How To Get Rid Of Musty Smell In Basement

How To Get Rid Of Musty Smell In Basement – This article was co-authored by Daniel Olin and colleague Madeline Criglow. Danielle Olin is a professional cleaner and the CEO of Easyway Maid Service, a house cleaning company based in Austin, Texas. Daniel and Easyway Maid Service have over four years of experience specializing in high quality maid services as well as holiday cleaning and comprehensive deep home cleaning. Daniel graduated from UCLA with a BA in Psychology.

This article cites 9 references at the bottom of the page.

How To Get Rid Of Musty Smell In Basement

A musty smell in your home is never fun, but it’s common and easy to get rid of. If you’re tired of the smell and looking for a quick solution, there’s a lot you can do. We’ve got lots of helpful tips, such as making sure your home has proper ventilation and checking whether the smell is coming from a specific source (and what to do if it is).

Diy Tips On How To Get Rid Of Musty Smell In Basement

This article was co-authored by Daniel Olin and colleague Madeline Criglow. Danielle Olin is a professional cleaner and the CEO of Easyway Maid Service, a house cleaning company based in Austin, Texas. Daniel and Easyway Maid Service have over four years of experience specializing in high quality maid services as well as holiday cleaning and comprehensive deep home cleaning. Daniel graduated from UCLA with a BA in Psychology. This article has been viewed 88,022 times. If your house or basement has musty smells and you want to get rid of them, the first thing you should do is ask a few questions. If my house has mold, do I have mold too? Will my house get damp in the summer? Does my house only smell musty when it rains or only after I’m on vacation?

When you limit symptoms, you can focus on eliminating the problem. The only permanent way to get rid of mold odors in your home is to get to the root cause. In this article, we’ll discuss the sources of musty odors in your home and how to deal with them.

Note—I don’t like air fresheners. We want to eliminate musty odors, not just mask them.

Mold and fungus problems exist in homes both old and new. Over time, older homes can develop leaks in places they shouldn’t be. New homes are built so tightly that excess moisture accumulates inside.

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As a homeowner or renter, you need to consider indoor air quality. If you have a stuffy or runny nose at home but feel better when you go out, that’s a red flag.

So what is the difference between mold and mildew? Both are fungi that prefer moist conditions. Both have a weird musty smell, but mold is usually smellier.

Downy mildew is usually powdery mildew or downy mildew (think powdery mildew on plants). It forms a thin layer on the surface. It is usually white, gray or light brown.

For example, we have a cat litter box in the basement. The box is plastic, so the floor cannot breathe where the two come into contact. We have mold underneath our crates. It was easy to clean, but I knew I had to pay attention to a few things.

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The same thing happens with plastic bins. (See Alternate Storage for more information on bulk storage.) We tried keeping the carpet in the basement for a while but found that it tended to cause mold under the carpet.

Mold is usually thick, black or green, appears cloudy, and can penetrate materials. If a mold infection is severe enough, it can cause structural damage. Black mold is often associated with health problems and may require professional mold removal.

Sometimes a house or basement has mold from other sources. Pet odors, volatile organic compounds, and other chemicals in carpets, furniture, or other items can also cause stuffy, moldy homes.

In the summer, humidity is usually higher. Cold winter air can’t hold as much moisture, so we add heat, making the air drier. Higher humidity promotes mold growth. Warmer temperatures also favor their growth.

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If the temperature is 65°F to 75°F and the humidity is low – fresh air flowing through the house will help. If the air outside is humid, smelly, or dusty, close the windows.

You may notice more musty smells in your basement as warm, moist air condenses on cool basement surfaces, promoting mold growth. A whole-house ventilation system can help circulate air from the basement throughout the house.

If you go on vacation and come home to a house that has mold, chances are it’s just mold or outdated parts. Open windows or turn on a filter or fan to circulate fresh air and dissipate odors.

Moisture promotes mold growth. If your house smells musty after it rains, and the conditions are noticeably different, the rain may be going where it shouldn’t. The first places to check are the roof and attic, but rainwater can also seep into basements and crawl spaces.

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Check your roof for leaks, especially around roof openings such as chimneys. Check basement walls for leaks. Check all exterior walls for signs of water damage.

Inside the house – watch for leaks in pipes. Regularly check the drain lines of your air conditioning or heating equipment.

Even if your drain hose isn’t flowing, over time, outlet housing can build up inside. This may smell musty. They can also collect and retain water, causing all kinds of “yuck.”

Many front-loading washing machines will have some water remaining in the bottom. Over time, bacteria multiply in the water, causing a musty smell in the laundry area. We ran into this problem on our first front-end loader. The new unit has a small drain hose that I clean out standing water every two weeks.

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An improperly installed drain hose can trap water in the pipe or allow sewer gases to escape into the home. (This can also cause drain pipes to freeze.) Make sure the drain pipe is installed correctly.

Windows can present problems in many different ways. First, cold windows in warm rooms are prone to condensation, causing mold to form on the inside of the window. Secondly, if not installed, water can leak through the windows and into the walls of the house.

Mold loves to grow in the nooks and crannies where refrigerator and freezer door seals sweat. Clean the drain pan regularly – especially if water spills into the refrigerator. Check out the best refrigerator deodorizers for more detailed refrigerator care.

Real plants can improve indoor air quality, but plants can also be the source of bad odors. Be careful not to overwater the plant and allow it to dry out between waterings. Remove dead leaves and debris from indoor plants and compost them. Spray the plant’s leaves and soil with a microbial inoculant or compost tea to seed the surface with beneficial bacteria and push mold onto the plant.

Our Hopeful Home: 6 Tips For Getting Rid Of Old Furniture Smell

Not surprisingly, trash can fill your home with a musty smell. Even though we’re in the country we do a weekly rubbish collection, but the smelly items can become quite ripe within six days.

I try to dry the trash before it goes into the trash can. If there are any leftover meats (they won’t end up as chicken snacks), I keep them in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator until scrap day.

Often, when food and drink containers go into the recycling bin, there is little food left in the container. If it dries or continues to be recycled, there is no problem. If it hangs in your house for too long, it will stink.

The same goes for a baby bottle rolled under the couch or a cup with a drop of milk left on the bottom. Do you prefer eating on the couch rather than at the dining room table? Over time, all of this food debris can build up and add a “unique aroma” to your home. Old food can go bad and smell musty or unpleasant.

How To Get Rid Of Musty Smell In Basement

It’s impossible to walk down the bread aisle at the grocery store without smelling the faint aroma of years-old stale bread crumbs. (This is why I always bake my own bread.)

Sometimes, things that have been wet in the past can still contain mold. If you experience flooding or other water damage, be sure to inspect all affected areas. Carpets are one of the worst culprits, but mold can hide in books, furniture, walls, and more.

An electric fan can help dry the area and circulate air in damp, moldy areas. An oscillating fan is better because it pulls air into corners.

For tips on how to deal with moldy carpets, see The Best Odor Removers for Refrigerators, Freezers, Carpets, and More.

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I think most of us have walked into a home where all we could smell was pet odor. When you share your home with

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