How to remove musty smell from closet. How to get rid of an unpleasant smell in the closet. What do we have to do

Mold can appear anywhere in the house and provoke the development of dangerous diseases. One of the favorite places is the closet, because not completely dried clothes placed in storage can cause the formation of a fungus. That is why it is useful to know how to get rid of the smell of mold in the closet.

How to remove mildew smell from closet?

First of all, the development of the fungus occurs due to insufficient ventilation. Very often, the fungus appears in the closet, both on clothes and on shelves. It is formed first, as a rule, on the surface rear wall, after which it gradually moves to the shelves on which linen is stored.

Secondly, it is possible that the cabinet is located next to the wall, which periodically dampens and dampness spreads from it to the cabinet and its contents. In any case, you need to start acting as soon as you notice the appearance of the fungus. If you do not immediately remove the smell of mold in the closet, not only clothes will suffer, but furniture will eventually suffer.

What do we have to do?

First, the reason that provoked the appearance of mold in the closet on the shelves is determined. If it was wet clothing placed in storage, it is taken out, well ventilated. After that, it is processed with a special antiseptic (can be purchased at any hardware store), stretched, and necessarily ironed.

Not all housewives know how to get rid of the smell of mold in the closet on their own and simply ventilate the wardrobe, hoping that this will be enough. But over time, the fungus reappears. To eliminate the cause, all surfaces of the cabinet on which plaque is found are treated with hydrogen peroxide. Then soda is taken, previously dissolved in hot water, and is used to wipe all the shelves and walls in the cabinet.


You don’t need to do anything further, you just need to open the cabinet doors and leave for several hours until the surfaces dry. If it stays bad smell mold, they are treated with vinegar essence, and dried again.

The next day, the napkin is moistened with ammonia and the inside of the cabinet is wiped with this product. So that an unpleasant aroma does not appear in it for a long time, it is recommended to hang a sachet with orange or lemon peel inside, you can use lavender sprigs or ground coffee for this purpose.

How to remove mildew smell from clothes?



You can use a solution of water with ammonia (using a ratio of 16:1). The sponge is wetted in the composition, then the place of contamination is treated, then the product is dried and washed.

Not only time-tested folk methods, but no less effective modern facilities- special antiseptics, flavorings, which are not difficult to purchase.

Video on how to remove mold

The story tells about folk remedies that help in getting rid of the fungus. They are available in every home and help to easily cope with the problem.


It is important to remember that it will not be enough just to remove mold stains or an unpleasant odor from clothes, you still need to accurately determine the cause that provoked the formation of the fungus. Only after its removal, you can not worry that the mold will reappear.

Each house or apartment has a certain smell that accompanies its owner not only indoors, but also outside. Therefore, everyone wants to have exclusively pleasant aroma. Of course, for these purposes there are many perfumes. But when it comes to smells from clothes that have musty notes, getting rid of them is not so easy. And all because these aromas come from the closet itself. It's no secret that furniture gets old over the years, absorbing absolutely all bouquets of stench. It is also necessary to take into account the fact that an unpleasant amber can have both positive and Negative influence for well-being. If there is a stench of mold in the house, then a person may develop an allergic reaction or persistent headaches. Therefore, it is very important to carry out control measures, and prevention too, with “wonderful fragrances”. But how to do it at home? It turns out that there are many proven methods, and you will learn the best of them right now.

Reasons for the formation of amber in the closet

  1. As you know, people store in the closet great amount of things. These are those that have just been washed, and those that have already been worn more than once. Sometimes it is enough to put on a piece of clothing once, so that it emits a certain smell. This spirit, merging with the rest of the clothes, is able to "infect" everything around. After all, wardrobe items are made of fabric, and it perfectly absorbs all the bouquets. Therefore, it is very important to store things properly. It is strictly unacceptable to put together what is only bought or washed with items that have been worn at least once. After all, the human body constantly emits sweat (even without stench). In addition, deodorants, perfumes and dust have an impact.
  2. No frequent ventilation. It turns out that furniture, like other items, should be ventilated, since its walls also absorb all the incense. If this is not done, then the air inside the cabinet becomes stale. And clothes that are rarely worn need to be taken out to fresh air often.
  3. Incorrect arrangement of furniture also affects the presence of amber. If it is installed near the bathroom or kitchen, where there is high humidity, then you cannot avoid mold.
  4. Old furniture or clothes always emit unpleasant odors.
  5. Excessively long storage.

How to get rid of odors

  1. First of all, place the cabinet away from rooms with high humidity. It is best to place it near areas that are most often ventilated. For example, near a window or balcony.
  2. When hanging clothes, make sure they are 100% dry. Even the slightest presence of moisture (not dry) can cause mold to develop.
  3. Follow neighborhood rules. After all, you do not store open fish with meat, cake and cottage cheese side by side in the refrigerator. The same goes for things. For clean washed clothes, use separate shelves, and even better, compartments. Things that were worn, put in another zone. What can we say about pajamas? They generally need to be stored completely separately.
  4. At increased dampness in the house (and this happens in old buildings) you must use special means. For example, "Silica gel", that is, such small balls which are able to absorb maximum moisture. As a rule, they can be found when buying new shoes. And you can buy them at a hardware store.
  5. Air things at least twice a year.
  6. Store worn items separately.
  7. To get rid of the already existing smell from the closet, place bags of certain herbs in it. These can be purchased in aroma shops or make your own. As an herb, you can take motherwort, lavender, cloves, rose petals or cinnamon. You can combine several herbs together, creating a pleasant aroma just for you.
  8. Lay scented soap between layers of clothing. But before that, pack it in a cotton cloth.
  9. When you have empty perfume bottles left, do not rush to throw them away. Because they are capable long time save your bouquet, filling all the furniture with it. Put or place the bottle between clothes, but first open the cap. Between things you can put a soaked cotton pad in perfume.
  • Perfectly copes with an unpleasant smell in the closet and orange peel. It can be placed in a cotton bag and hung in the rod compartment.
  • You can get rid of musty or tobacco stench with a damp towel / cloth. To do this, initially lay out all the wardrobe items, thoroughly wash the furniture from the inside and hang up the most damp towels. Then close the cabinet doors tightly for about 30 minutes. Now stretch the fabric and put it inside the furniture again. So repeat 3-4 times. Well, then ventilate internal filling furniture and lay out CLEAN things.
  • You can also remove the smell with the help of coffee beans. Pour a small amount of them into an open glass jar and place inside.
  • Ordinary soda is also a great solution. Just arrange the cardboard boxes. But, pre-rinse the laundry in lemon juice or vinegar.
  • If you have just purchased furniture, then it will certainly have a special chip smell. Surely a lot of people don't like it. There are two options. Firstly, you can buy any expensive product in the store, and secondly, hang and arrange tea bags for about 1-2 weeks.
  • Do not forget to open the cabinet doors when airing the room. This can be done at least every day. Separately ventilate the winter outerwear.
  • The fight against mold is the most difficult. But in this case, there are options. For example, soak a cotton swab in ordinary iodine, place it in a glass container, cover with a cotton pad and place it inside the cabinet. The smell of mold will disappear in the coming days. And yes, the mold itself.
  • Close the doors tightly while you are cooking. After all, these aromas are instantly absorbed not only into things, but also into furniture.

And again, the notorious mold, which not only emits unpleasant odors, but also spoils clothes. If it is found on the walls of the cabinet, it is necessary to clean the inside and treat all the walls with hydrogen peroxide. This can only be done inside. But processing must be done from the outside. After all, mold fungus is able to penetrate into the deeper layers of wood. From above, the furniture is washed with a solution of soda, then with vinegar diluted in water and from above several times warm water. Be sure to leave the cabinet to dry for at least a couple of days. So you get rid of mold forever.

Unpleasant odor from bed linen can occur due to several reasons:

  • long-term treatment in a basket with dirty things;
  • low quality material;
  • improper storage;
  • the presence of dust mites.

Humidity in a room or closet

Mustiness in bed linen can occur due to increased levels of humidity in the room. Most often from the presence of mold in wardrobe There is also an unpleasant odor from the laundry. Another negative factor is poor ventilation.

Not dried clothes

The smell of dampness is often the result of poorly dried laundry after washing or storing in a poorly ventilated area.

Foreign odors

The smell on the bed linen may be due to used items with amber sweat, perfume, cigarette smoke. It begins to smell even with a nearby kitchen and food smells penetrating from cooking food. In addition, the smell of mustiness can occur as a result of the smell of animals, household chemicals.

Steps to deal with bad breath

Musty smell problems are easiest to deal with in a complex way, especially if the cause of its occurrence is unknown.

Carefully clean the linen closet

The storage closet should be as clean as possible. To do this, they ventilate it, occasionally taking out all the things and additionally drying it on a sunny day on the balcony or on the street.

Spend wet cleaning, removing dust from the shelves and crossbars. It should also be treated with wax products that will disinfect the surface.

If the family smokes, then the wardrobe is wiped with water, acidified with vinegar, hung in it for half an hour wet towel, and then wipe all surfaces dry.

We remove mold

If cleaning did not help, then most likely the reason in mold fungi:

  • remove all things from the closet;
  • eliminate the affected areas with a solution of vinegar. To do this, take a solution of 1 part vinegar and 3 parts water. If desired, vinegar can be replaced with peroxide or boric acid;
  • if this does not help, then it is worth using "heavy artillery". These places are cleaned with "whiteness";
  • we wash all the things that were in the closet and dry them on the street;
  • We do not put things in furniture during the week. It takes time to make sure that the solution has worked.

Perfumes for a pleasant smell

To add a pleasant fragrance to laundry, you can use conditioners, pleasantly scented toilet soaps, solutions with essential oils and aromatic sachet.

Over time, any furniture begins to exude aromas that may not always seem pleasant. How to get rid of the smell old furniture, without resorting to such drastic measures as changing the situation in the apartment, many housewives are interested.

There are many simple means for the care of interior items, after the application of which the smell of mustiness will cease to emanate from the furniture. Most often, old furniture smells due to the development of colonies of bacteria or fungus in it. This is due to the fact that a chest of drawers, wardrobe or sofa long time were in a poorly ventilated area increased level humidity. If the activity of microorganisms did not lead to destructive consequences for objects, then the situation can be corrected using self-prepared antiseptics.

After using them, it remains to follow a few simple rules:

  1. Regular ventilation of the room will help prevent reappearance unpleasant odours.
  2. Periodically open the doors of cabinets, tables, chests of drawers, etc.
  3. It is necessary to ensure free circulation of air around the interior items.
  4. Of course, it is better to eliminate the cause of the increase in the level of humidity in the room, but for this it is necessary to set the furniture away from the walls.
  5. Do not allow furniture to accumulate dust, which can also be a source of odor. Furniture needs regular cleaning.

Returning to the topic of home antiseptics, one cannot fail to mention chlorine-based formulations intended for bleaching. Bleach (for example, "Whiteness") can be dissolved in water in a ratio of 1:5. It is recommended that they be processed in inconspicuous places, since chlorine compounds contribute to the fading of the lining. Chlorinated products are unlikely to be used on upholstered furniture, the upholstery of which may lose original color.

Nevertheless, their treatment quite effectively frees surfaces from microorganisms and the odor that accompanies them, but you should not fully rely on the miraculous properties of chlorinated compounds. impregnate them solid wood not worth it. Chlorine vapors will not penetrate into the deep layers of the processed material, and the water that has got into them can provoke a more active development of microflora.

Advice! You can get rid of the smell of old furniture coming from the depths of the closet by applying vinegar.

It is better to use an apple one, but an ordinary dining room does a good job with its duties. 1 st. l. vinegar diluted in ½ cup of water. A sponge soaked in liquid or a piece soft tissue wipe all surfaces, joints and corners of the interior. After that, the furniture is again wiped with a dry cloth. Vinegar penetrates well into the depth of the material, destroying the microflora in the bud, but you should not wipe the furniture with too wet rags.

The vinegar treatment procedure can be carried out again after 7-10 days.

An aqueous solution of potassium permanganate acts like vinegar. The composition for processing should be pale pink. More saturated is able to color the surface.

Removing odor from upholstered furniture

For upholstered furniture it is better to cook detergent based:

  • water (2 cups);
  • liquid soap (20 ml);
  • citric acid (1 tsp);
  • vinegar (1 tsp).

The composition must be mixed until the formation thick foam. It is applied to the upholstery with a sponge and left for 2-3 hours. It is desirable that the piece of furniture is in a well-ventilated room. The dried foam is removed from the upholstery with a brush.

If possible, you can put lemon peels, orange peels, etc. under the upholstery.

Destroying odor with sorbents

Citrus peels are active sorbents. How to get rid of the smell of old furniture with their help?

Advice! You can spread the peel of a lemon, grapefruit, orange or lime in the corners of shelves and drawers.

Ground coffee can act as an odor absorber (it is better to place it in a linen bag), chopped Activated carbon, table and sea salt, lemon acid, powder of drinking soda (loose sorbent is placed in bowls).

The unpleasant smell in the closet causes serious discomfort to the owners. It is even worse when the contents are impregnated with a bad odor: food, dishes, clothes or linens. Sometimes even absolutely clean furniture smells bad from the inside. Consider why stench occurs and how to eliminate it.

The smell of new furniture

New cabinets almost always smell like varnish. Evaporation of formaldehydes, which are part of chipboard, can also add its note to this sharp bouquet. If the furniture is of high quality, then in 2-3 weeks the smell disappears. If this does not happen, the owners will have to either return the purchase to the store, or constantly use odor absorbers.

The new cabinet is installed in a well-ventilated area, the doors are left open. Weathering will be accelerated if cups of soda are placed in the corners of the cabinet, and tea bags (new or carefully dried used ones) are laid out on the shelves. If the smell does not completely disappear, soda and tea will need to be kept in the closet all the time, changing them every 3-4 weeks.

Bad smells in kitchen cabinets

The musty smell in kitchen cabinets is a sign that moisture has got inside or food is spoiling. They need to be taken out, spoiled - thrown away. To remove the smell from the cabinet, shelves, inner surface walls and doors are wiped with vinegar. If the smell still remains, the procedure is repeated.


Soda and vinegar are the most available funds against bad smell

With a strong stench, the shelves are fumigated with burnt sugar or dried citrus peel:

  • a sheet of paper is placed on a metal scoop, where 2-3 teaspoons of sugar are poured. The sheet must be crumpled and set on fire. The aroma of smoke will not be very pleasant, but it neutralizes mustiness, and it quickly disappears;
  • put the dried peel of a mandarin, orange or grapefruit on a scoop and set it on fire.

To finally cope with mustiness, several rye crackers, dry lemon, tangerine or orange peels are laid out on the shelves. Soda absorbs odors well. An atmosphere of comfort will be created by a vase with coffee, cinnamon, bay leaf, cloves or ground ginger.

Fight mold in kitchen cabinets

The smell of mustiness can be the result of damage to the walls of the cabinet by a fungus. Most often, mold appears in furniture located near the outer walls. If this is the reason for the fungal infection, you need to either rearrange the furniture or treat the wall with a fungicide.

In the closet where the mold has appeared, nothing can be put until the complete destruction of the fungus. The affected area is wiped several times with hydrogen peroxide or boric acid. If the fungus appears again, use bleach. Deeply ingrained mold spots are scraped off, and the worn place is varnished.

The products taken out of the cabinet are sorted out, the cereals are fried (10–15 minutes per hot oven). Cereals and pasta that smell moldy are thrown away. All dishes are washed in hot water with baking soda. In an apartment with high humidity, bowls with salt are placed in kitchen cabinets: it absorbs excess moisture well.

Prevention of musty odor and fungus in kitchen cabinets

To avoid the smell of dampness and mold in kitchen cabinet, necessary:

The contents of the linen closet must be clean and dry. The smell of mold in the closet, and then the mold itself, may appear due to the fact that under-dried laundry was put inside. It also smells unpleasantly dry, but for a long time lying on the shelves of linen.

Once every six months, the entire contents of the cabinet must be removed and ventilated in hot weather on the balcony. To get rid of the smell, the inner surface of the walls and shelves are wiped with vinegar. If a fungus appears, the affected areas are treated with hydrogen peroxide, in difficult cases - with bleach.

In old cabinets they scatter on the shelves mustard powder, the doors are closed and left for 2 days. Then the powder is removed, if the smell remains, the walls and shelves are again wiped with vinegar. Good results gives the use of odorless products that protect wood from dust and moisture (for example, Sidolux M). If the wardrobe is damp wall, on the shelves it is necessary to lay out bags of silica gel that absorb moisture.


Silica gel is an excellent prevention high humidity and mold in the closet

Linen should be sorted out, touched by mold or simply smelling unpleasant - washed. To keep the smell of freshness in the closet, put in piles of laundry:

  • sachet with fragrant plants(lavender, rose petals, lilac leaves, mint);
  • flavored toilet soap (after wrapping it in a cloth);
  • empty perfume bottles;
  • sheets of paper with perfumes or essential oils applied to them (after applying oils or perfumes, the paper must be thoroughly dried).

Eliminate bad odors in wardrobes

Often the reason for the unpleasant smell from the wardrobe is the habit of some people to keep together clean clothes and stale. Smells of sweat and deodorants permeate clean clothes. If a smoker has such a habit, the tobacco smell from the closet is guaranteed.

The smell of mustiness arises when undried outerwear is hung in the closet. If the furniture is too close to outer wall At home, mold appears inside the closet. They fight mustiness and fungus in the same way as in the previous case: they treat the walls with vinegar, wipe the mold stain with hydrogen peroxide (it can discolor the veneer, so you first need to test it on an inconspicuous area). All things are ventilated in hot weather: in bright sunlight moth larvae die. Clothes are inspected, soiled are washed or dry-cleaned.

Particular attention should be paid to shoes in the lower drawers. It is impossible to remove an unpleasant smell from the closet if you store winter shoes with insoles. They need to be pulled out, those that have become unusable should be thrown away, the rest should be put in a sealed bag.

If the smell of naphthalene is firmly ingrained into the wood of old furniture, mustard powder will help. It is scattered along the bottom and hung in bags of thin cotton fabric in the corners. The doors are closed, and after 3-4 days the mustard from the bottom can be swept away.

Soda cans are placed in the corners of the cabinet: it absorbs odors well. To reduce humidity, silica gel packets are laid out on the bottom and in shoe boxes, and a jar of salt is placed. A tried-and-tested remedy for the aroma of tobacco is lavender. Also, the smell of tobacco smoke is effectively absorbed by a wet cloth. It is enough to hang a damp towel on the bar and close the doors. An hour later, the towel is changed. The procedure is repeated 3-4 times.

In order to keep the ventilated things fresh, a sachet is placed between the hangers with fragrant herbs. There is another way: tea bags are sprinkled with perfume or essential oils, dried and hung on a bar.


Tea absorbs odor as well as other sorbents

Measures to prevent the appearance of unpleasant odors in the wardrobe

  • do not store together clean and worn after washing or dry cleaning things;
  • hang outerwear in a closet completely dry. In the season of wearing, it is better to keep it on an open hanger;
  • dry-cleaned items, before hanging in a closet, air on the balcony for 1-2 weeks;
  • for sports, work, hunting, fishing, tourist clothes, allocate a separate closet;
  • if possible, change the insoles of winter shoes every season. Stuff shoe toes newsprint, to neutralize the smell of sweat in the boxes, spread out sachets with lilac leaves;
  • do not store umbrellas in the wardrobe;
  • do not smoke in the room where the wardrobe is located;
  • do not let pets in the closet.

Subject to these simple rules things in the cabinets will always be fragrant with freshness. To combat persistent odors, it is recommended to use special preparations, for example, OdorGone. Such funds work faster than folk ones, but the latter are more environmentally friendly.