taking the smell of smoke out of wood

That is a tough one. Are the chairs upholstered? I would buy a lemon oil polish and use it frequently. Another choice is to first wipe it down with vinegar. As Hiccup said, water is not really good for the wood, and vinegar would not be if you left it stand, so then a liquid lemon oil polish over would be good. I would be tempted to go buy several "odor eater" type shoe insoles and tape them to the bottoms of the table top and to the chair seat under sides. They contain activated charcoal and will absorb the odor. Febreze is good on upholstery. Does this include a hutch, as well, or any closed cabinets. You can do the odor eater, or a dish of used coffee grounds, or a cotton ball dipped in an essential oil, or vinegar, or vanilla.

My sister and her hubby (both non-smokers) bought a house whose previous occupants were heavy smokers. My sister did everything she could to get rid of the smell and they eventually didn't smell it anymore. But when I came to visit six months later, I could still smell the smoke.

Well, my husband is a smoker and half the visitors we have show up are too. I use a white vinegar solution of three parts vinegar to one part hot water. It might take more then one time. Also you could make up a paste of baking soda and let set a few minutes then wiping up. I like to set little dishes of white vinegar around the house to help absorb some of the smoking scents. And no worries of the smell of vinegar after it airs out the scent of the vinegar basically goes away.

try wiping it down completely (including all the fiddly bits) with first a cleaning solution (to get the smoke film off) and then do it again with Febreese or Odoban

I know the feeling our neighbors were re-decorating and gave us these two beautiful looking couches. The problem was they smelled so much like smoke I could hardly stand being in my own house with them. Nothing I did got rid of the smell. Since your friend's set is wood though there is help for them. The best thing she could probably do if she is able is to strip off the finish and then restain the wood. While the wood is exposed give it a good cleaning with hydrogen peroxide. In fact she could try wiping it down with hydrogen peroxide every day until the odors start to dissapate. Of course she should test it on an unseen area of the table first to make sure it won't harm the finish. She could also try making a solution of white vinegar and baking soda, and scrub the table down from top to bottom (wearing rubber gloves).

They could paint it or stain it. That should take the smell out and give it another life. Hang car deodorizers underneath the table. Haha Set the table and chairs inside a pengeon coop for about three days. Not a nice scent at all but it won't smell of smoke anymore. First one is the best bet I am thinking.

Everyone has great ideas. Your friend can get the furniture polish that also contains Febreeze. Heads up on that though, it's really strong. Vinegar and water solution will only bring out the shine, and the vinegar will help it dry quicker. I learned that after we got hard wood floors installed. Once they get the smell out, the vinegar and water works better than any polish. Wood can be a pain because it soaks up any smell it's around, especially smoke. Just have your friends use the polish with febreeze every day, they can also get the spray and spray the curtains around the table. That will also help soak up the smells in the room the table is in.

Can't the table be cleaned by sterilization fluid? I personally don't know, as I've never had this issue but I am aware of products that claim to remove odor from objects but I am unsure if they're sold in the states and what name they would be under. ~Joey

Take a mixture of lemon juice and veggie oil and wipe it off then rinse with wet rag. I am sure this will help as my husband smokes and I do this quite often with all of our wooden furniture. It makes a great shine too.