That distinct scent on clothes that haven’t been worn in a couple of years or more.
Same with fabrics on homes or cars, such as curtains and carpets.
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Loosely, think of a sponge and it absorbing water.
That is what happens with all the fabrics. They absorb what is in the air: dust, pollen, smoke, dead skin particles, etc. All of that combines into the musty smell.
Vacuum seal clothes that you want to keep fresh, i suppose.
Have someone cook for you, don’t be inside while they do it, walk inside 2 minutes before the food is ready. Multiply that odor by years.
As far as cars go, various things can cause that. Things breaking down, though – like the foam in the seats and the glues holding the car together, can definitely be a big part of that. I’d assume that this would also apply to fabrics in clothing. Possibly bacteria too, or whatever organic matter was in/on them breaking down.
My understanding is that it’s dust mites, and what they excrete. Synthetic fabrics also take up sweat and bacteria, and it does not clean out as it accumulates over time.
Using eucalyptus oil, a few drops, in a load of laundry, kills the mites. That has really helped for cotton sheets and t-shirts. It doesn’t do much for synthetics that have picked up other odors over time.
For clothing, it’s dust mites and bacteria. Want a pro tip from someone who does costumes for a local theatre group? If you are storing something for the long term, get a spray bottle and fill it with cheap vodka. Then spray everything you plan to store. Don’t “soak” it, just a misting spray. Keeps the odor at bay, and doesn’t reek like mothballs.
Closet smell! I think it’s bacteria and dust mites. I don’t notice it on wool (which is naturally anti-microbial), just cotton and synthetics.
My warm flannel sheets I just took out for the cooler season, I had to put through hot wash three times before they passed the sniff test. I may be an exception though, I’m a “super smeller” and can smell things others in my household and my friends and coworkers cannot.
A component that no one else has mentioned yet is oils going rancid. Your skin excretes oils that are absorbed by your clothing and bedding. The oils combine with oxygen (no bacteria needed) to form various other molecules and some of them smell bad. The same happens with dry foods that sit too long. If you’ve ever found an old bag of flour or box of pasta, it has the same smell.
I like to describe that smell as TIme.
“This t-shirt smells like time.” Is something I say when I unpack stored boxes.
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