So you have a strange or funky odor in your closet and want to know a few of the different ways of How To Get Rid OF Closet Odors. Getting rid of closet odors usually isn’t that big of a deal if you can figure out what is causing the problem, but sometimes finding out what is causing the isn’t as easy as it seems. So here are a few simple things that you can do to find your closet odor and a few different ways of how to get rid of closet odors once you find where they are coming from.
How To Get Rid Of Closet Odors – Identify The Problem
If you really want to eliminate the odor coming from your closet instead of just temporarily covering it up them you really need to identify where in your closet this foul odor is coming from. Probably the best way of doing this is to completely remove everything from your closet. As you are cleaning out and removing each item you need to visually inspect it as well as giving it the old sniffer test to see if the item smells any stronger than the other items that you have removed. Below are a few causes of closet odors and what you should be visually looking for.
What Causes Closet Odors
- Wet Clothes - Wet musty clothes smell really bad after a few days especially if they are left in a small closed up area like a closet. So never leave wet clothes or towels in your closets always hang them up to dry or wash them within a short amount of time to avoid any musty household odors.
- Pet Smells - Pet odors and smells are another one of the more common household smells that people find in their closets. Often times this is a result of the pet relieving itself or marking it’s territory on your clothes or other belongings in your closet. Although some pet owners like to place the pet box in the closet and if that is the case with your closet then after time all of your other belongings in the closet can absorb that pet smell and make it harder to get rid of even if you keep your pets box really clean.
- Mold - Mold is another fairly common cause of closet odors. Usually if their is mold in your closet you will be able to tell right away once you clean out your closet. It will usually discolor your walls, ceiling, or carpeting if you you have it. Mold is usually caused by a moisture problem which can be the result of a leaky pipe or maybe even a leaky roof. Another place where mold can easily be found in a closet is on old cardboard boxes or books. So check these items if you suspect mold. If you do happen to find mold on any books that you might have it is always best to throw the books away instead of keeping them because the mold can spread to other books in you house if they are placed together.
- Food – If your closet is in the kitchen then probably the odor problem inside of your closet is a rotten food problem. So thoroughly go through everything in your closet and throw away any moldy or spoiled food that you may find. Often times it is items like potatoes, onions, or apples that are left for long periods of time and spoil that cause the foul odor. Be careful though with leaving fruits like apples in your closet for too long because fruits have a tendency to attract fruit flies and there is nothing worse than having a fruit fly problem on top of a closet odor problem. If you do end up having a fruit fly problem then here is a great article on How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies that can help you get rid of them.
These are just a few of the more common causes of closet odors that you need to be aware of and look for if you are going to try and get rid of smells coming from your closet. Granted there are many more probable causes and everything in your closet should be checked out thoroughly if you are going to get rid of the odor.
How To Get Rid Of Closet Odors Fast
OK now that you have removed everything from your closet hopefully you have found what ever it was that was causing the horrible smell in the first place and are ready to neutralize and get rid of the odor once and for all. So if you are ready to learn how to get rid of closet odors fast lets go!
Mold
First off if you found mold to be the cause of your odor problem then you need to find out where the moisture is coming from that is causing the mold in the first place. It could be a leaking pipe or maybe a roof leak. Sometimes it is best to hire a professional in this situation unless you think it is a simple fix and can take care of it yourself. Anyways to kill mold you should mix up a bleach and water solution in a squirt bottle to spray on the moldy area. Let this solution sit for maybe 20 min on the moldy area and then scrub the area really good to try and remove all of the mold from the wall.
Carpet Odors
If it is a carpet odor that you have causing the problem then probably the best way of how to get rid of closet odors that are caused by carpet is to rent a carpet shampooer from you local hardware store and clean the carpet in your closet really good with some professional strength carpet cleaner. You can also try cleaning the carpet with a damp towel and some laundry detergent, but it doesn’t always work as good as using a carpet cleaner like a Rug Doctor. Plus you can always clean all of your carpets in the house while you have it rented for the day.
Clothes Odors
Sometimes coats and clothes can be the cause of closet odors so it is probably a good idea to spend some time washing everything that you had in your closet with a good detergent in order to remove any smells that might be coming from them. Although I don’t have any stale and musty clothes smell tips for you at this time I will however work on an article around this topic in the near future to help you if that is where your odor is coming from.
Once you have done some and possibly all of the above recommendations to help with your closet odor control it is now time to focus on putting everything back in your closets and organization of them. Before you do though it might be a good idea to spray some form of air freshener as well as carpet freshener even if you shampooed your carpets just to cover up any possible lingering odors.
Final Thoughts On How To Get Rid Of Closet Odors
Probably the fastest way of how to get rid of closet odors fast is to cover them up temporarily with air freshener, but unfortunately after a few hours or a day the air freshener will wear off and the odor will reappear so it is always best to spend a little time and get rid of odors in your closet permanently instead of just trying to cover them up.
Once you do get rid of the odor once and for all it might be a good idea to place either an air freshener or a box of baking soda in your closet to keep it smelling fresh and to absorb an potential future odors that might occur. I hope this article helped you identify what some of the potential causes of closet odors are and gave you a few ideas as how to get rid of closet odors fast without to much trouble.