How To Keep Your Linen Closet Smelling Fresh
For most of us, doing laundry is a chore we’d like to keep to a minimum. Sorting, washing, drying, and folding are just a few activities that are only calming for so long before they rapidly turn monotonous. As such, we’d all like to keep the time and cost of washing clothes to a minimum. Unfortunately, sometimes, our clothes and sheets aren’t on the same page as us. After a week or two in a dresser or closet, they start to lose that wonderful fresh smell of a job well done.
What’s worse is that after a few weeks to a month, linens and other items that have been left untouched tend to pick up unwanted smells. Most of the time, it’s just a dusty or old woody smell from sitting in the confines of a closet shelf for too long. Other times, it’s much less welcome odors that originate from must and mold lurking in hard-to-reach spots of our dark storage spaces. Instead of asking how to keep your clothes smelling good, we instead need to investigate how to keep your linen closet smelling fresh!
Eliminating Any Moisture
The first step to effectively enhancing the aromas within your closet is to tackle any existing bad smells. Even in the cleanest of homes, bad smells still happen, whether we want them to or not. It’s simply a result of a house aging and doing its best to defend a family against the pressures of season changes and weather. As time passes, moisture and even pests begin to encroach, especially in dark places that don’t see a lot of foot traffic. Even if the rest of the house is dry and immaculate, water has a way of finding an ingress wherever you least want it, namely closets and crawl spaces.
The first step to banishing bad odors for good is to address the potential for mold, must, and dust. Throw open your closet doors and let in the sunshine. Dropping a charcoal bag in the same room is a great way to help draw out bacteria-laden moisture during the airing out process. Afterward, consider popping a small tray of plaster or kitty litter into an inconspicuous corner, as these moisture and odor absorbers will both work to keep further intrusion by odors well at bay.
Upgrading the Closet
Once you know your closet has been properly aired and is free of any musty odors, try upgrading a few elements that may be adding to the problem. If your closet has a tight-shutting door, for instance, this is likely a major factor in the retention of moisture. Consider installing a different style of door, or make a habit of letting the door stand open for an hour or two each day. A folding door may generally have a few parts where the hinges line up with each fold, allowing just a bit more air in naturally. For closets that really seem to collect a damp smell, consider a slatted door to maximize airflow. Letting a fan run in the room for a bit or placing a fan directly in the closet will also prove to be a big help.
The next best thing you can do to help keep your closet smelling good is to add a deodorizer to the space. As noted, plaster and kitty litter help draw out bad smells and humidity. To add a good smell back into the clean air, try a shelf liner.
Contact paper often comes scented, and you’ll enjoy the burst of fresh-smelling goodness each time you open the closet. What’s more, liners seal in the material of your shelves, which is extremely beneficial on raw wood surfaces. Rough and unfinished materials are natural havens for bacteria and dust, which cause bad smells and can even stain your sheets. Finally, these handy liners simply protect your items by creating a smooth surface that’s easy to clean and won’t snag on cloth.
What To Do Before Storing
The moment of truth comes when your painstakingly cleaned sheets and linens finally make their way to long-term storage. Before you close the door, though, try boosting the good smelling potential one last time. As noted, scented drawer liners are a great way to seal in a pleasant aroma for a much longer time. Trying dropping your linen in a temporary storage space such as a dresser lined with scented contact paper. After a few days to a week, the amazing smells will sink in thoroughly and may even spread throughout the closet if its shelves aren’t already likewise equipped with shelf liners.
Another very effective trick is to apply a touch of luxury linen spray to subtly boost the good aromas. The best time to use linen spray is either during the drying process or right afterward. You can either spritz a bit into the dryer to lightly dust your wet clothes or spray a laundry wool ball with a light coating before tossing it into the dryer with the rest of your items. Finally, when you pull your sheets and things out of the dryer, mist each item lightly with your spray of choice. Linen sprays are made with scented essence water. The best varieties are more like a very diluted perfume and use water (or water with some alcohol) as a carrier for the essence scents.
Scentennials carries a wide selection of high-quality and amazing-smelling linen sprays that are both perfect and safe for your sheets, clothes, and other fabrics around the house. What’s more, linen sprays are safe to use on just about anything. Try spritzing them around the house as an alternative air freshener. It can even safely be used in bedding, couches, and other frequented areas to help fight off everyday odors.
How to keep your linen closet smelling fresh can easily seem like a frustrating conundrum. It doesn’t need to be such a hassle, however, with the right tools and equipment. We offer many home products designed to make housekeeping easy and enjoyable, even in those forgotten corners! Explore Scentennials today for your new luxury home care favorites.
