Why does the linen and clothes in the closet begin to smell?

When sorting out the closet in which clothes, bed linen, and pillows are stored, you may notice a characteristic musty smell. It may be barely noticeable and quickly disappear from things after they are taken out of the closet, but this is not a reason to ignore the unpleasant smell - over time the problem will worsen.

How to clean quickly and efficiently: 2 life hacks from professionals

Fighting foreign odors

Let's consider several ways:

Method 1. Only fresh linen

Store fresh linens in the closet along with clothes you can't wear. Even with just one wear, this is enough to saturate clean laundry with unnecessary odors.

Method 2. Wiping the walls of the closet

Clean the inside of the cabinet with a lemon-salt solution:

Recipe No. 1

Glass of water
Salt - 1 tbsp
Lemon juice - 5 drops

Dissolve the ingredients in water. Dampen a soft cloth in the resulting solution and wipe the walls and shelves of the cabinet.

Method 3. Get rid of moisture

If the room is humid and the laundry is constantly damp, you need to dry the room. This can be done using additional heat sources, such as heaters.

Method 4. Dry perfume

You can overcome foreign odors with the help of a dry aroma.

Method 5. Hot steam

Iron your laundry after washing. The hot steam from the iron will thoroughly treat the fabric and give it a clean smell.

Method 6. Fresh air

If you have woolen items in your closet, it is important to air them in the summer.

Method 7. Sasha

Add homemade flavoring.

Reasons for appearance

All apartments and houses have an individual smell, which is formed by the peculiarities of life of the inhabitants. Clothes and linens locked in closets are constantly crowded into a limited space. To know how to effectively remove unpleasant odor from things, you need to know why it appears.

Stuffiness

Stuffiness, lack of freshness and oxygen flow lead to stagnation of air, accumulation and retention of special odors inside the wardrobe that come from rooms and from clothes. Foreign matter is locked in the closet and saturates clothes and linens.

Humidity

At high humidity, fungi and other microorganisms multiply quickly. They give things a musty and damp smell. Poorly dried items placed in a closet dry slowly and contaminate other clothes with the smell of dampness.

Dust

Small particles of dust, dirt and debris are present on worn clothes placed in the closet, and also penetrate from the premises. They can introduce various unpleasant odors onto clean laundry.

Bacteria

Ubiquitous bacteria are found everywhere - in dust, undried laundry, washed and worn clothes. Their waste products have various unpleasant odors, which intensify during long-term storage.

Tobacco smoke

Tobacco smoke permeates clothes and spreads throughout the closet. The old smell of tobacco can become dominant in the apartment, and it is not easy to get rid of it if someone in the apartment constantly smokes.

Old clothes

Old things stored in closets for a long time collect all the aromas in the apartment. Large items smell especially strongly - old coats with synthetic and natural fur, blankets, fur coats. When stored for a long time, the smell of old age and mustiness appears; even washed items acquire the specific aroma of attics and basements with old stuff.

Ironing

It is very difficult to steam things while ironing until all the water comes out. If piles of laundry are immediately put into storage, the folded items will take a long time to dry. Washed laundry will smell musty and damp.

The main reasons why there is a smell in the closet

The smell in the closet can cause active growth and development of dust mites. A closed and dark space is considered optimal for him. It begins to multiply, which leads to an aggravation of the situation.

Mite no larger than 0.5 mm. That is why it is impossible to find it in underwear without a special magnifying glass.

The animal begins to actively grow and develop in the presence of a sufficient amount of dust. The optimal environment for this is also dead human skin cells.

Eliminates unpleasant odors arising from the body’s vital activity in the following ways:

Clothes that a person has already worn should not be placed on the shelf.
Regular cabinet ventilation.
The tick cannot live in sunny or frosty conditions.
The cabinet walls can be washed with a concentrated solution of sodium chloride.

Dust mites cannot live in sunny or frosty conditions.
You can also professionally remove mites using steam treatment. This method also helps get rid of moths and disinfect surfaces.

With a constant increase in humidity in the room, an unpleasant odor begins to accumulate. Against this background, mold begins to actively develop.

Regular ventilation and drying of things helps prevent the process. It is possible to install an additional heater in the room. If this is not possible, the use of a hairdryer is permitted. With its help you can reach even the most secluded corners.

To quickly and effectively absorb moisture, you can use silica gel or activated carbon. They are evenly located on all shelves of the cabinet and are changed at least once a month.

You can prevent the situation. To do this, it is recommended to follow the storage rules:

Used clothing should be stored separately.
Further aromatization of the room can be carried out with perfumes or deodorants.
Also, we should not forget that synthetic fabrics contribute to the accumulation of sweat odors in their structure.

Periodically, the cabinet must be completely ventilated.

Why does an unpleasant musty odor appear?

First of all, it is necessary to find out what caused its appearance. Otherwise, the unpleasant odor can only be masked.

Frequent causes:

Lack of ventilation.
High humidity.
Improper organization of storage.
Dust mites.

Arachnid parasites of microscopic size appear in hard-to-reach places where there is an accumulation of dust. Ticks are not dangerous to the human body, but their waste products cause unpleasant odors and allergies in households.

Failure to follow the manufacturer's recommendations on laundry detergent labels or an unsuitable machine mode can also cause the appearance of a foreign odor, which will intensify when stored in a closed cabinet.

How to get rid of unpleasant odor

If the bedding in the toilet smells bad, wash it again, dry it thoroughly and follow the recommendations described above. Some rules for caring for linen:

When washing bedding, do not use fabric softener with an unpleasant odor. To get rid of the unpleasant odor, you can add salt and powder or a little hydrogen peroxide.
After washing, dry the laundry thoroughly, preferably in the open air;
Iron your bed linen at the highest possible temperature or use steam mode;
After ironing, let the laundry dry; it is important not to fold the items immediately, because even the slightest amount of moisture remaining in the fabric will subsequently lead to the formation of an unpleasant odor.

How and with what to wash a wardrobe?

Don’t rush to put the washed items in the closet right away - it’s useful to clean and process it:

remove dust and debris inside it using a vacuum cleaner,
go over all surfaces (inside and outside) with a damp cloth soaked in warm water and laundry soap or a vinegar solution (half a glass per bucket),
for prevention, treat the back and side walls with hydrogen peroxide,
let the cabinet dry thoroughly (preferably for a couple of days), and if the weather permits, open the windows and ventilate the furniture.

Tip: air outerwear at least twice a year.

It is advisable to disinfect the cabinet inside and out

Prevention

To prevent an unpleasant odor from settling in the closet where linen, clothes and shoes are stored, you must follow the following rules:

Do not place the cabinet near sources of humidity and strong odors (kitchen, bathroom), in dark and poorly ventilated corners. There should be a gap between the wall and the back of the cabinet for air circulation.
Take care of your clothes regularly: on frosty and sunny days, go out for airing, dry well after washing, do not mix clean and used clothes.
Conduct monthly audits and deep cleaning of shelves. It is advisable to treat the surface with a weak solution of vinegar.
Do not store shoes next to clothes; Before seasonal storage, items must be cleaned, dried and packed.
Do not smoke in the house, do not allow pets to live in closets, and do not keep doors open all the time.

It should be remembered that the appearance of an unpleasant odor is easier to prevent than to eliminate over time.

Questions and answers

Is it possible to load the closet with things immediately after purchase?

If there is a smell of new furniture, glue, you must first ventilate it, wipe the walls and shelves and dry it. After getting rid of the smell, you can put things away.

How to get rid of the smell of tobacco in the closet?

If there is a smoker in the apartment, it is better to hang his clothes in a separate section, as the smoke is quickly absorbed. If this is not possible, regular washing, airing, and placing coffee beans in a cupboard will help.

How to avoid unpleasant odors?

It is necessary to ventilate the wardrobe and inspect the things in it. In modern cabinets, special holes are made for air circulation, which greatly helps in solving the problem.

What to do if there is mold in your wardrobe?

In this case, the question arises of changing the cabinet or completely treating it with antifungal agents. It does not always help, since mold spreads quickly and is resistant to various agents.

What to do if folk remedies don’t help?

If the smell is so strong, it is better to give preference to professional products. You can choose the right one based on the description and instructions, and based on the reviews of those who it helped.

What to do if things in your closet smell musty

Go through them

In modern apartments, ventilation is also installed in dressing rooms so that the air does not stagnate. If it is not possible to ventilate there, at least ventilate the rooms with cabinets well and periodically sort their contents.

Re-wash things

Linen that has been stored in the closet for a long time should be washed before use, even if you put it in the closet fresh. To get rid of pre-existing odors, use a simple recipe: add a glass of vinegar to the washing machine along with the powder. If items smell strong, you can soak them in a 1:1 solution of water and vinegar before washing. This method will help remove not only mold, but also other unpleasant odors.

Clean the washing machine

It happens that after washing clothes there is still a musty smell, what should you do in this case? At a minimum, the car should be cleaned: clean the rubber cuff, check for mold and remove small debris. Also clean the detergent dispenser. It may be worthwhile to thoroughly clean the machine from dirt.

Also change your usage habits: do not close the door immediately after washing to allow the moisture to completely evaporate from the device. Don't put dirty clothes in the machine unless you plan to wash them right away. Especially if you don't let the equipment dry out. Mold and other unsightly bacteria will grow in damp items.

Consider your storage system

To prevent things from starting to smell in the closet again, you should avoid the reasons that we wrote about at the beginning of the article. And also think about reorganizing your storage. For example, seasonal clothing that you are not currently wearing can be vacuum sealed to keep it dry.

Never store fresh linen and towels next to unwashed clothes; the fabric absorbs odors well, so it will smell like old socks again. Create a separate basket for dirty items. Place special bags in your closet or place a jar of coffee beans - these methods will help prolong the freshness of your clothes.

Ways to fight

Before starting work to eliminate the smell, you should understand the reason for its appearance, after which it will become easier to choose measures. In any case, the first step should be to thoroughly wash and dry the cabinet.

Complete cleaning and revision

First you need to audit and clean out your closet:

All items should be removed from the wardrobe, washed and sorted. If necessary, take to the dry cleaner what you cannot wash yourself.
It is necessary to move the wardrobe away from the wall. Rinse the outside, remove any accumulated dust, check for mold on the walls.
Remove shoe boxes from the closet.
Hang things out in the fresh air to thoroughly dry and remove detergent odors.
If things have not been used for more than a year, transfer them to another place, pack them in vacuum bags, throw away the old ones.
Rinse the wardrobe from dust and remove debris. Treat all surfaces with disinfectant cleaning agents.
Dry and ventilate the cabinet well, leaving all the doors open for a couple of days.
A very old cabinet that cannot be ventilated can be painted inside with varnish or paint.

You can return things to their place if the cabinet has completely lost its unpleasant smell.

How to remove mustiness

Things that are rarely used or stored for a long time without removal and airing acquire a musty smell. Let's look at simple ways to eliminate mustiness.

Ventilation

An influx of fresh air is the best and most affordable way to help freshen things in your wardrobe. Before leaving home, you should periodically open all doors and pull out drawers. While no one is home, things can “breathe.”

Breezer

A small household appliance creates fresh ventilation and refreshes the air well. The breather provides multi-stage cleaning and gets rid of the musty smell of things.

Cleaner-disinfectant

The industry produces special air purifiers that kill germs and bacteria. Disinfectants suppress the activity of microorganisms, a common cause of unpleasant odors.

White and apple cider vinegar

Different types of vinegar help get rid of the unpleasant aroma of things and the wardrobe itself. Apple and table vinegar are used in several ways:

pour into a bowl and place in a closed wardrobe;
add to water and wash the walls of the wardrobe;
when washing, pour into water during rinsing or along with powder.

The smell of vinegar disappears quickly, leaving clothes and linen with a fresh aroma.

Charcoal

Filters and odor absorbers are made from different types of coal. Charcoal is poured with water and placed in a bowl in the wardrobe. Activated carbon tablets are tied into napkins made of loose fabric and laid out in cabinets.

Air vent

For built-in cabinets, it is convenient to make air vents that will pump in fresh air and remove stale air. They are provided during the furniture assembly process and built into the ceiling of the wardrobe.

Dampness and mold

High humidity in cabinets causes damp and moldy odors. This is usually typical for humid apartments, where the air constantly contains excess moisture.

Salt

Table salt absorbs water well. It is placed in closets in small containers - in corners, in drawers. If necessary, replace with a new portion. With excess water, the unpleasant aroma goes away.

Tea bags

Tea bags will help remove the damp smell. They are laid out in the closet and changed once a week.

Soda

Place baking soda in open saucers in the corners of the wardrobe and periodically replace it with fresh one.

Silica gel

A convenient means for extracting moisture from the air is silica gel. It is laid out in bags throughout the wardrobe.

Steam generator

Modern steam generators are assistants in disinfecting things. They eliminate odors and kill germs. The inside of the cabinet can also be treated with a steam generator, then dried thoroughly.

Antifungal agent

The growth of fungal colonies often occurs when there is excess humidity, especially if shoes, poorly washed socks and tights are stored in closets. To remove odors, antifungal agents are used, which are used to treat the walls of furniture and add them during washing.

Eliminating the cause

Dampness in closets usually appears due to high humidity in the apartment. Wardrobes adjacent to wet areas - bathrooms, kitchens, toilets - are especially often affected.

To eliminate the cause, a whole range of work will be required:

maximum removal of the cabinet from the wall, identification of mold and treatment with antifungal agents;
establishing ventilation in rooms with high humidity - cleaning outlets, installing forced ventilation;
use of automatic dehumidifiers.

Cabinets need to be ventilated regularly, all contents taken out, and doors left open more often. Mold does not like air or sunlight. Ventilation holes can be made in the back wall - in the lower and upper parts.

Milk bath

Milk is an excellent odor absorber. To remove extraneous aromas, you need to boil the milk in a saucepan with a wide bottom and put it in a cupboard until it cools completely (30-40 minutes). This old folk remedy has been used by many generations of housewives.

Sachet for linen

Scented laundry bags (sachets) with herbs help eliminate damp odors. But first you need to wash and dry your wardrobe.

Tip: special odor absorbers will help remove unpleasant odors from your wardrobe.

Smell of tobacco

The following methods can remove tobacco spirit from the cabinet:

airing and washing things, washing the wardrobe;
hanging a damp towel inside;
laying out roasted coffee beans.

Placing burnt laurel leaves in the wardrobe quickly eliminates the smell of tobacco.

If animals visited

Cats are able to sneak into any place and leave their marks.

Special and home remedies will help you remove stench from cat urine:

pet store odor absorber;
citric acid solution (0.5 tablespoon per liter);
hydrogen peroxide.

Treating the walls with water and vinegar or a cloth soaked in hydrogen peroxide will help eliminate the smell of mice.

Naphthalene

Mothballs are often used to protect the contents of the wardrobe from moths. The following will help remove the unpleasant mothball spirit:

dry mustard scattered on the shelves;
ground cloves;
coal, soda.

You can place an industrial odor absorber in the wardrobe.

Dresser with shoes

Shoes are sent for storage clean, well dried and cleaned. Help rid shoes and storage chests of odors:

treatment with alcohol, vinegar solution, hydrogen peroxide;
special air fresheners with protection against fungi;
coffee beans, bags of citrus fruits, sachets - placed inside the shoes.

The shoe chest of drawers should be regularly ventilated, the walls should be washed with vinegar and furniture detergents.

Medicines

Medicines have a pungent odor, especially alcohol solutions and tinctures. They should be kept carefully closed to prevent the medicine from spoiling. Help remove odor:

audit and removal of expired products and medications with broken caps;
washing the cabinet with a solution of vinegar and citric acid.

You can place plates with roasted coffee beans and a swab with essential oil on the shelves.

Fresh purchase

When buying a new wardrobe, you shouldn’t immediately fill it with clothes - they will absorb all the smells of the new materials. Clothes will smell of varnishes, paints and other substances used in production for a long time.

You need to open all the doors and leave the furniture in a well-ventilated area. Then rinse the walls on all sides with water and vinegar (a tablespoon per liter of water), close the doors. You can place tea bags and charcoal inside.

Things are loaded when the aroma of new furniture completely leaves the apartment.

Industrial neutralizers and absorbers

Housewives will be able to quickly deal with the problem using specialized scent treatment products. Popular goods:

SmelIOFF

A universal odor remover in a convenient spray bottle. Effective on a wide variety of surfaces.

You can process:

shoes,
cloth,
animals
furniture,
carpets, etc.

Does not cause an allergic reaction. The average price is 550-700 rubles per 0.5 liter.

Selena

Economical, versatile and non-toxic granular odor absorber. It is enough to open the hole on the lid of the container and place it in places where heavy air accumulates. The average price is 20-38 rubles per 1 piece.

Emix-O

Emix-O concentrated:

neutralizes odors,
disinfects,
effective in combating animal odors.

It is used sparingly: a teaspoon is enough for one procedure. The average price is 350-420 rubles per 100 g. To achieve results, you need to carefully study the instructions on the packaging and strictly follow the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Complete content revision

The first and easiest step towards freshness in your wardrobe is revision and cleaning. In most cases, just one wet cleaning can eliminate the cause of the stench.

The wardrobe is completely emptied of things and checked for mold, insects and rodents. Pay special attention to the space behind the closet.
The side surfaces, doors and shelves are washed using household chemicals or a vinegar solution. After wet cleaning, the wardrobe should dry. To do this, leave it for several hours with the doors open.
Clothes are sorted, washed and dried in the fresh air. Out-of-season items are placed in vacuum bags.
Items that have been unworn for more than two years are stored in a closet or other remote location.

When refilling your closet, it is important to demarcate storage areas for clean clothes and daily wear items.

How to make your closet smell fresh

After washing, every housewife puts clean linen in the closet. But the problem is that even well-folded laundry often emits some kind of unpleasant odor. What to do?

There are several ways to create a pleasant aroma in your closet or any other enclosed space.

Buy a bag and put it in your closet.
Place your expensive soap between your clothes without opening the package.
Place scented candles in your closet.
Use lemon, tangerine, and orange zest as a flavoring. Grapefruit zest adds freshness.
You can put spices in the cupboard: cinnamon sticks, mint, basil. Place the packet of vanilla on the back of the shelf.
Place some perfume or a scented napkin in your closet. It's best to put it in an empty perfume bottle. A delicate aroma is created by drying the aroma on an aromatic strip or paper.
Apply a drop of essential oil to a cotton pad or panty liner and place it on the shelf. Freshness will remain for several days.
Pour the baking soda into a jar with holes and add the scented oil into it. A Kinder Surprise container is suitable for these purposes. You can add a few drops of rose or lavender essential oil to the cabinet doors.
Car air fresheners are also an excellent product, the main thing is that the aroma is unobtrusive.
An excellent product is Jo Malone, a special fragrance card.
Pour coffee into a cup and place it on the shelf. Aromatic herbs in bags are another way to add a pleasant freshness to your lawn. Lavender, hops, thyme, and oregano are suitable for these purposes.
When leaving for work, open the toilet doors.
Wash the inside of cabinets frequently with vinegar and water.

How to eliminate it using folk remedies?

Budget funds that every housewife has in her arsenal will help get rid of the heavy aroma.

First you need to treat the surfaces of the cabinet. Any of the following will do:

table vinegar;
hydrogen peroxide;
boric acid.

Mode of application:

Prepare a solution with water in a ratio of 1:3.
Wipe down shelves and furniture walls.
Wait until dry.

It is recommended to carry out processing in a well-ventilated area.

To prevent the reappearance of the smell, you need to use available absorbents and flavoring agents and place them on the shelves:

pour salt, soda or crushed activated carbon into small containers;
fill textile bags, preferably made of natural fabric, with ground or bean coffee;
make a sachet from citrus peels, aromatic herbs, herbs and spices.

It is not recommended to use air fresheners or spray perfume on the contents of the closet. This will have the opposite effect.

Tips for making your closet smell nice - in the video:

How to prevent musty smells

To avoid unpleasant odors inside your closet, be sure to place silica gel packets (the same kind you put in shoe boxes) on every shelf, inside linens, or on the edge. Silica gel can be replaced with activated carbon - a few tablets on each shelf do an excellent job of absorbing excess moisture. Never put laundry in the closet immediately after ironing: it must dry completely. Ventilate the cabinet by opening the doors for 1-2 hours several times a week. Place coffee beans, cinnamon sticks, zest, aromatic sachets with a pleasant smell, or strips of fragrant paper in the cabinet.

Sources

https://anisima.ru/pochemu-postelnoe-bele-pahnet-kak-izbavitsya-ot-nepriyatnogo-zapaha-posle-stirki/
https://www.dumohka.ru/dom/esli-belyo-v-shkafu-nepriyatno-paxnet.html
https://www.ekopostel.ru/stati/postelnoe-belye-pakhnet-zatkhlostyu-chto-delat/
https://bezkovrov.com/graderobnaja/zapah-shkaf.html
https://yborka.online/uborka/kak-udalit-zapah/v-shkafu-s-odezhdoj
https://www.ivd.ru/dizajn-i-dekor/uborka/kak-izbavitsa-ot-zapaha-zathlosti-v-kvartire-27931
https://tkaner.com/postelnoe-bele/pochemu-postelnoe-bele-pahnet-zathlym-v-shkafu/
https://www.diets.ru/post/1731975/
https://Gaidi.ru/lajfxaki/nepriyatnyj-zapah-v-shkafu/

Flavors

After cleaning your wardrobe and washing your clothes, you can place various fragrances in the closet.

Here are some of them:

Coffee beans.

Bottle of perfume. It can be placed in a closet to diffuse a light aroma. And also spray a handkerchief with perfume and place it among your things.

Citrus peels. They can be wrapped in cloth and placed on shelves.

Soap. Gives a pleasant aroma to clothes and protects them from moths.

Aromatic herbs and spices (lavender, oregano, thyme, mint, hops, cloves, cinnamon, vanillin).

Tea bags with a rich fruity aroma. They can be secured in the closet with tape.

Antifungal agents for mold

If mold begins to grow on the cabinet walls due to moisture, antifungal furniture preparations will help. Specially developed compositions are completely safe for varnish and wood. Sprays and polishes will help eliminate the fungus for several months.

However, to prevent its reappearance, it is important to immediately address the issue of ventilation and reduce humidity levels immediately after treating the cabinet. You may need to move the wardrobe away from the “wet” area.

Vinegar and citric acid for disinfection

Solutions of vinegar and citric acid are quite actively used to combat stains in the kitchen and bathroom, but they do no worse at eliminating unpleasant odors.

A vinegar solution can be added to water when washing cabinets or rinsing stale laundry. It will eliminate the smell of dampness, tobacco and medicine, and then disappear on its own in a few minutes. Vinegar and citric acid also quickly remove animal marks and shoe odors.

Eliminating the mothball spirit

Mothballs smell disgusting, and getting rid of the characteristic odor is not easy. One of the following methods will help you do this:

Treat the closet with clothes with specialized household chemicals to remove odors from the refrigerator, for example, Top House or Unicum.
Pour baking soda or mustard powder into plastic cups and place the containers inside the wardrobe. In a few days the problem will be resolved.

Sachet for a pleasant aroma

To fill your tidy closet with a pleasant aroma, you can pick up several sachets for wardrobes. There are citrus fruits, conifers, flower arrangements and mixed mixes on sale. If you wish, you can assemble the desired aromatic palette yourself.

Essential oils, dried zest, petals, pine needles and other available materials will be useful. To decorate a homemade sachet, small paper envelopes or canvas bags are used.

When fighting stench, it is important to avoid products that mask but do not eliminate odors. Air fresheners and fragrances placed in the mezzanine with stale things will cause even greater olfactory discomfort. In order for the effect of freshness to please you for as long as possible, it is worth eliminating the root cause of mustiness and regularly inspecting the contents of the cabinets.