How to Get Rid of Musty Odors in a Closet

You should count on your closet to keep your clothes fresh until the moment you’re ready to wear them. But encountering a musty odor when getting ready can really put a damper on your day. Musty odors can happen in wardrobes due to poor ventilation, high humidity, and pitfalls like forgetting to move your dirty laundry to another space. So, how do you get rid of the musty smell in closets? These tips will show you what to do to keep the stink away with small habit changes and must-busting secret weapons. 

1. Dry Your Clothes Completely Before Storing

We’ve all encountered a load of laundry that’s still slightly damp despite a full turn in the dryer. It’s tempting to call it a day and toss them in the closet, especially if you’ve got another load waiting its turn in the washer, but doing so is a one-way ticket to higher humidity levels—which also happens to be one of the most common culprits of bad odors in closets. Even if it puts you a bit behind schedule to let those clothes run in the dryer a little longer, you’ll end up saving time down the line by avoiding unnecessary rewashing.  

2. Store Dirty Clothes Elsewhere

When you’re in a rush to get dressed and get going, you’re probably not thinking about where you should put your dirty clothes. Even if they’re on the floor and nowhere near your clean clothes, closets are cramped and those bad odors will inevitably make the space as a whole and the fresh garments within it funkier than they should be. It may take a couple of extra minutes, but you’ll thank yourself for relocating yesterday’s outfit to a hamper in your bathroom or in a designated laundry area. 

3. Set Up a Dehumidifier

If your house smells musty despite no visible mold, it could have something to do with high humidity levels. The same is true for closets—these small spaces tend to build up humidity faster than others because they often lack the ventilation necessary to keep fresh, dry air moving. Investing in a dehumidifier is one easy way to keep the moisture at bay—and the funky odors that come with it—but keep in mind that a solution like this is both pricey upfront and may raise your electricity bills in the long run.  

4. Rely on a Dehumidifying Product

If you’d rather not shell out for an expensive, electric dehumidifier, there are other options that don’t need to be plugged in but will provide similar results, like silica gel packets. More commonly found in food products, the beads inside do a great job of capturing moisture before it can adversely affect what they’re stored with, and you can buy larger format versions that are expressly engineered to keep clothes and closets fresh and moisture-free. Dryer sheets also provide a similar effect and can be used the same way—just slip them between stacks of folded clothes, in drawers, or inside jackets. 

5. Remove Odors with Baking Soda and Activated Charcoal

Baking soda isn’t just great for making your fridge smell good—it’s also good at eliminating unwanted odors in closets. Fill small, fabric, drawstring bags—or even an old sock—with it and place them in your shelves, drawers, or pants or jacket pockets to reduce smells throughout the space. Activated charcoal absorbs and neutralizes bad odors in a similar way, so feel free to use this instead if it’s what you have on hand. 

6. Keep the Closet Doors Open

If bad ventilation is what’s raising the humidity levels in your closet, there’s an easy solution that just might do the trick: Keep your closet doors open. That way, any moisture that does find its way into these spaces always has a way out. 

7. Consider Installing Louvered Doors

Keeping your closet doors open round the clock might not be an option for you—for instance, if you have shedding pets running around and you don’t want your clothes covered in their fur. In cases like these, consider a closet door alternative that lets the air in and out without leaving your belongings out in the open—like louvered doors. 

8. Consider Added Ventilation

If the humidity remains despite all your attempts to lower it, it might be time to consider a heavy-duty solution like installing a new HVAC system directly in your closet. Remodeling a closet is a great opportunity for an addition like this, as you’ll already need to demolish and rebuild the whole setup and will have the space and time for all that new ventilation installation requires. 

9. Pad Your Drawers with Deodorizers 

Once you’ve done the work to tend to and remove the sources of bad odors in your closet, you can focus on making the space smell good. One great way to do that is with a trick your grandma probably loved—like filling your drawers and shelves with fabric bags stuffed with herbs like lavender or mint. Hanging scented plants or even cut-and-dried flowers or eucalyptus leaves is another simple shortcut to make your closet smell amazing.

10. Call in a Pro If Nothing Else Works

If you’ve tried all the tricks and are still coming up dry, don’t hesitate to consult a professional closet maker near you. They know how to design a closet to ward off bad closet smells, including designing and organizing it so that your clothes always have enough room to breathe.