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Mom has no sense of smell and is a bit leaky. We've done a lot to control the situation but she still has a little leakage into her clothes. She sometimes doesn't realize she's got an odor in her slacks and puts them in her closet to wear another day. She's working hard to take the advice of the incontinence clinic and I'm satisfied with that - this is kind of a little thing and I'm not going to make a big deal out of it because she's trying - that's what counts to me.

However, her closet does kind of smell. Not as bad as it used to but it still does. Short-term, I sometimes sneak in there and sniff around for offending items that I can remove, but it embarrasses her so I only do it when I won't get caught. Also, I could probably convince her to let me put in something that absorbs odors or could spray in there with some odor-masking spray.

For the long-term, though, does anyone know if this will cause a problem? Will it get into the paint/drywall and just stay there? I'm also concerned that spraying in there will cause moisture problems in the drywall/paint, so I'm reluctant to use sprays in there.

Any advice?

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Have you tried Nature's Little Miracle? It is wonderful for pet accidents. You can spray it on clothes, too. Smells much better than vinegar and is safe to use.
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Does mom have a clothes hamper in her room? If she doesn't, get her one. Explain to her that she has plenty of clothes, so, when she wears something of a day, into the hamper it goes -- dirty or not.

Is she wearing Attends briefs? These are very much like panties, but the maximum absorbency will handle any leakage so it doesn't get on her clothing to begin with. They don't show under clothing.

Are you washing her bed clothes regularly? If she has a leakage problem, surely her bed clothes need laundering every day. Get a waterproof pad for underneath the fitted sheet so it doesn't get on the mattress.

Room spray in the closet isn't going to hurt anything, but it merely covers up the odor. The smell of urine is unlikely to permeate the walls/paint. They have some dry odor control that sits on the floor and neutralizes odor. Ace Hardware ought to have something like that. It's not specifically for urine, but it does work.
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Just make a new rule of putting any clothes she has worn for the day into the hamper,don't even let them make it into the closet. Masking odors is never a really good long term solution, best to get the odor at it's source. Thankfully your mom seems to want to cooperate so if you put it to her diplomatically I am sure the hamper thing will work out.Also even one piece of clothing with uring on it in an enclosed place like a closet is going to make everything smell like uring whether it is on it or not. I often have to do things in my moms room to make it smell better when she is not around as I don't want to embarrass her.Just really try to get her on board about putting clothes in the hamper and this will probably stop the smell instead of masking it, good luck.
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I use Fabreeze! just spray it in her room and her closet although mum never puts her clothes back in the closet she just throws them on the stairs,floor,bathroom floor,under the kitchen table,anywhere really!! I also use a deodourant in the hoover so when im hoovering the carpet gets refreshed! Mum will not let me in her room so like you i sneak in when shes alseep down stairs! you see i just dont get this if they get embarrassed then they must know its wrong? mum will fling her depends all over THEN thursday night she picks them all up and puts them in the bin because the cleaning lady is coming friday morning? i really dont get this illness can drive you bonkers!
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Charcoal may help. You can get a small bag at the pet store. Open and place at the bottom of area where her clothes hang. There are also cedar blocks and other type hanging deodorizers you can use. The hamper should really help...if she will use it.
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Would she wear and change a pad a couple of times a day?
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Baking soda, and cat litter both work well. They don't disguise the odor as some so called room fresheners (some of which have toxic chemicals).

Coffee grounds and crumpled newspapers also help, but I really wouldn't want coffee grounds in a closet, and the newspapers would be so obvious that your mother might inquire why they're there.
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She's got a hamper. She wears her incontinence pads and is working on doing all the things the incontinence clinic suggested. She's not convinced, though, that she shouldn't wear clothes a second day, if she thinks they're clean and it's not worth the hassle to try to convince her. I suspect the problem is really her PJs, which she doesn't have many sets of and isn't going to buy more of, being a bit cash-strapped.

Thanks for the other suggestions for subtle things I could stick in her closet. I've got a little flexibility in putting things in the closets without hurting her feelings. Our other closets are a bit dampish and I've been putting DampRids in them, so I could make the excuse that all the closets are a bit funky and need treatment, including hers. That way, she won't feel singled-out.

So, thanks for the suggestions of things like charcoal, Nature's Little Miracle, and other products.

By the way, I do use Febreze on the garbage cans. My cans are plastic, a mistake for the pads, I know, but the metal ones are so expensive and I just wash and Febreze the plastic ones, once in awhile. I've been hesitant to do that in the closets, though, as I don't want to ruin the drywall, so I think trying some of the things like charcoal might be a good start for me.
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I heard that placing a scented dryer sheets in the closet helps [I haven't tired it yet].
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