You open your wardrobe, take our a jumper that you haven’t worn for a while, and as soon as you put it on, you notice a familiar smell…your olfactory memory transports you in a flash back to your grandmother’s living room, you can even hear the fire crackling in the hearth….and there’s that stale, musty smell! Isn’t it a wonderful memory? Problem is, once the memory has faded, you realise you’re actually at home, maybe even heading out somewhere, and you’re wearing a damp, smelly jumper.
Let’s take a look at 5 tricks to scent your wardrobe and ensure your clothes smell good, as though they’re just out of the wash.
Tip 1: Eradicate damp from the wardrobe
To get rid of damp from a wardrobe, simply fill a muslin bag with two large cups of sea salt, to which you can add some activated charcoal and bits of white chalk. These materials absorb moisture and protect your clothes from that horrible stale smell. Just hang the bag inside the wardrobe (change the salt regularly).
Check out this tutorial to make a home dehumidifier:
Tip 2: Make an odour absorber
Remove smells from your wardrobe with a natural odour absorber. Cheap and easy to make, this pretty-much-instant solution will get rid of unwanted smells. To make it, put some activated charcoal in a muslin bag. Put the bag in a plastic bowl and leave it in the wardrobe. Bye-bye bad smells!
Tip 3: Switch naphthalene for cedar
It is common to make the mistake of trying to combat odours or harmful insects with remedies that are worse than the problem itself. As such, we highly recommend using cedar chips instead of naphthalene. The smell of cedar eliminates odours and acts as an effective natural moth repellent. Put cedar chips in a bag or use a whole chunk of cedarwood on a shelf of the wardrobe.
Tip 4: Remove the smell of damp from bedding and clothes…
In winter or at especially damp times of the year, your clothes may not dry well or quickly enough. How often do you go to put on a T-shirt or underwear only to realise they’re still damp? This is not only unpleasant but also makes you more susceptible to catching the cold!
Damp clothes always smell bad, but there is a solution: if your clothes are smelly, put them in the washing machine and choose the “cold wash” setting, adding some detergent as well as a little vinegar. The bad smells will be gone, and you just need to dry the clothes in a well-ventilated room.
Tip 5: Make your own air freshener
To do this trick for yourself, soak a cotton pad in your favourite perfume. If you think your perfumes will be too strong, we recommend using fabric softener rather than a perfume. You can also make scented sachets with dried lavender, rose petals, jasmine flowers or essential oils. Just put the soaked cotton pad or the scented sachets in your wardrobe. Renew these once the scent has faded.