of candle smell and we store extra glassware in them. Because it's an antique, I was afraid to put too many chemicals in there that might damage the wood. Maybe this is a sign I should try again! Lemon oil sounds interesting, as does that Zorbx, but I'm nervous that the latter could damage the finish.

Could you just set the drawers out in the fresh air for several days without dragging the entire cabinet outside?

I was thinking the same thing, fresh air and sunshine. I’d also try the charcoal.

Pricklypearcactus I hope you see this! I bought a beautiful 1880s sideboard to store my bourbon collection in but mine too reeked of scented candles. I couldn't use it because the odor would infiltrate my open bottles. I tried everything, and I mean everything, But here is what worked: lightly sand the interior with 0000 steel wool. It won't harm the wood, it just opens up the grain slightly and will also remove some of the odor off the surface. Then I applied multiple sprays of Xzorb. It didn't harm the finish or the furniture. It WORKED!!!!!! Never thought I would get that horrid smell out.

Thank you so much for the first hand experience! I really appreciate that you came back and shared what worked for you.

This thread is how I discovered the Zorbx. Was frantically Googling to try to come up with a solution

I have the same problem with a cabinet and a buffet drawer that I stored scented candles in for years. I’ve become extremely sensitive to scents and get an immediate headache anytime I open the cabinet and drawer. The last comment here was 9/9/2018. It’s now 9/12/2020 so this is definitely an old post. I’ll try to order activated charcoal. I’d appreciate any more recommendations.

I was so glad to find this thread, no matter how old. I have a pine cupboard that has absorbed candle scent. Unfortunately, my mother painted the interior of the bottom and the drawers. Given the paint, I assumed the smell could be wiped away. For anyone wondering, the following doesn't work: sunshine, fresh air, baking soda poured directly on the surface, vinegar, candle wax remover, unscented Febreze, and charcoal. Yep! Tried them all. This is a family piece and it's the only antique from my mother that I wanted to keep when she passed. Sadly, my sensitivity to fragrance has grown severe, causing migraines so I have to do something. Going to try the steel wool and zorbx before trying to add another layer of paint., which I do not want to do.