Getting rid of that musty smell and more

Q: I have a nice old chest of drawers that has been infuriatingly musty for some years. I try airing it out, and it smells pretty good for a few days, then right back to that musty smell. I don't see any mold on the chest or in the house.

A: There are a ton of solutions, including Febreze or white vinegar, but the vinegar smell might be as difficult to get rid of as the musty smell. Airing is good, but my favorite is one part household bleach and three parts water. Clean every inch of surface, including all outside finished surfaces. Take out the drawers and treat the front, sides and bottom, inside and out. Then do the entire chest, inside. It won't hurt a finished surface. Apply the solution with a paintbrush.

If all else fails, there is a new product (at Ace Hardware) called Moldex. It is a spray and a sanitizer. I have not tried it, so you can see if it works.

Q: When we redid the house recently, we bought some nice-looking doorknobs that are held in place by two long bolts, called screws. On one of the knobs, both screws were cross-threaded, and seem impossible to retract. How can I fix them?

A: Try this: If the screws do not turn, try to extract them by turning and pulling at the same time. I am thinking that the screws are brass and they may be going into a steel receiver, and it is the screws that are messed up. Take the screws to a well-stocked hardware store. You will have to get an exact replacement, by length, diameter and thread count. If push comes to shove, call a locksmith.

Q: I had a new roof installed last year. Since then, water drips over the roof and blows against the house, causing wet siding, wet fascia boards and soaked windows, despite a 14-inch roof overhang. I am afraid some areas will decay. It never happened before I had the new roof put on. What is wrong, and what can I do?

A: I think there is very little drip edge on the edge of the roof, and water is pouring over that edge and running down the fascia, percolating horizontally under the soffit and running down the siding and windows. That drip edge was poorly installed. You should call the roofer back and make him do it right, so the water drips away from the fascia. If that roofer can't do it, find one who knows what he is doing.

Peter Hotton has been The Boston Globe's "Handyman on Call" for 30 years. E-mail questions to photton@globe.com. Sorry, no personal replies.