I have a oak cabinet that was exposed to many years of tobacco smoke. I cleaned it with a orange based cleaner and got a lot of nicotine off but it still has a faint smell. What is the best way to get rid of this odor witbout a complete refinish?
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I've heard that shellac will seal in odors. You could at least shellac the inside of the cabinet--might help some.
I have great luck with using the fabric fresheners like Febreze to neutralize smells. I'd drape the piece with plastic, with a bowl of Febreze underneath, with a fan playing across the liquid. I cleaned a whole house after one of my cooking fires (garbanzo beans--protein fires are the worst) by letting the clothes dryer hose play over a couple gallons of the stuff over a couple days. I also saved $1K the restoration company wanted to charge me to set off a 'bomb' to do the same thing.
There is also a product called Odor-o-No. It is sold at Sam's I know. It is excellent for removing odors.
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