Just like a charcoal water filter, charcoal briquettes can be used to absorb moisture and remove odor from the air in your home. You may know that you can use charcoal to remove fridge odors, but they also work in other rooms. We’ve found them particularly helpful for “old apartment smell” if you’re in an old building or moist smells in basement-level units.As for how to distribute them, you can simply lay a few out in a metal tray.