How to Get Rid of Cedar Smell

Cedar-lined closets can look great, but the funk they create is overwhelming. You open the door and it’s lying in wait for you. Not only that, but it clings to anything and everything stored in the closet.

 

Even if you remove your clothing from a cedar closet, you won’t be fortunate enough to get rid of this stubborn smell right away. You can expect to catch a whiff of Eau de Cedre for some time after the item has been removed. It may even infect other clothing items around it unless you get the reek problem under control.
 

 

How to Get Rid of Cedar Smell from Closet

1 Put Some Air on the the Problem

To lower the intensity of the cedar smell in a closet, open the door and let the air get circulate inside. Over time, you will find the “new cedar closet smell” will dissipate. Leave the door open when you go out to move the process along. You could try placing a fan near the closet to get the oil in the wood to dry out a bit faster and get the smell out.

 

2 Seal it with Lacquer Varnish

You can buy lacquer varnish at a hardware or building supply store. Apply it with a bristle or foam brush to seal in the cedar oil. Once the lacquer is dry, it will solve the stank issue. This is not an immediate fix; you will probably have to wait a few hours before the lacquer is dry to the touch and the pores in the cedar are sealed to get any relief from the smell.

 

3 Vinegar Spray-Down

White vinegar is a good, old-fashioned solution to getting lots of household smells out of items, and it can be used to get cedar stank out of a closet. Remove all the clothing and other items from the inside of the closet. Get a spray bottle and make up a vinegar and water solution. Spray the interior of the closet and allow to dry. The vinegar will lift out the smell as it evaporates. Once you have allowed the vinegar to dry, give the closet a good sniff. You may need to repeat the process if you detect any residual odor.

An alternative to spraying down the closet is to washing the closet with vinegar and water and a clean rag or a sponge. Wipe down with a dry rag immediately after cleaning a section of the closet. Allow to dry completely and give it the sniff test. :

 

Remove Smell from Closet by Placing Items At Floor Level

1 Baking Soda Odor Absorber

Baking soda is a great odor absorber, and it has the advantage of being cheap and plentiful. There’s a couple of ways you can use this product to get the smell out of your cedar closet. You could buy a bunch of boxes of baking soda, crack them open and put them in the bottom of your closet. If you have a bulk store in your neighborhood, consider loading up on baking soda there and putting some out in a tray and leaving it in the bottom of the closet for a couple of weeks. Over time, it will absorb the cedar smell.

If the smell is not particularly pungent, you may be able to get away with sprinkling some baking soda on the floor of the closet and leaving it overnight. Then just sweep or vacuum it up in the morning. The solution you choose will depend on the level of stank you are dealing with.

 

2 Activated Charcoal the Smell Outa There

Activated charcoal is used as a filter in aquariums. It’s also highly effective for absorbing odors, which makes it a great choice for dealing with a stanky cedar closet. You can pick some up at the pet store or a building supply outlet. It will probably come in a mesh bag. Place the charcoal in a shallow dish or plate, and leave it inside the closet for several days. The advantage of choosing this solution is direct you can reactivate the charcoal pipeline of seeing it in direct sunlight for several hours and reuse it to absorb odors in your closet or other areas of your house or car, if necessary.

 

3 Kitty Litter Smell Eraser

You may not have thought of kitty litter as being a solution to the problem of getting the smell out of your cedar lined closet, but it will help. Get a pan and fill it with clean litter. Place it in the bottom of the closet and leave it there for a few weeks. You don’t need to own a cat for this solution to work, and it may be better if you don’t only Katie to try this one, since you probably don’t want the aroma of Katie urine and poop interfering with what you’re trying to accomplish. Over time the kitty litter will absorb the cedar smell you may want to purchase a scoop and it’s stirred the kitty litter to hasten the odor-absorbing process along.

 

Get Cedar Smell Out of Clothing

1 Vinegar and Water Soak

The solution to the issue of clothing that smells like cedar involves three separate steps. 1st, you will want to soak the items for 45 minutes in a solution of one part vinegar to two parts water. The vinegar will cut through the smell and get rid of it. Next, wash the clothing as you normally would. Third, to give the items an extra boost of freshness, hand them outside to dry. The combination of fresh air and sunshine will get rid of any residual stank that is left hanging around.

 

2 Pet Store Enzyme Solutions

If you want to get the cedar smell out of your clothing, pay a visit to your local pet store. They sell some spray products with enzymes that break down pet accident odors and the staff should be able to suggest something that can help. Some of those products are even strong enough to deodorize body bags, so they should be able to look after this issue. Try the spray or liquid in a test spot before you coat the whole garment in the product in case it causes discoloration.

 
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