Anything can do to prevent odd airing cupboard smell tainting my towels?

We used to get this too.

I'd put my towwels away smelling of fresh air and fabric conditioner, and they'd come out smelling odd.

I bought a paacket of tumble drier sheets and placed a few on top of and in between the towels.

Bit of a pain in the bum, but worked a little!

I had considered doing this but thought would just check if anything more convenient first!

The smell is almost rusty if that makes sense?

Can you paint the shelving?

Failing that I would put something on the shelves (such as paper or sheet of thin plastic) and add a small solid air freshner in there like this

We thought the smell was coming from the boiler as the cupboard houses this too.

We also keep looses bars of soap in there and although we can smell the soapy smell when we open the cupboard, there is still a faint trace of "that" smell on the towels.

I've actually got to the stage where it doesn't bother me as much as I use a fresh towel every day (but that's another argument! lol)

Thanks will try some of these things.

Can't believe the title has had ... added to the end when it would have been shorter to have just had the original '?' which these have replaced?!