How to Make Your Custom Closets Smell Better

Dave Kushner • Apr 23, 2020

If you're the proud owner of a custom closet system, then you'll know just how prone those small spaces can be to holding on to unwanted, lingering scents. Sometimes it doesn't matter how much detergent you use or how much scented fabric softener you throw on your clothes; there's still a chance that your closet will leave them smelling stale. Yuck!

So what can we do to stop this from happening? Well, here are 10 simple items that you can use to get your custom closets smelling better, so you can keep your clothes smelling fresh and clean for longer periods of time.

Scented Dryer Sheets
Wooden Hangers
Essential Oils
Coffee Grounds
Vinegar
Potpourri
Vodka
Air Fresheners
Baking Soda

For most of us, smelling good is important. We often spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars each year on products to keep the bad smells away. Deodorants, perfume, aftershave, shampoo, moisturizer, the list goes on. Unfortunately, all of this time and money spent on helping us to smell nice can be in vain if our clothes pick up that old musty smell from the closet.

Below, we will dive a little deeper into each of the ideas on our list and offer some of our first-hand tips and tricks on how best to utilize them. Some of the things on this list are a little more conventional than others but trust us, they all work great. Let's get into it!

Scented Dryer Sheets

Dryer sheets are normally pretty easy to come by, as most of us already have them lying around somewhere in our homes already. Their main purpose is to reduce the amount of static electricity that is generated in the drying process, which can leave your clothes feeling rough and prone to picking up pieces of lint.

Fortunately for us, dryer sheets double down on their usefulness by serving as a great candidate for absorbing bad odors. They soak up bad smells exceptionally well and can even act as an air freshener too.

People seem to love the smell of fresh dryer sheets, so why not keep a few of them in your custom closet, to keep those stale smells at bay.

TOP TIP: Put dryer sheets in the pockets of some of your favorite items of clothing.

TOP TIP: When you store your winter clothes, make sure you keep a dryer sheet or two with them, so they stay smelling fresh for when wintertime comes back around.

Wooden Hangers

Almost every closet has hangers inside, so we can keep our freshly washed clothes nice and organized and free of creases. But what if we could double down on their usefulness and use them to keep our closets smelling fresh too?

Wooden hangers absorb moisture in the air and help to prevent your custom closets from becoming damp, which is one of the main reasons for bad odors. The porous wood soaks in the moisture in the air and acts as a natural deodorizer.

Not only that, but wooden hangers also do a much better job of keeping your clothes in better shape as compared to the cheaper wire alternatives. Win-win!

Top Tip: You can purchase scented wooden hangers to give off scents of lavender and cedar.

Essential Oils

Essential oils are compounds that are extracted from plants, that capture their fragrance and flavor. You can find a wide range of beautifully scented essential oils that will brighten up any corner of your home, but they are especially useful when it comes to freshening up your closets.

There are two ways you can use essential oils to spruce up your custom closets. Firstly, you can add some pure essential oil of your choice to your rinse cycle. This will be enough to give your clothes a long-lasting boost of fragrance, even if they are kept in the closet for long periods of time.

Secondly, mix one-part essential oil with one part water into a spray bottle and lightly spray the clothes that are in your wardrobe. Make this part of your weekly cleaning routine to keep your custom closets smelling fresh.

Coffee Grounds

Coffee is here to save the day once again. Not only does coffee help just about every single working American get through their day to day lives, but now it can also help us keep our clothes smelling great too.

If you didn't already know, coffee is an excellent deodorizer. It absorbs bad odors like a treat and is a super budget-friendly way to keep your closet smelling fresh. I mean, who doesn't have some coffee lying around their home somewhere?

Here's how you do it: Grab some coffee grounds and pour them into a container. Poke some holes in the lid, to let the coffee breathe and then place the container in your closet. Simple.

Vinegar

Vinegar is another one of those extremely versatile products that most people tend to have lying around their homes. Not only can it be used for cooking, but it also works great as a cleaning product and a deodorizer.

This works the same as our essential oils trick but doesn't quite have the same fragrance effect, so bear that in mind. Simply mix one part vinegar with one part water and spray it on your clothes or the areas of your closet that have the most stubborn smells.

Don't be alarmed by the strong smell of vinegar. This disappears pretty quickly. Just don't spray the clothes that you are wearing that day, and you will be good to go.

Potpourri

Making your own handmade potpourri sachets is a super easy DIY project that will leave your custom closet smelling wonderful in no time.

You can tuck these anywhere you want in your closet, and they won't be an eyesore. Put them in your drawers, on your shelves, and you can even tie them to your wooden hangers.

You can collect the ingredients for the potpourri yourself with your own select choice of herbs and wood chippings, or if you prefer, you can buy a ready-made set from most perfume shops.

Vodka

No, it's not time to celebrate just yet. Vodka can actually serve as an excellent deodorizer the same way vinegar and essential oils work. Vodka is a completely clear liquid, so you don't have to worry about putting any stains on your clothes. It's also odorless too.

The tactic is the same with this tip. Mix the vodka with equal parts of water and gently spray your closet. This will get rid of any funky smells that are still lingering around in your custom closet.

Air Fresheners

Now this one may seem like common sense, but you will be surprised at how many people throw out perfectly good air fresheners when they still have life left in them.

If you are about to throw out the air conditioner from your car, then you may want to reconsider putting it into your custom closet. Because your closet is a very small confined space, it doesn't take a lot for the fragrance of the air freshener to have an effect.

Top Tip: If your air freshener has completely lost its fragrance, then you can revitalize it with this neat trick. Take out some of your favorite essential oils and put 10-20 drops onto the air freshener and leave it to dry. Once it has dried up, put it in your closet, and enjoy the delicious fragrances! This will usually last for about two weeks before you need to reapply.

Baking Soda

Baking soda is another staple product in the household. It seems there isn't one problem in the house that baking soda can't fix, and a smelly closet is just another one of those things.

All you have to do is add a few tablespoons of baking soda into an open container and store it in your closet. Just make sure that you take care not to knock it over, or you could have one big clean up job on your hands.

The baking soda acts as a superb deodorizer and also traps any excess moisture in the air. If you struggle with a damp closet, then this is definitely the best way to go.

Final Word

So there you have it! We hope that you enjoyed our top ten best tips and tricks for keeping those funky closet smells at bay. For the absolute best results, you should get creative and mix a number of these items and tips together.

Most people usually have at least a few of these items lying around their homes, so it doesn't hurt to try.

Good luck, and thanks for reading!

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