Not unpleasant to use & did a good job

I bought a wooden cabinet with a thick dark varnish. The varnish was so thick that it looked like plastic and I was a little worried it would turn out to be MDF instead of proper wood underneath. I bought a couple of small tubs of Home Strip because I hate the thought of strong chemicals and, as I am asthmatic, those sorts of things tend to affect my breathing. I also bought a springy metal scourer as recommended. Well it took a lot of work over a couple of days but it worked really well and I was pleased with the result.

The smell is quite sweet and not unpleasant, and there were no noticeable fumes to sting my eyes. I didn't get it on my skin as I wore rubber gloves, which I think is always sensible. I haven't tried it on paint, but I would say it is worth a try in preference to scary chemical stuff, as it is not hugely expensive. It isn't magic, you may need to do several coats and put in quite a bit of effort, but I can say it was pretty impressive on the thick varnish.