How To Keep Your Bedding From Smelling Like Your Linen Closet

I love a good linen closet. You know, the ones with nice, deep shelves and plenty of room for stuffing giant duvets and quilts inside. But the thing about linen closets is they always seem to have a scent. You know the one. Some people say it smells like crayons, some say it smells musty, but no matter what, pretty much everyone feels like their bedding and sheets have a slight stink after they’ve been sitting in the linen closet. Short of having all your bedding out in the fresh air every day, how can you keep your bedding smelling fresh while storing it?

Luckily, there’s not a lot to worry about with your linen closet — unless the smell is super atrocious. For the most part, linen closets are dark and small, and sheets and bedding can also have a whole lot of stuff in them — even when freshly washed. When you think about it, your body is lying in those sheets for a majority of the day, and dead skin cells, sweat, etc., can stay in the fibers. When you wrap those up into a linen closet that doesn’t get a lot of circulation and stays fairly warm, it’s easy to see how a scent can grow.

But don’t worry. You may not be able to make your linen closet smell perfect, but you can make sure your bedding smells fresh. Michelle Piombino, Purex laundry expert and principal scientist, says it’s honestly about finding a quality laundry detergent and using a scent booster.

But another big tip? Make sure your bedding is fully dry before storing it in your linen closet. Piombino says storing your sheets, duvets, blankets, pillowcases, etc., when they’re completely dried can make a huge difference in keeping unpleasant odors away and maximizing your bedsheets’ freshness.

There are also a few other hacks you can try to keep your bedding fresh in your linen closet:

Place a dryer sheet in the folds of your sheets or pillowcases to keep a nice scent.
Add an odor-absorber like baking soda to the shelves.
Get rid of any sheets you don’t use so the shelves aren’t so crowded.
Use vacuum-sealed bags for big items like duvets and comforters to keep moisture and dust out.

If you’re still worried about your linen closet smells, don’t be. People tend to overstuff linen closets, and the lack of ventilation (and, often, linen closets have access to attics inside) can just bring out all of those scents in your bedding. Richard Hunt, a general contractor, tells Scary Mommy that one of his most requested items in home renovations is to replace linen closet doors with slatted doors so that air can move through them properly.

Every once in a while, go in and reorganize your bedding. Air out some sheets, shake out pillow cases and bedding, and maybe wipe down the shelves. You’re still bound to get a little bit of a musty smell in such a small space, but using high-quality detergent and scent boosters can go a long way.