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Leaks can also cause musty odors, but the bigger problem is that they aren’t always visible. “Hidden leaks within walls or under floors can perpetuate ongoing mustiness,” Murphy explains. Regularly replace your HVAC filters since mold may grow within them very readily. Doing this can help guarantee that the quality of indoor air in your house remains excellent. Getting rid of that musty smell in your home can be frustrating, especially when you’ve spent hours keeping it clean.
Let some fresh air in.
Homes that have been affected by flooding or have unresolved water damage can also become mold hot spots. Removing excess moisture can stop a mold problem from progressing, but the mold itself will need to be removed in order for it to go away completely. A musty, pungent odor could indicate a sink leak or broken pipe that has given rise to mold, which loves to grow in dark, damp spots. “For mold, we’re really concerned about people with allergies and asthma,” says David Dyjack, DrPH, CIH, executive director of the National Environmental Health Association. Plenty of home inspector nightmares start with a smell in the house.
Food and Beverages
Here, experts explain six reasons why your house might smell musty and offer some potential solutions to make your home smell nice once again. People with respiratory problems are especially susceptible to the dangerous effects of mold. Mold remediation costs an average of $2,200, but it varies based on the severity of the problem. The average homeowner can wait up to 5 years before they must clean their air ducts. That said, your air ducts can become clogged and overly dirty much sooner, especially if you have an old house. Pets and excessive clutter in your house can also make your air ducts dirty sooner.
How to get of rid of musty smells in the house
Bleach and other commercial cleaners work, but make sure you have adequate ventilation and use gloves. Let the cleaner soak for a few hours before scrubbing it off and letting the area dry completely. So, if rooms that normally smell good suddenly have a musty odor you just can’t get rid of—you might need a professional to check behind the walls. In addition to creating an unpleasant odor, leaks can cause major problems with your home’s structure and negatively impact your health. Remember, a musty smell can signal the presence of mold and mildew which are bad for your health.
If you find feces in your attic, “don’t be a hero and just try to pick them up,” warns Lesh, who suggests calling a pest control expert to ensure safe removal. If you do have a dog that stinks, however, these are the easiest ways to get rid of pet odor. Unless you have a fireplace, the smell of smoke or something burning is definitely dangerous. Even if you don’t see signs of fire, you could have something smoldering in the basement or inside the walls. Always open windows and doors for ventilation while painting. Nothing smells like a dirty, wet dog, but squirrels, raccoons, and rats do give off a similar odor.
In areas with excessive moisture, install ventilation fans, place moisture barriers over damp soil, or redirect water flow on the home's exterior. Whiffs of musty odors are pretty distinctive in the home, and they can come from basements, walls, spoiled food, laundry, or shower stalls. Usually, this indicates that there is a mold or mildew problem. The structural integrity of wood can also be compromised if mold has been left untreated for an extended period.
However, that feeling may quickly turn sour when you're greeted by an unpleasant musty smell. The smell can be irritating and make you uncomfortable and, in some cases, give off the impression of an unclean environment. It's natural to assume that when you get a musty smell in your house, there's a mold infestation present. However, there are some instances where the smell is present, but there's no mold.
Utilize Warmer Days
Whether you find visible evidence of mildew or not, a musty smell signals that you need to increase air circulation in the home. Open windows and doors, turn on ceiling and attic fans, or add fans to each room. Starting your HVAC system can also help draw out odors and capture mold spores in the filters.
Quick Tip: DIY Mold Removal
The Top 13 Best Odor Eliminators For A Fresh-Smelling Home - House Digest
The Top 13 Best Odor Eliminators For A Fresh-Smelling Home.
Posted: Fri, 10 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
If you live in a place where it gets bone-chilling cold, opening up your windows may not be viable. However, make sure you take full advantage of the warm days. Whenever possible, use a warm day to open windows, shake out your rugs, clean the carpet, or anything you can’t do during the winter. Mattresses and sheets absorb moisture just from people sleeping on them, but spills and leaks in your home can make things worse. It can be impossible to dry out a mattress without the proper tools, potentially leaving your mattress as a mildew magnet. Rewash any smelly clothing with your favorite natural laundry detergent.
Thankfully, there are numerous ways you can make your home smell fresh again. When mold spores land on a damp or moist surface, they can start multiplying. This is where the relationship between your humidifier and mold comes into the picture. You do not want to wait too long to take care of a musty odor problem, but if warm days are approaching, you can use the elevated temperatures to improve evaporation on any damp items. Setting belongings like mattresses or rugs out in warm sunlight can help kill off odor causing particles.
Do you have a habit of leaving wet towels or sweaty workout clothes on the floor? A damp pile of fabric is a common spot for a musty smell to emerge. Or worse than pet odor—you could have animals odors not related to your pets. A bad smell in the house could come from wild animals living in your vents. Either way, call in the appropriate pro—an HVAC pro or a pest control company—to fix the problem. Front-loading washers make it easier to remove wet clothing after a wash cycle.
It’s also possible that the cause of the issue is groundwater. If the grading around your home pitches back toward your basement, water will eventually work its way in. In this case, re-grading the property might be the best option. You can also hire a contractor to dig around the foundation and install a French drain to divert water. For extremely wet basements, a trough around the interior leading to the sump pump might be necessary to control groundwater.
If the mold is really bad or keeps returning, it can have adverse health effects—making that musty smell the least of your problems. So, at that point it may be time to call for professional help. Maintaining the optimum humidity levels in your house (between 40 and 50 percent) can help to keep mold, mildew, and, of course, that musty smell at bay. We all understand that we should do this often (like, weekly). However, if you smell a musty odor, it is (far past) time to go through the hassle.
The smell only becomes worse when you leave clothes in a pile or hanging in a closet for a long time without wearing them. Old, musty clothes that you haven’t worn in years smells particularly bad, and there’s no reason to keep them around unless they have sentimental value. Everyone is familiar with the musty smell of old clothes that have sat for too long.
