need help getting mustiness from a steamer trunk
 

About a month ago I bought the most Awesome steamer trunk at an estate sale for $20--the kind that has pull out drawers and a place to hang clothes when you open it up--it's also very big. it's in great shape other than the leather handle is broken and the inside was musty. I'm hoping to use it in the LA studio to stash all those weird pieces of backing and bat that are big enough to piece or use for table toppers, etc.

I left it on the deck, open to the sun for several days. Have closed it up with a bar of Irish Spring (what I do when I get a smoker's quilt--and no one ever says they smoke!) and also sprayed with Lysol. But I'd like to truly get any mildew out and not just the smell so the back & bat don't pick it up. The inside is covered with a fabric that is glued (tightly) to the pine and fiber board.

Thanks!

There used to be an orange based cleaner that we used on vintage cars to get the smell and mildew out. I can't remember the name right now, but we bought at the auto parts store, I think. I also used in on some antique furniture I had that had a funky smell.

I know on the Featherweight group that I belong to there is always discussions about this. Some people use Febreeze, some people use coffee grounds, some those silicone packets you can buy. When my DD bought a pair of shoes that stunk up the house with glue (on sale, no returns) we bought the Febreeze & I was totally amazed how well it worked for that problem. Hopefully you can get rid of it & enjoy your trunk. Did you also try baking soda?

Here is a link to the article I was talking about. https://singer-featherweight.com/blo...herweight-case

Should work the same for a trunk, I think.

how about charcoal briquettes. my grandma always used them for muskiness

I tried a lot of remedies for my musty featherweight case including sun, Irish spring, softener sheets, etc. Nothing worked. I knew charcoal is supposed to absorb odors but I couldn't figure out how to use it without a mess. Finally, one day the light bulb went on. I got a set of Dr. Scholl's odoreaters shoe inserts -- the ones that contain charcoal. It worked! Mustiness completely gone! I have kept one of those inserts in the case ever since. Is the mildew gone? I don't know. However, all the odor is gone.

My Dad rescued an old camel back trunk several years ago and it was awful. I put coffee grounds (out of the can) and closed it up for a month or so. That did the trick. You may have to replace the grounds once a week or so.

i hope you get this solved, sounds like the trunk is a treasure

Have heard of wadding up newspaper and putting it in spaces such as this. Cheap to try anyhow! Also the cheapest brand of kitty litter sometimes will absorb that odor. Put it in an open container and shut the door.

I have a dresser from my grama that I've had for maybe 50 years. Love it, but the drawers are musty and I've tried everything. I'm not sure if a light bulb would fit in the drawers, but worth a try.

We had a basement flood once when we moved into a rental house. Our vintage wood furniture was there and luckily not ruined. Later we noticed a really strong smell so we read online and found out that BBQ charcoal briquettes work great. This has been mind go to remedy for musty smelly items. I buy a large bag and slit it lengthwise and just sit it where I want for maybe up to a week. I think this will solve your problems good. If there is still mold or mildew, make a solution of a tablespoon of bleach into a cup of water and spray lightly onto those spots, bleach kills mold.