7 Ways to Eliminate Closet Odors

If every time you open your custom closet doors, you sense an "off" odor, it can start your day off on the wrong foot. What is that smell? Can others smell it on your clothes? How can you stop these closet odors in their tracks? We have the answers you need when it comes to funky closet smells.

Here are 7 suggestions for eliminating closet odors:

• Clean everything in your closet
• Use baking soda for smelly shoes
• Try activated charcoal
• Mist with essential oils
• Switch to scented hangers
• Run a dehumidifier
• Use bar soap

Keep reading for more information on the above methods so your closets can finally be an enjoyable place to use again!

Clean Everything in Your Closet

You can use fragrant sprays on your closets until the cows come home, but until you get to the bottom of what’s causing the stench, all you’re doing is masking the ominous odors.

• The best way to find the closet culprit is to take everything out of your closet and clean the components one by one.
• Launder your clothes, wipe down dusty and dirty parts, and clean your shoes (more on this to come in just a moment).
• With your closet empty, now is as good a time as ever to go through the entire space and check for signs of mold or mildew.
• Mold and mildew are usually white or black, but mold comes in a rainbow of sickening colors, everything from purple to orange, green, and pink. 
• According to cleaning resource PuroClean, you should use distilled white vinegar in a spray bottle on moldy areas of your closet. Be sure to let the vinegar sit on the surface for at least 30 minutes and then scrub.
• Before you wrap up, use water to rinse away any vinegar residue. 

Use Baking Soda for Smelly Shoes

Okay, so what if it’s your shoes that are stinking up the joint? As promised, here’s what you can do to deodorize your favorite footwear.

Sprinkle some baking soda in some clean socks and then put the socks in the offending shoes. Give the shoes a couple of days, but you should notice that the smell becomes less and less terrible each time you go into your closet. 

Try Activated Charcoal

When dealing with a smelly closet, activated charcoal is your best friend.

• You need the stuff in a bar or block form. Put the activated charcoal first in a cotton or canvas pouch and then in your closet. For best results, keep several bars of activated charcoal in the closet.
• Then just walk away. Within about six hours, the activated charcoal will have absorbed the bulk of the odors and made the air in your closet smell fresher.
• If you have a mold problem just starting to take shape in your closet, a block of activated charcoal can absorb the spores before the mold can spread.
• That said, you will still want to get in your closet and clean the area with distilled vinegar before the problem worsens.
• You can continue using activated charcoal even once your closet smells like roses, as the stuff is great at warding off unpleasant aromas!   

Mist with Essential Oils

Essential oils can improve our mood and our nostrils as well, as you will no longer have to breathe in the terrible smell of your stinky closet.

• If you’re looking to neutralize bad odors, lifestyle blog Confessions of an Overworked Mom recommends essential oils like clove, pine, bergamot, rosemary, tea tree, eucalyptus, lemon, and myrtle.
• Lemon will make your closet smell ultra-clean while myrtle is an underrated but highly effective choice for kissing odors goodbye. Tea tree is a rather strong scent, FYI, but for your smelly closet, that might not be such a bad thing!
• If your closet smells smoky, musty, or stale, aroma resource AromaWeb suggests essential oils like tangerine, orange, mandarin, lime, lemongrass, grapefruit, lemon, and bergamot for freshening up the space.

Switch to Scented Hangers

Why use regular unscented hangers when you can use the scented ones instead?

Your favorite department stores and online retailers sell scented hangers that should make a considerable difference in how your closet smells, or at least what it smells like.

You can also make your own scented hangers if you have wooden rather than plastic hangers. Just take an essential oil on the list above, generously spray the hanger on both sides, and hang your clothing. 

Run a Dehumidifier

Musty odors are caused by a buildup of humidity in your closet. What’s worse is that these humid conditions allow mold and mildew to thrive.

To keep fungi and bad smells at bay, a dehumidifier is the way to go. You only need a tabletop dehumidifier or two. Buy a battery-powered or disposable dehumidifier rather than one that plugs in, as the logistics of such can be a bit tricky in a closet. 

Use Bar Soap 

Do you like very strongly scented bar soap? If so, then you can repurpose that soap for cleaning up the bad odors in your closet. The stronger the scent of the soap, the better.

• Take the soap, transfer it to a box, and then open that box wide.
• Put the soap in the closet and close the door.
• You can also cover the soap in a very thin fabric bag and put it on shelves, near shoes, wherever the odor is emanating the most strongly, really.
• When sitting unused, the soap will be good for a long time, though the potency of the aroma might wear off over time.

Conclusion 

Unwanted closet smells don't have to ruin your day. With the methods described in this post, you can bust bad odors at the source and keep your home smelling so much better!

Sources

• https://confessionsofanover-workedmom.com/essential-oils-for-odor-elimination/https://www.aromaweb.com/articles/removeodorsnaturally.asp
• https://www.puroclean.com/blog/mold-in-closet-remediation-tips/