Freshening up an old dresser

[ICHTHYDEMON]

We have an old dresser that leaves clothes smelling less than fresh. Is there anything I can do to get rid of the funky smell in the drawers?

The only thing I can think of is to paint the inside of the drawers with a good primer and then paint. I really don't want to though as the dresser is a nice piece of furniture. Not that it has any real value,but painting it seems like the wrong thing to do.

[ajfishfinder]

Go to the big orange place and buy yourself some cedar planks. They have kits made for lining drawers and closets. If cedar won't mask the smell you can always use it for fishing tackle storage in the garage.

[Sweet Melissa]

I had an old dresser that had gotten musty-smelling when I lived on the coast. Sprayed it w/ a very dilute solution of bleach water, and then wiped it down with some lemon oil. Set it outside to dry, and the smell was gone. You might have to repeat the process if it's really bad. I think I had to do it twice.

[STGRule]

I think the bleach solution should work. If it doesn't, prime and paint. You won't be able to paint if you use an oil though. And you may have to prime the whole inside of the dresser to get rid of the smell. Just don't paint it without the primer/sealer though. Doesn't work (don't ask me how I know).