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.
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.
Deodorize While Cleaning
Completely wipe down the cabinets with a mixture of equal parts water and white vinegar on a slightly damp sponge or lint-free cloth. The vinegar helps cut greasy residue while removing odors, says the Maid Brigade.
Bacteria and germs can permeate wood which causes the awful “old-smell”. 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, hydrogen peroxide, or any anti-fungal detergents.
Air out drawers, cupboards and wardrobes
Place a lunchbox-sized container of baking soda, fresh coffee grounds, or cat litter inside for a couple of days with the doors/drawers closed, then remove the container and air the space again. This will help to absorb and neutralise the smell.
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.
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.
Condensation. Damp and mould is usually caused by an excess of moisture building up in a particular area. When fitted wardrobes are built against exterior walls, the area behind them is cut off from the rest of the room so it doesn't receive the heat and air circulation that it once had.
Deodorize the Room
Unpleasant odors lurk in the carpets, rugs, and upholstery. To remove these musty smells, fill a dish with half an inch of white vinegar and leave it out in the room until the smell dissipates.
Even once you've killed the mould, the musty smell can linger and will stop your home from ever smelling fresh. Luckily, Febreze eliminates odours, rather than just covering them up. The trick lies in the active ingredient, cyclodextrin, a doughnut-shaped molecule that locks the odour in its ring to eliminate it.
Vinegar, baking soda, and hot water should be sufficient to get the job done, but you can also choose to make a bleach solution. To do it, mix one cup of powdered bleach with one cup of warm water in a bucket and use that as your scrubbing solution.
A bowl of vinegar will rid much of the mustiness that may be offending your olfactory sense. Just let it sit for 10 to 15 hours to do its magic. The vinegar will absorb pretty much any odor—from cigarette smoke to pet odors.
Vinegar absorbs odors and neutralizes them to leave a room with a fresh scent. White distilled and apple cider vinegar both work well at absorbing odors. When you use vinegar, you will need several shallow bowls. Fill the bowls with the vinegar, and place them in the room with the odor.
Many folks say you need to wait two weeks, but I don't think that's the case. I've found that just waiting a few days will allow the vinegar to take on its new smell. Quick note: citrus fruits have oils which help in the cleaning process, specifically with degreasing.
Use newspapers or absorbent paper to line the shelves as it will absorb the moisture and can be periodically changed. Introduce silica gel packets or wrap powdered charcoal in a muslin cloth. The charcoal powder removes musty odours from the wardrobe and should be replaced after two months.
Water (with a pH of 7) and dish soap (with a pH between 7 and 8) are always good options. The best cleaner, the one that is less likely to do damage to the wood is good old-fashioned elbow grease. Applied with a damp cloth, elbow grease should be effective at removing dirt and dust and even oil and grease build-up.
Dawn dish soap is famous for being an excellent degreaser, and this simple tip might be the best way to clean wooden cabinets. It is also mild enough that it won't ruin your wood cabinets or their finish. You can even use dish detergent as the best way to clean painted kitchen cabinets, too.
Deep cleaning:
Place about 1/2 teaspoon of dish soap or oil soap wood cleaner on the scouring sponge. Wet the sponge slightly and gently scrub the cabinet allowing it to form a lather. Wipe with a slightly wet cloth with fresh water in it. Then dry it with a microfiber cloth.
Vinegar makes an excellent wood cleaner because it won't damage wood finish or warp wood like other products do. Cleaning with vinegar is a green alternative to the sometimes toxic and expensive cleaners offered at the store.
Vinegar is the go-to natural cleaner when faced greasy cabinets. Mix a 50/50 solution of vinegar and warm water and pour it into a spray bottle. Mist on cabinets, let sit for a minute or two and then wipe clean with a soft cloth.