Cleaning and Stain Removal - Cigarette Smoke Smell

I am looking for some good ideas for getting the cigarette smoke smell out of the kitchen cabinets. Recently, bought a home and the previous owner must have been a heavy smoker. The cabinets are all wood that is stained and urethaned. I have had to clean the entire house, of course the walls all needed a fresh coat of paint after a good coat of Binz. I really dont want to urethane the cabinets, as I hope to replace all of them in a few years, after I can save enough cash. But for now I am a non-smoker and they stink. Thanks in advance for any advice. Kevin

I'm no pro, but you could try getting some TSB from a local bix box store (Home Depot) or similar. This is a very good cleaner and may help.

Hang in there so a pro can chime in.

Cleaning the cabinets is the first step. After that, pour some OdoBan (we buy it at Sams Club) into bowls and put them in the cabinets with the doors closed for a couple days.

Wish I knew what he tried and if it worked.

I would be hesitant to use TSP as it may dull finish. Whatever cleaner used, it should be tested first for ill effects. Cleaning all surfaces inside and out is important. One of the Dawn dish cleaning products containing degreaser should be effective. The new Dawn Direct Foam is supposed to remove twice as much grease. Be sure to rinse well with plain water and buff dry. Baking soda and activated charcoal from pet store are excellent odor absorbers. OdoBan is an excellent deodorizer.

TSP can easily dull a shiny finish
And also it's not particularly effective on odors

And it is possible these cabs are so smoke choked that only sealing them will help
It may be time to break out the BIN again, sorry
After all, they are not that much different than the walls
They resist the odor a little longer, they are a little less porous
But not much can hold out to years of constant smoking

I have had good luck with those odor eating bags of volcanic rock
If your cabs really stink though, it may not help
That smoke really sinks in

If you do paint them, clean as well as you can
First with Simple Green, then with ammonia (no TSP before BIN)
A nice scuff sanding and BIN away

I had a refrigerator die on me while I was out of town on vacation. You can imagine the smell (the thought still gags me). The service tech that fixed the gave us the following advice that worked out beautifully. Clean the surfaces with a lemon based cleaner (such as Fantastic or 409). Then take coffee grounds and put about a cup of them in a shallow bowl and set it inside the space. Give it a couple of days and a couple of wipe downs with the lemon cleaner. The citrus cuts the smell, and the coffee absorbs it.

All I can say is I thought the fridge was going to have to be trashed, but it is still cranking away and fresh as can be. BTW - I now know what New Orleans smelled like after Katrina, best to all down there.