How can I keep my closet and clothes odour free?

LilacNails

Hi all, looking to pick her brains on this query.

So I cleared out and got rid of clothes over the weekend.

I got the whiff of an odour like similar to that in a charity shop. * This is not an insult, I shop in charity shops also*.

I don't know of its just the closest itself, it's like a cheap wood.. In rented accommodation. Or is it clothes hanging in there for too long??

I am good for washing when dirty, when they need to be.

Any tips? I find scented stuff doesn't last long. I have used the salt ball things that u get in the 2euro shop to evaporate any moisture.

Any advice is welcomed!

SozBbz

Is the room damp or the wardrobe stuffed to capacity?

Sounds like mustyness, which typically means air is not circulating as it should and theres too much moisture in the air which can become an environment for unpleasant things like mould spores to flourish.

Do you open your windows much?

LilacNails

SozBbz wrote: »

Is the room damp or the wardrobe stuffed to capacity?

Sounds like mustyness, which typically means air is not circulating as it should and theres too much moisture in the air which can become an environment for unpleasant things like mould spores to flourish.

Do you open your windows much?

No, there's no dampness in my room, not even in the house Id say. My windows are open every day until I go to bed.

Now that u have mentioned no air circulating, I have a lot of clothes in there like hung but
bunched up together, I don't think a lot of air my be circulating through them...? A lot of them haven't been worn in a long time too.

SozBbz

LilacNails wrote: »

No, there's no dampness in my room, not even in the house Id say. My windows are open every day until I go to bed.

Now that u have mentioned no air circulating, I have a lot of clothes in there like hung but
bunched up together, I don't think a lot of air my be circulating through them...? A lot of them haven't been worn in a long time too.

I'd say you maybe need to move things about more and maybe thin the amount of stuff you're stuffing in there.

I'm a bit guilty of having too many clothes myself so no judgement, but I would take things out and move them around every few months, and I regularly donate to charity shops.

I wouldnt use any of those scented products, they're only putting a nice smell over a bad one, they don't fix the problem. If you wanted to use something, I'd lean towards old fashioned lavender bags that are more natural and don't just involve spraying chemicals around.

Just to add, its good practice to empty your wardrobes from time to time, it reminds you of what you actually have and sprus you on to get rid of things you no longer nead. I emptied my wardrobe of dresses recently to reorder them and it was illuminating.

You could try emptying it and looking for any signs of mold or mustyness? If you find any you could always wipe it down with something like this - https://www.homestoreandmore.ie/detergents/hg-mould-spray-0.5l/900914.html

I've used that stuff before (not in a wardrobe) and it doesnt smell nice, so you'd want to leave the wardrobe to dry and air for a few hours after.

Also, if the wardrobe is cheap its probably not real wood anyway, do I wouldnt think its anything to do with that as MDF or whatever probably doesnt rot but all the same, even leaving the wardrobe doors open for a while might be a good idea.

otnomart

I second the advice of emptyng the wardrobe in full and checking it for any spots of mold.
As your windows are open every day, try to open the wardrobe once a week for 1 hour or so, to give it some air.
Lavender satchet bags are good as moth repellent and their smell is not overpowering.