Easy Off- It's not just for your oven.

It's definitely been a minute since we've been here....ya know - life and all.

At the beginning of every summer I create a grand to-do list full of household projects and deep cleaning goals. Refurbing our bedroom furniture topped the list. Like many aspiring DIY-ers, I follow fellow do it yourself people through social media. Ever heard of stripping furniture with EASY-OFF oven cleaner?? Yeah, me neither. However, I watched so many beautiful transformations that I was willing to give it a shot!

The first piece ready to go under the foam was a chest of drawers from the unpainted furniture store. It had been stained many years ago with that midcentury modern orang-y-brown. Isn't she a beaut?

I set up our carport with enough plastic sheeting to give it a Dexter's kill room vibe. I had already taken off the simple round drawer knobs and put them in a bowl doused with Dawn Power wash. I planned to spray paint those so I didn't worry about removing the stain. I pulled on rubber gloves and set to work on the drawers. *note here: I did not wear a mask the first run through. DO NOT MAKE THIS MISTAKE. Get the mask. I know you're sick of them, but trust me, you need it. I gave each drawer face a good coating of oven cleaner and then waited about 15-20 minutes. I could actually see it working. I took a plastic scraper and scraped off 30 years of grime and orange gunk. It was therapeutic.

I may have squealed as I literally skipped over to the water hose for the next step. Yep- I hosed down the wood. I took a kitchen scrub brush and rinsed the drawers until they looked clean. I set them in the sun to dry. (Did I mention that I was doing this project during the hottest week so far this summer? A hundred and hades). I went through the whole process twice. Once they were dry I used a 220 grit sandpaper on the orbital sander to smooth them out.

Once all of the drawers were dry I took Dixie Belle's Best Dang Wax! in white and went over each drawer face. I added heavy wax in some areas and chose to add more than one coat. I made sure I waited overnight before buffing.

I had decided to spray paint the drawer pulls since they were basically the style I wanted anyway. After soaking in the Dawn Power spray, I rinsed them, added their screw and "planted" them in a floral foam board. This allowed me to spray paint them easily. I used Krylon Fusion all in one in matte black.

Next on the list was the body of the dresser. I did all the same steps except for using the hose. Since the back of the piece was not real wood, I used a bucket of water and a towel in addition to my scrub brush. Same result....just took a bit longer.

The end result was worth the fumes (day 1) and the lack of air (all days afterward with the mask). Time to tackle the dresser....that post will be for another day.

Time: approximately 3 days

Cost: 5 cans Easy off heavy duty oven cleaner $22, Dixie Belle Best Dang Wax! $23 (10 oz....I used less than a quarter of it, so depending on the piece a smaller size would be sufficient) You will also need a mask, gloves, and plastic sheeting/drop cloth.

Skill level: easy