VINEGAR: One thing that sounds weird, but works well is to place several small bowls of white vinegar in the area where the odors are (cars, cupboards, dressers, closets, etc) for a day or two. I know it sounds strange, but the vinegar will remove the odors & the vinegar smell will go away too!
How to get rid of made in China smell effectively? You can just leave the products under sunlight or outside to air them out. But if the smell is still present in your products, you can use a mixture of vinegar, water, and scented detergent/liquid dishwasher.
Vinegar & Water Solution
White vinegar will work the best, but if you don't have that on hand you can try apple cider vinegar as well. Just mix water and vinegar together using a 1:1 ratio and thoroughly wipe down your piece of furniture, then allow it to air dry.
To remove musty smells from old furniture, fill plastic containers with white vinegar; seal, and punch holes in lids. Put one inside each drawer or cabinet overnight to absorb odors. For extreme cases, clean interiors with a vinegar-dampened cloth.
Most likely, your cabinets have a musty smell. This is caused by excess moisture in the cabinet, something that is quite common in many regions across the country. Most cabinetry is located in the kitchen or bathroom, both rooms that are exposed to water elements.
Vinegar and baking soda have both been known to absorb odors, although you won't want to mix them unless you want a mess on your hands! Leaving a bowl of vinegar in each cabinet overnight, or up to a day, can help remove the musty smell from your cabinets.
Combine 1 part white vinegar with 4 parts water. Put the solution in a spray bottle, spray it onto the wood, then wipe the spray over the surface with a cloth. Wipe the area with a damp cloth that has only water on it to rinse. Pat the wood dry afterward.
If the musty smell seems to be emanating from a small area like a closet or cupboard, grab some baking soda! Place a small dish of baking soda in the enclosed area for up to 24 hours. The baking soda will absorb excess moisture and odors, and leave things smelling much fresher.
Many odors can be removed using vinegar or baking soda as part of your wash cycle, and if those don't work, commercial sanitizers and sports detergents target odor-causing bacteria, too. Air drying outside is also a great option for freshening fabrics.
Formaldehyde in clothing also makes it more flammable, and can cause contact dermatitis. Washing will remove the chemical treatment. Baking soda adsorbs (yes, that's spelled right, it is a chemical process, no a physical one) some of it, but does not neutralize it.
In a nutshell, he said the smell is most likely the result of various processes used to treat plastics during the manufacturing process: Most plastics aren't fit for consumers in their unfinished state, so manufacturers add other chemicals to improve the stability of the material.
Baking soda is a well-known tool used to absorb nasty odors and moisture odors. For a quick fix, fill a bowl with baking soda and leave in your closet for one day. For longer odor-fighting power, TheSpruce.com recommends storing an open box of baking soda inside your custom closet and leave it for up to a year.
You can clean it off by using a solution of vinegar or bleach that's diluted with water. Don't forget to use protective gloves, masks, and clothing when attempting to remove mould. After cleaning, let it air-dry completely in the sun to help remove any lingering smell.
Combine equal parts vinegar and warm water in a spray bottle and spritz this solution on the mold. Let the solution dry for one hour, then wipe down the surface with a moistened cloth, followed by a dry towel.
How Do You Seal Smelly Wood? Apply two coats of polyurethane to all the bare wood. Since it is water-based, this should seal the source of the odor and prevent it from smelling for a long time. While drying, keep the unit well ventilated.
Bacteria and germs can permeate porous wood causing awful “old-smell” odors. To eliminate the smell, kill the bacteria and germs by cleaning the inside of the drawers and all surfaces with a sponge dampened with vinegar, Murphy's Oil Wood Soap or any Anti-Fungal Detergents. Then let dry in a well ventilated area.
Fresh, dry air helps remove the moisture partially responsible for musty odors. If the cabinets came from outside your home, set them outside in a sunny area during non-humid conditions to completely dry them out; it may take several days. Within your own home, a musty odor may mean it's too humid indoors.
Baking Soda
Add three tablespoons of baking soda into a container, with holes in the lid (or skip the lid all together) and put it inside your closet. The baking soda will absorb the moisture in the air and keep your clothes from smelling musty.
Adding a 1/2 cup of white vinegar with the detergent when you wash your clothes gets rid of any odors that tend to stick to the clothes. This trick also helps rid laundry of cigarette smell. Wash your clothes as you usually do, but add 1 cup of white vinegar to the final rinse.
White vinegar is a powerful odor neutralizer and works wonders on underarm areas of fabrics. Fill your washing machine with water, then add 1/3 cup of white vinegar. Turn off the machine and let the garment soak for 20 minutes, then launder as usual.