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I have run out of ideas on how to get rid of the smell of mothballs in an old dresser I have. Just when I think I've done it, I'll close up the drawers and bam! the smell is back the next day when I open it back up!  
 
I've tried baking soda, odour eater pucks, Frebreeze, tea tree oil, Bounce sheets, vinegar, leaving it open outside (before it snowed).  
 
Any ideas are greatly appreciated! I'd love to be able to use the dresser, but don't want all of my stuff smelling like mothballs!

I was going to post a few suggestions, but if you just google your exact questions, there are many suggestions.  
 
Good luck!

Brenda said "I was going to post a few suggestions, but if you just google your exact questions, there are many suggestions.     Good luck! "

Most of the things I've tried have been from Google searches. I just listed a few of the things I've tried, not everything.  
 
I'm looking for things people have used that have actually worked for them. Thanks though!  
 
Edited by Four, 2017-11-21 19:10:44

what about charcoal? Charcoal works good for smoke smells.  
 
We also just found a recipe - got all the stuff, haven't tried it yet for odors.  
 
Baking soda in a small jar with a lid, essential oil drops, take out the middle of the lid and put an old screen piece in there and let them sit.  
 
#5 on the attached link  
 
http://hometips.diyeverywhere.com/2017/04/30/5-natural-ways-to-freshen-any-room-/?src=fbfan_59721&t=fbunpub_tipsforthehome&up=20170609

Brenda said "what about charcoal? Charcoal works good for smoke smells.     We also just found a recipe - got all the stuff, haven't tried it yet for odors.     Baking soda in a small jar with a lid, essential oil drops, take out the middle of the lid and put an old screen piece in there and let them sit.     #5 on the attached link     http://hometips.diyeverywhere.com/2017/04/30/5-natural-ways-to-freshen-any-room-/?src=fbfan_59721&t=fbunpub_tipsforthehome&up=20170609 "

I'll give charcoal a try... Thanks!

We used cedar to get rid of the mothball odor. Gave the cedar a light sanding and dampened it to really get the essence of it and then closed it in the cabinet drawers. It took a little while and a few refreshes, but it eventually got rid of the smell. TBH though, don't know if it actually eliminated the mothball odor or if the cedar just became stronger. But it did the job.  
 
Hope this helps. Good luck!

Would try ground coffee it removed the smell of rotten meat forgotten in my camper refrigerator

Young Living purification. Is wonderful at eliminating doors,

Have you tried washing down the inside with TSP? It's pretty potent but we've used it to get the smell of smoke etc out of furniture. I wonder if it would work for mothballs.

seal the interior wood with a polyurethane finish

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions... I will be trying them out one by one to see what works.  
 
Part of the trickiness is that the drawers are lined with fabric (which I know is holding onto the smell even more), but I don't want to rip it out since it is in great shape, other than the smell, and I'd like to maintain the piece as much as possible.

Try spraying with vinegar. Or a container with cat litter in it, container with coffee grounds

Four said "Thanks to everyone for their suggestions... I will be trying them out one by one to see what works.     Part of the trickiness is that the drawers are lined with fabric (which I know is holding onto the smell even more), but I don't want to rip it out since it is in great shape, other than the smell, and I'd like to maintain the piece as much as possible. "

The fabric will likely be the culprit then. Some fabrics will never de-stink, no matter what you use.  
 
If you google getting rid of moth ball smell in fabrics specifically, one of the suggestions is to use an enzyme solution to soak it, such as what they sell in the pet stores to clean up pet stains. It sounds like you need to soak for ~24 hours. IDK if you can do that if the drawers are lined, you could never saturate it enough or keep it saturated by simply spraying. I mean, you could try it by spraying it, but it might mean you will have to rip the fabric out in the end.  
 
Good luck. Let us know if/what works in the end (in case any of us need it in the future!) .

Coffee beans are naturally known to absorb/neutralize unwanted smells. It’s readier to get your hands on and it’s not chemical. Plus it’s strong aroma is something to be desired even if you don’t like coffee it smells better than moth balls lol - hope this helps! I’ve recommended it for those with musty cupboard smells, strong perfume from rooms/closets, etc. Put it a bowl and place it in the area that has the smell. If it’s a large area you may need a couple bowls of beans sitting out. Leave until the smell is gone or the coffee smell weakens (takes a couple days for the beans to loose scent) good luck hope this helps

I tried the coffee beans. After about a week, they started to smell "smoky", so I replaced them. It seemed as though they absorbed the smell (all I could smell was coffee, but it is a fairly overpowering scent) so I took them all out, closed it up for a day, and... mothball smell is back. Definitely not as strong, but it's still there.  
 
On to the next idea!

Worst case you could try painting it.