12 Quickest Ways to Get Rid of Bad Dorm Room Smells

When I was a freshman in college, one of my friends told me that my dorm smelled musty. My roommate and I were nose-blind to the smell, but nevertheless, I was so embarrassed. Ever since that day, I’ve figured out how to make my room smell good and keep it from stinking in the first place. 

The quickest ways to get rid of bad dorm room smells are wiping away any mold growth, emptying out your trash can, using a trash can with a lid on it, opening up your windows, washing your dirty bed sheets and clothes, cleaning your carpet and getting rid of spoiled food in your mini fridge.

Many people think that spraying air freshener in the room is enough, but that won’t keep the smell from coming back. If you really want to get rid of a stench for good, you have to find the root of the problem.

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1. Wipe Away Any Mold That’s Growing

Mold is a common source of stink in many dorm rooms. One of the reasons for this is because many students don’t even realize that it’s growing. To find out if you have mold, try looking under your bed, the window sill and the wall next to your window. These spots are common places that the fungus likes to grow in dorms. To get rid of it, all you need to do is spray some all purpose cleaner on the mold and wipe it away with a cleaning rag. Make sure that it’s not the same rag that you use to shower. 

2. Empty Your Trash Can

A trash can is one of the most common sources of bad smells. Even if you don’t have a lot of stuff in there, something you threw away may be giving off a bad scent. Go ahead and clear it out of your dorm room, spray some Febreze and see if the dorm’s stink fades away. While you’re at it, buy some scented trash bags instead of regular ones. They’ll mask the stench of your trash so that you don’t have to take it out as often.

3.Get A Small Trash Can With A Lid

If it’s within your budget, consider replacing the trash can you use for a trash can with a lid. Throwing trash into a can with a cover will help keep its stink trapped in the can. This doesn’t mean that you won’t have to empty it for a long time though. Trash is still trash and if you leave it for long enough, it’s gonna start stinking up the room. However, you won’t be taking the trash out as often if you use a lid. 

4.Ventilate Your Room By Opening The Windows

When’s the last time you opened up your dorm room window to let fresh air in? If you haven’t within the last 24 hours, go ahead and do that. Keeping them closed contributes to mold and mildew growth. Letting the fresh outdoor air fill your room for 15 minutes a day is enough to help elevate your dorm’s air quality. It’s also a good way to clear out any weird smells and keep your dorm from getting too humid. F.y.i, mold loves humidity, so don’t feed it what it loves.

5. Let Your Wet Clothes Dry Before Putting Them In The Hamper

Putting wet clothes in your hamper is just begging for mold to grow. They love wet and damp environments that allow for little air flow (a.k.a, your hamper). If you just got done working out, swimming, or doing anything that soaks your clothes, hang them somewhere to dry before putting them in the hamper. That should help prevent a terrible smell from rising out of your hamper and filling your dorm room.

6. Wash Your Dirty Clothes

Even if you don’t make a habit of putting wet clothes in your hamper, they could still be the source of your smelly dorm room. When’s the last time you washed them? If you’ve been too busy lately to do those chores, try to set some time aside and throw a load in the washer. You should make a habit of washing all of your clothes every one to two weeks. Any longer than that and it’s unhealthy. According to this 2014 study, our clothing collects many different germs throughout the day. Leaving these germs in your hamper for weeks on end will put an unpleasant smell in the air.

7. Wash Your Bed Sheets While You’re At It

If you’re thinking of tossing a load of clothes in the washing machine, throw in your bed sheets too. Not washing and changing your bed sheets every week or so can result in bad smells as well. Bed sheets collect all sorts of bacteria that we’re often unaware of. To name a few, your unwashed sheets are home to dead skin cells, bodily fluids, and dust. Not to mention that when you get home each day, you probably lay or sit on your bed with the clothes you just wore outside. Clothes collect a lot of bacteria too, and now they’re all on your sheets. Fix that by washing them real quick. 

8. Spray Down Any Funky Smelling Furniture

If you’ve recently decorated your room or just put in a new piece of furniture, it’s possible that it’s that furniture that stinks. Don’t panic, there’s no need to return it to the store (unless you really want to). Instead, you can use a product like Tide Antibacterial Fabric Spray to get rid of that weird smell. If the smell still doesn’t disappear after using this a few times, then go ahead and return the furniture if you can’t deal with its scent.

9. Call Maintenance To Get The Air Filter Changed

When I moved into my college apartment, my air filter was in desperate need of changing. It was really triggering my allergies. All I had to do was contact my school’s maintenance services and they promptly replaced it with a new one. A dirty air filter also has the potential to put a bad smell in the air, which can be especially noticeable in a space as small as a dorm room. Contact your university maintenance service to see if they can replace your room’s filter. 

10. Exercise Outside Of Your Dorm Room

If you’re a person that prefers to work off your daily calories in the comfort of your dorm room, I have some sad news for you. The sweat that you work up while working out may be the culprit of your dorm room’s musty scent. We all know that sweat stinks, but just because you wash it off in the shower after you’re done doesn’t mean the smell has left the room. You’re going to want to air the place out, wash your sweaty clothes and use an air freshener. Alternatively, you could just workout outside of your dorm to avoid the problem in the first place.

11. Clean Your Carpet

Just like your clothes and your bed sheets, a carpet is a perfect dish for bacteria to land and live on. Think of all the germs you tracked onto it with the shoes that you wore outside? That’s why it’s important to clean it every once in a while. Read this post to find out how to properly clean a carpet. 

12. Clean The Spoiled Food Out Of Your Mini Fridge

One of the most common and smelliest sources of dorm room stink is food that’s way past its expiration date. If you like to keep leftover food in your mini fridge, make a habit of going through it every once in a while to throw away food that’s been sitting there for a week or more. While you’re at it, wipe the shelves down with a Clorox wipe every now and again to keep it fresh and clean.