How to Identify & Eliminate Odors in a Closet

1. Empty Everything Out to Isolate Bad Odors

It’s hard to remove foul odors if you don’t know what’s producing them. Closets are crammed full of clothes, shoes, and other items that could be trapping bad odors. It’s also easy for mold to form if moisture is confined in your closet and can’t escape due to poor airflow. Check for signs of any standing water or water leaks that could cause mildew to develop.

2. Fully Clean Your Closets

According to home experts at Skylar Life, once you’ve emptied out your closet, it’s important to clean it from top to bottom. Vacuum the carpet and scrub certain areas (walls, shelves, etc) with a solution of 32 ounces of warm water with half a cup of vinegar. Vinegar is a natural odor eliminator that helps remove musty smells from hard surfaces. Once empty and clean, allow your closet to dry before you restock it.

3. Ensure All Clothes Are Dry

During your inspection, check to see if any clothes feel damp or wet. Because closets hold so much moisture, line drying them in a closet is just asking for funky smells to stay a spell. Always fully dry clothes in the laundry room or on an outside clothesline. If your hamper is stored in the closet, make sure you don’t throw wet pieces or dirty athletic gear in there. Those items will make your dressing area smell like a sweaty gym.

4. Make Sure Your Clothes Are Clean

Another step is ensuring that your clothes are clean. Even if you wear an item once, don't put it back in your closet. Chances are it may be carrying lingering odors. If you have a pile of clothes to take to the dry cleaner, they could also be holding bad smells so it makes sense to drop them off more often and be more vigilant about doing the laundry.

5. Organize and Reorganize Your Closets

It’s time to reorganize your clean, dry clothes! Having clothes too close together doesn’t allow them to breathe properly and prevents air from circulating throughout the area. Take time to remove items you haven’t worn in over a year or pieces that are out of style or no longer fit. Once purged, place your clothes back in the closet, allowing enough space between each piece. 

6. Periodic Cleaning

Now that your closets are rearranged and well organized, make a concerted effort to keep it that way. Add "cleaning the closets" to your standard cleaning regime so your clothes continue to smell clean and fresh. It’s easy to let these areas fall through the cracks when you’re focusing on larger rooms, but vacuuming, sweeping, dusting, and wiping down your closets on a weekly or monthly basis going forward will help avoid future messes later.

7. Try Natural Odor Preventions

The eco-friendly lifestyle experts at My Wellness Me share how coffee grounds, activated charcoal, and chalk are natural odor eliminators that help maintain fresh-smelling closets. By adding fresh coffee grounds each month in a small container with holes poked in the lid, bad odors can be easily absorbed.

Activated charcoal will also absorb odors and "purify the air." Place a block in a breathable container in your closet. Chalk absorbs moisture naturally too. Simply place a few pieces of chalk in a sachet, tie it, poke a few holes in the fabric, and place it somewhere in your closet.

8. Add Fresh Fragrances 

Scented soaps, potpourri, and scented dryer sheets are great ways to add wonderful fragrances to your closets. Simply wrap a strongly scented bar of soap in a piece of thin fabric and place it in your closet. Buy or make your own potpourri in a variety of fragrances or make hanging sachets.

Scented dryer sheets can be placed on shelves, inside drawers, between folded clothes, or even inside shoes to prevent unwanted odors. Replace them every few months for the best results.

Final Thoughts

Do your closets have unwanted odors? Then you need to find out why. There's no reason to keep living with foul or musty closets and clothes. The above tips will help you find out where unpleasant closet odors are coming from, how to get rid of them, and how to maintain a clean-smelling dressing area.

Sources

• https://mywellnessme.com/get-rid-of-closet-odor/
• https://www.skylarglobal.com/blogs/news/get-red-musty-mildew-smell-closet-wardrobe