What can I do about my Spare room smelling really musty?

I've tried putting small bowls of vinegar and potatoes and onions sliced in half placed in corners to absorb odours, with some success.

Do you have a window in the spare room? Open and set a box fan to move air flow. Consider and over-head fan for the room.

@Patti. It has to be the clothing or fabric. If any of the pastic containers have small holes or cracks, or are simply not sealed, the clothing may have gotten enough moisture from the air to get mold or mildew, producing the musty smell. If there are any vintage, heritage, or just plain old clothes, they would smell mustier the older they are. The zippered plastic bags are pretty good for keeping out most moisture and bugs, but they also hold in condensation, mold, mildew, sweat, and any other moisture. So check out all the clothing; check for water stains and damage to the ceiling, walls, and floor; check other items stored in the room (stuffed animals, rugs, newspapers, quilts, lumber); and clean and repair all the places you need to. Then set out boxes or sprinkle baking soda in all the corners and crevices in the room, a lot of baking soda, and let it work in the room about a month. Best wishes 😇

First, check that there is no leak anywhere that may be causing water to come in. Then clean the room thoroughly. The problem might also be that there needs more air circulation. Don't just stack the containers, put them on shelves or if you have to stack them, use something to lift off the floor a bit and put some under the bottom tote and between each in the stack. I used some left over 1X1 wood pieces, but you could use, cardboard egg cartons (tape the top shut tight) ) under the corners. Or even some Styrofoam pieces that were used in packing boxes. Good Luck

Try putting a bowl of white vinegar in the room for a few days.

just had an estate sale in a house that had a room like that, found out they had a small leak when it rained hence the musty smell. We used the vinegar and water and it helped until the owner could get it fixed.

cross ventilation is the answer. Open windows and let air help. There is a product you can buy called Odor Xit. No E, just xit. Spray that in the room, it will cancel the musty odor.

If you don't like the smell of vinegar, If you have a cup of coffee beans in a bowl will work too. It's used at perfume stores to reduce the build up of sprayed scents.

Assuming that you don't mind the smell of coffee of course!

As long as you haven't used it to brew a pot! Try about a 1/2 cup on a saucer or in a bowl.