Antique dresser smells like Pee

unclebilly · unclebilly's Garage

I have an antique oak dresser that belonged to my great grand parents. I really like the look of it but it smells like pee.

I am guessing that the smell is coming from urea that may have been used in the finish.

Any ideas on how to get the smell out of it? I am probably going to get it refinished in the new year in hopes this will take care of the smell but it really doesn't need refinishing from a cosmetic point of view.

I'd hate to put my shirts in it, I'd smell like a nursing home resident.

Moving it outside isn't an option as the wood would dry up (it's - 12°C here or 10°F if you swing that way).

stomachmonkey · 12-19-2010, 05:45 AM

Either of them have alzheimers? My stepdads mom used to barricade her door with a dresser then
pee in it when she could not get out to use the bathroom

onewhippedpuppy · 12-19-2010, 05:47 AM

A friend of mine had the bad habit of peeing in dressers and closets when he got drunk. Being the connoisseur that I am, I find it more amusing to pee in my wife's shoes.

pete3799 · pete3799's Garage

Try some Murphy's oil soap.

red-beard · red-beard's Garage

try one of the pet cleaners, esp if it is designed for cats

unclebilly · unclebilly's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by pete3799

Try some Murphy's oil soap.

Yes - this did help - ALOT! But it's still pretty bad.

I don't think either actually peed in it. I never met my great grandparents but I think they died before dimentia came along.

Genadma never had cats or anything like that either.

Laneco · 12-19-2010, 06:53 AM

Use the the pet products, then finish up with the Murphy's. Hopefully that will take care of it.

One thing to be aware of - there are certain types of wood that smell like pee (at least to me). White fir comes to mind. Here in the northwest, the loggers call it "pis$ fir" for a reason. The good news is that it is pretty bug resistant.

angela

stomachmonkey · 12-19-2010, 06:59 AM

If you really think it's urea based finish then you can try Natures Miracle.

Pick up a small bottle at your local pet store.

Has enzymes that break down urine.

Scuba Steve · 12-19-2010, 08:34 AM

I'd try and of those options before refinishing it. The piece would still have all its sentimental value, but the monetary value would take a plunge.

Nature's Miracle and Murphy Oil are seriously about the greatest things out there. But have you checked to make sure the smell isn't coming from inside the drawers? Maybe they used mothballs long ago and the current smell is what's left behind.

targa911S · 12-19-2010, 09:45 AM

just crap in one of the other drawers and you won't notice the pee smell anymore.

pwd72s · 12-19-2010, 09:48 AM

Try a furniture paste wax...after the other products...it may seal the odor in????

rsNINESOOPER · 12-19-2010, 10:28 AM

To get rid of that "old dresser pee smell" without altering the finish on the outside you can use a brush on water based clear wood sealer. To do this you want to remove all drawers and use the sealer to coat all inside surfaces (may need two coats if it really soaks it up). Then coat the drawers themselves being careful to not get any on the drawer face itself. When completely dry you might have to apply a dry lubricant to the contact points of the drawers to get them working smoothly again which they will do on their own after use. A lacquer based sealer can be used as well but requires a lot better ventilation and it dries faster making it harder to put on an even coat. This procedure is used when vintage furniture Im restoring has funky smells which are usually confined to the inside and it works great 9.5 times out of ten.
If someone really did pee on the outside of your dresser than refinishing may be the only choice since neutralizing the pee smell requires a rinsing with 3 parts water and one part vinegar which will damage some finishes and cause veneer separation etc. A heavy dusting of Baking soda on everything if left on for a day or so then using a nylon brush to loosen and an air gun to blow it off might do it. However when exposed to humidity the smell will come back.

If you contact your local furniture refinisher/restorer they might be able to solve the problem.

vash · vash's Garage

wait till summer and set it outside?

JMPRO · JMPRO's Garage

In some cases the old furniture from yesteryear was used to conceal the chamber pot and some people were not very careful and spilled the contents on the inside of the cabinet. I bought, refinished and sold lots of old furniture years ago and some of that stuff that held the chamber pot really stunk. I was unable to completely get rid of the smell in any of it, even a complete refinish inside and out would not get rid of or cover up the smell. In most all cases I got rid of the offending piece in wholesale lots so the buyer didn't have a chance to sniff each piece.

JMPRO

aigel · aigel's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMPRO

In some cases the old furniture from yesteryear was used to conceal the chamber pot and some people were not very careful and spilled the contents on the inside of the cabinet. I bought, refinished and sold lots of old furniture years ago and some of that stuff that held the chamber pot really stunk. I was unable to completely get rid of the smell in any of it, even a complete refinish inside and out would not get rid of or cover up the smell. In most all cases I got rid of the offending piece in wholesale lots so the buyer didn't have a chance to sniff each piece.

JMPRO

+1 - JMPRO has the source of the smell nailed. The furniture goes back to outhouse and chamber pot days.

G

andrew15 · 12-19-2010, 01:40 PM

The good news is that you now have a 3 bathroom house!
AM

Laneco · 12-19-2010, 02:32 PM

If all the cleaning fails, maybe cut a piece of aromatic cedar to fit the bottom of each drawer. Drop it in, leave it there. No fasteners so it won't hurt the value of the piece. The cedar would look nice and impart a much more pleasant odor.

angela

GWN7 · 12-19-2010, 06:47 PM

You can either cover the smell, mask it or try to draw it out.

Get a plastic bag big enough to put the dresser in and dump a open bag of Kingsford Charcoal Briquets in the bag, then seal the bag up. Leave it for a couple months. The charcoal will absorb a lot of the smells.

Toss the briquets afterwards or your steak will smell like pee.

Buckterrier · 12-19-2010, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laneco

Use the the pet products, then finish up with the Murphy's. Hopefully that will take care of it.

One thing to be aware of - there are certain types of wood that smell like pee (at least to me). White fir comes to mind. Here in the northwest, the loggers call it "pis$ fir" for a reason. The good news is that it is pretty bug resistant.

angela

Man, you learn all kinds of things here on PPOT

I pee'd once in a closet after drinking massive quantities of JD... er, I mean bowling.

vonsmog · 12-19-2010, 07:39 PM

When I had my antique shop, anything that we got that would stink like this would get stripped and refinished. the stripper tank would take anything out! Then refinished and sander sealer on all sides of all drawers and on the inside. Would be better than new once done. So just drop it off at the re finisher's and let them have at it. Just make sure that they have a strip tank, and that the whole thing gets dipped, or you will still have the stink.