All the clothes hung up are cleanly washed and no matter how much I clean the closet 2days later I open the door and the musky smells back
2007-07-28 06:34:22 · 15 answers · asked by ? 3 in Home & Garden ➔ Cleaning & Laundry
If you can afford to move your clothes out and let the closet stand open (hopefully with windows open and some sunshine coming in), that will help.
Other ideas which will absorb odors:
- Put in two boxes of baking sode, fully opened
- Take some fresh coffee grounds (not instant) into a nylon stocking, tie at the end and put that in your closet
- Lemon shavings (zest)
But you should probably try to find out why it's so musky. Does the closet wall share a wall with a bathroom or kitchen? There could be a slow leak creating some moisture in the wall.
Good luck!
2007-07-28 06:44:51 · answer #1 · answered by princessmeltdown 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I had the same problem with two of my closets. After Damp Rid didn't do the trick I searched for a solution. I ended up buying two Eva Dry Dehumidifiers. It took a few recharges for the smell to go away completely, but the smell has not returned since. The Eva Dry does not need fulltime electricity. You 'charge' it by plugging it in and when the crystals are blue, you unplug it and place it in the closet. I just check the color of the crystals every so often and recharge the Eva Dry when the crystals have all turned pink. So, this is not a once and done solution, but it works for me. Eva Dry comes in different models. I paid around $20 for each of mine.
2007-07-28 08:57:34 · answer #2 · answered by Laika 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Empty closet, wash down walls with white vinegar/water solution. If possible repaint using a coat of Kilz primer first. Then you can hang or set out any kind of odor absorber, charcoal works, box of baking soda....Put back only clean clothe and check out the shoes...they can get moldy too!!! I also like to toss in a fabric softener sheet, the smell lasts quite awhile and is cheap! Just replace when the scent fades. Gain sheets are the best scent in my opinion. Good luck!!
2007-07-28 06:49:05 · answer #3 · answered by patti 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Check for mold. My husband and I had the same problem in our linen closet when we lived in an apartment. Teh people that lived above us had 5 kids and the youngest was always putting stuff in the toilet and it would overflow. We had mold growing in the ceiling of our closet. Clean with ammonia and water leave empty for a couple of days, and get cedar chips, or some kind of cedar product to hang in your closet to help absorb odors. Re-wash all your clothes and add plain white vinegar with the soap. This will get rid of any lingering odors in your clothes. 1 cup per load.
2007-07-28 06:42:41 · answer #4 · answered by Ryan's mom 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Is your clothes closet on an outside wall of the property? It's usually a problem with ventilation that causes this. Have the same sort of problem with some wardrobes and drawer units on an outside wall, but unfortunately still haven't solved or improved the problem. Frustrating isn't it - when you are constantly washing clothing for it to happen again.
2007-07-28 06:43:14 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
May be only one item (shirt or tennis shoe). Check each one that may be the culpret. You can put 1/2 cap of liquid Spc n Span in your wash to eliminate present clothing odors.
EVERYTHING out of closet & close for 2-3 days, smell.
If the odor appears, then you know it is not in the clothes but it is the closet. Maybe it is in the carpet, inside walls, ceiling, behind baseboards, shelf, cushioned clothes hangers, etc...
2007-07-28 07:16:30 · answer #6 · answered by Carole Q 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
First of all, take everything out of there, then wash out the closet with Lysol, hang a deodarizing air freshner in there and leave it open for 24 hours, then put everything back. This will work.
2007-07-28 07:31:15 · answer #7 · answered by karenpghblue 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I had the same problem, so I opened a bag of charcoal and set it on the top shelf in a bucket. Got rid of it in a few days.
2007-07-28 09:02:48 · answer #8 · answered by MJ 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I swear by Fa-breeze. You may have to spray the walls of the closet down and the flooring too. If you have carpeting in the closet in might be originating from there, so spray it several times.
2007-07-28 06:46:45 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
you could try moth balls, however then your clothes will smell like them, but not musty. you could spray them with frebreeze periodicly, you could add air fresheners (maybe run an extension cord in with a GLADE plug-in)
all these are temporary fixes i know, but teh musty smell is likely comming from inside the walls or under the floorboards. if you rent your place, tell the landlord/lady and hopefully they can get it resolved, but if you own you place you may want to call in a contractor who deals with mold/mildew removal and/or cleaning and get and estimate
2007-07-28 06:47:51 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋