Clothes smell

Catspajamas

Hi all. When ever I store my clean clothes in my drawers or wardrobe they quickly take on a damp musty smell. My house isn't particularly damp and they don't smell after drying (I line dry or put them on an airer in a ventilated room) and I also have a dehumidifier. I just can't find a way to get them smelling fresh short of rewashing which is just not practical or febreeze which is too expensive to keep using!

So any tips? I searched back but only could find methods of washing the smell out, which I don't want to do as it's literally everything I own and a recurring problem! Thanks in advance

Sublime_2

Hang what you plan to wear the night before outside your wardrobe, to air it out.

BitterAndTwisted

Have you tried scented drawer-lining paper? If that doesn't work I think you need something like much more highly scented fabric-conditioner

anguk

If you got any smelly soaps for Christmas you can pop those in your drawers & wardrobes to scent your clothes. I've got sensitive skin so can only use certain soaps so any I get in gift sets are used as air fresheners in cupboards.

pigpen

move the drawers away from outside walls.. or make sure there is a gap behind for air to circulate.. it is possible there is cold air against the back of the cupboards which is causing the cupboards to become damp and transfer the smell to your clothes. Particularly on a north facing wall.

Take everything out.. wipe the cupboard backs over with a mild bleach soution.. kill spores etc.. dry it thoroughly, maybe leave a couple of days with drawers/doors open and away from outside walls before refilling (fling anything you won't wear/doesn't fit to avoid over stuffing) and see how it is then.

Smelly things in the cupboards won't work if it is the siting which is a problem

emmilou

I store my Lush soaps/bath bombs in mine and the clothes smell lovely don't think that would help if the drawers are damp tho sorry

kitschy

Another vote here for scenting the drawers, it's where I keep my scented candles

Peartree

I think Pigpen's suggestions are the right way to go. If there's dampness no amount of additional scent would work - and there's nothing worse than that 'scent trying to hide mustiness' thing!

The room may not feel particularly damp but still be humid and that may be trapped in the wood of your drawers and cupboards. My house isn't damp at all but there were a few days last year when the air was so incredibly humid my paint wouldn't dry when I was decorating! Maybe empty the drawers and cupboards and run the dehumidifer nearby (or run it in the wardrobe) to see how much water you're getting in it to find out?

A musty smell does suggest that there's some mould in the wood that's tainting your clean clothes. Bleach is probably the best idea but you might want to try a lower chem alternative before the big guns. I believe lavender oil has has anti-fungal properties so washing everything out with a dilute solution might help. But unless the drawers/cupboards get proper dry I don't know if any washing out would work.

And whilst they dry out it is a fab excuse for being messy and not putting your clothes away!