Smelly drawers- and advice would be appreciated!

Kandace
by Kandace
My dresser drawers make my clothes smell bad and they are 5 years old. I’ve tried everything to make the smell go away to no avail. Also some of my clothes hanging in my closet smell bad too. What am I not doing? I’ve tried cedar blocks, sachets and odor spray, nothing seems to work. Any advise would be appreciated. Thank you for your time!

  7 answers
  • Elaine Schoepf Elaine Schoepf on Jun 03, 2018

    i had a chest of drawers that had a terrible smell, too. It was the stain used on the wood. I got rid of it as the smell just too much. Should have tried sanding it and painting over...

  • Deb K Deb K on Jun 03, 2018

    Do you smoke in your house? The only thing i an think of is painting the drawers and closet

  • Nonni Nonni on Jun 03, 2018

    Are you sure it is the drawers? If the problem is happening in your closet also, it sounds like it is the clothes not your drawers that are the problem. Perhaps you are leaving your laundry in the washer for too long before transferring to the dryer? You can add a cup of vinegar to your wash and it helps to clean the smell out of your clothes-but you might want to put them through an extra rinse after. Also, you can buy some washer cleaner that is supposed to help clean smells out of your washer. If you take the clothes out of the drawers, do they still smell? Perhaps sprinkling them with baking soda and rub it all over the sides of the drawers. Then let them sit overnight. Vacuum clean. Hopefully, that will help.

    • Kandace Kandace on Jun 05, 2018

      I never leave my clothes in the washer and use tide and downy. im wondering if I am trying to fit to many clothes in my closet . Im fixin to throw the smelly ones out. I just don’t get it lol.

  • Mar33482700 Mar33482700 on Jun 03, 2018

    sounds horrible try a bar in each drawer of sandalwood soap (bee & flower) and hang them in your closet. They come in packs of three six and 24. Online is best bet for a good price. I use them for everything, they're great for getting stains out, and a good bug deterrent.

  • 17335038 17335038 on Jun 04, 2018

    Good point from Nonni that if the smell is in both the closet and the drawers it may be coming from the clothing being improperly washed or rinsed.

  • Oliva Oliva on Jun 06, 2020

    You may be washing too large a load of laundry at one time. Also, try adding a handful of 20 Mule Team Borax inside your front washer, atop the clothes, in addition to the Tide.

    Your dryer may not be able to handle larger loads. Try drying smaller loads of laundry to see if it corrects the problem. Also, check the drain filter on your washer and have your dryer filter cleaned, its entire length.

  • Patty Patty on Jun 06, 2020

    Are you drying your clothes all the way? Do you live in a humid area? Does your house have mold? Usually dressers do not give off odor unless they are very old. Something not right here. Run white vinegar through your washer.