Musty smell in cupboards

Smashing_Blouse

Im having the same problem. I put clothes on and they smell like wet dog, it is awful. We think it maybe because the storage heater is now on in the bedroom, and hubby dries his towel in there, so it is making the room damp.

stuart264

Had the same problem, then I spotted these square moisture absorbers / air freshners by the draft excluders in Wilkinsons £2.69 for the trap and then refils are £1.99 for 2

Popped one into the bottom of the wardrobe 4 weeks ago and the smell faded over the first couple of weeks and now its gone.

mrs_baggins

you may have to wash all the clothes first though before you do anything. i remember one of those aggie and kim programmes and they said that the musty smell is bacteria in the articles which were damp. i left some towels in the washer after they had been washed and had to wash them all again!

beachbeth

I have this problem and I leave the wardrobe door open as much as possible and also have the bedroom windows open as much as I can too. I also used the dehumidifiers too. Don't overfill the wardrobe if you can help it as the more you have in there the more there is for the damp to cling to.

I want to have a complete swap round in our bedroom so that the wardrobes aren't on this particular wall to see if this helps. Its an outside wall so I think this is why it happens.

rickshaw500

thanks very much everyone who came up with suggestions. i will try the dehumidifier. cannot move wardrobe off outside wall because it wont fit anywhere else.

jamanda

Those small humidifiers are half price in Woolworths - forget how much but refills are 1.50. Daughter bought two yesterday for exactly the same reason.
I think they were about £2.50.

ailmcsnail

Hi, grateful if anyone can help - I have acquired an old wardrobe and dressing table, they are around 60 years old, solid wood and painted white on the outside. They have not been used for a while and we have had them stored in a garage for 2 years. Now we have the perfect bedroom to put them in but the wardrobe stinks!!

It wasn't too bad when we brought them into the house but after one night in the heat it now has a horrid musty damp smell, I have left the door open slightly and sprayed the inside with febreze which has had little effect. I was wondering if anyone had any tips on what could be done to get rid of the smell. I am hoping that this is only a temporary problem because it has not been used for a while - but I'm not sure what to use to freshen it up or "absorb" the smell? I do not want to get rid of it as it is a lovely piece of furniture but I cannot put my clothes in it with this smell!

Many thanks.

organic_wanabe

What about sprinkling a bag of cat's litter in the base (maybe in trays!) to see if it absorbs any of the smell? Good luck.

Austin_Allegro

Musty smells are caused by mildew, which breeds in dark, dirty, damp and airless conditions, so you have to alleviate the cause and the symptoms.

Assuming your house is not damp, you don't need to worry about the cause, so you need to tackle the symptoms. I would suggest:

1. Thoroughly vacuuming and dusting the wardrobe inside and out.
2. Thoroughly wiping/scrubbing down the wood with a strong solution of warm water and bleach. If you are worried this may smell or damage the wood then use a solution of water and sodium bicarbonate instead. Let it soak in for a while then rinse and dry off with towels, and put next to a radiator/fan heater to dry off.
3. Absorb any residual smells by putting cat litter or sodium bicarbonate.
4. Make sure it is near ventilation, ie an open window, or stand in the sunlight if you can. (sunlight kills mildew).
5 If this doesn't work you could try sanding the wood and repainting, which should strip off most of the mildew and seal in any remaining.

SusanCarter

We have had a tallboy for about a year which used to be in my husbands late Grandmothers house. It smelled a bit musty when we got it but as we were just keeping stationery/craft equipment in it, I wasn't too bothered but as I am now emptying it to put baby clothes in and it still smells, I want to do something about it. Any suggestions?