Removing musty smell from bedding box

horseykitty

I bought a wooden bedding box off eBay with the intention of painting it and giving it a shabby chic makeover.

However, the box has a horrible musty smell inside which is obviously no good when I want to store linens in it. I have tried sprinkling it with bicarb and also putting a dish of bread soaked in white vinegar in it but the smell is still there. Putting it outside in the 'sunshine' is not an option. So I am at a loss what to do.

If I paint it inside as well as outside will that get rid of the smell?

Thanks

WestonDave

I'd personally firstly give the inside a wipe over with a weak vinegar solution (bit of vinegar in water). Not too wet on the cloth so as to soak the wood but enough to wipe the surface over. Repeat that with just water. Apparently vinegar is good at clearing the unwanted smell and then washes away easily enough itself.

The other option is to get some sandpaper and sand the inside of the box - this might bring out the wood smell and take off the "musty" top surface of the wood. If that fails you'll at least have done the prep for painting it!

Eenymeeny

Try leaving a pile of newspapers in it for a couple of days. The paper absorbs the smell and if there's any moisture it should help with that too. (I know it sounds unlikely but it worked when a child was sick in the car, leaving a ghastly smell even after thorough cleaning!)
Good luck

borkid

Sodium bicarbonate is also good for absorbing smells. Its cheaper to buy in a hardware shop then a supermarket.

horseykitty

Thanks for all your replies.
This is what I have done:
Followed WestonDave's suggestion and rinsed down with white vinegar - didn't remove all the smell but smelt slightly better, if not a bit like a chipshop - preferred that to the musty smell!

Painted the inside with white satin paint.

Lined the inside of the box with wrapping paper glued on by a PVA glue and water mix. I have now left it to dry out completely and have put about a dozen tumble dryer sheets in there as well. I'm going to leave it a couple of weeks and then see what it smells like. If it still doesn't pass the sniff test then it can become a toybox instead.