Saturday, May 4, 2024

9 Tips to Remove Musty Smells from Your House Happy Coaching

why does my house smell musty

If so, you may need a new anode rod, which experts suggest you replace every five years, anyway. Just make sure to read your water heater’s warranty, because some of them require specific types of rods, otherwise the warranty could be voided. Other than that, if one part of your home—typically the bathroom—just smells like sewage, it might just be a dried up P-trap. Call your local pest control or wildlife removal company to help you identify the location and remove the source and clean up the area. If you have the DIY skills, you could try it on your own, though.

Open your doors and windows.

Also, the next time you redo the paint on the walls in the bathroom or kitchen, use mold-inhibiting paints to keep the spores away. Once you've identified the source of the musty odor, it's time to get rid of it. For spot sources like plants, garbage cans and laundry, clean them up. If you find exterior leaks, get them repaired, and clean/remove/replace water damaged materials.

Food and Beverages

If the smell is isolated to one room, it might be easier to treat the smell and cause. If the house is older and has been closed for a long time, musty smells should go away after you let fresh in and deep clean the place. If your finished basement smells musty, but you’re sure there are no leaks behind the walls, the odor could be coming from a dry floor drain or p-trap under a sink. Since these drains don’t see frequent use, the fluid in the trap that blocks sewer gasses can dry up. Pouring a few cups of water into these drains from time to time might make the difference, as they’re often the issue when a dry basement smells. Many things can cause a bad smell coming from the air conditioner.

Dirty Air Filters

Most of the time, the smell is simply a symptom of the actual issue, which is mold or mildew caused by moisture. If you have musty odors in the kitchen, laundry room or bathrooms, improve ventilation. Switch it on when a shower starts, and it shuts off automatically.

Ask the Remodeler: Tracing a summertime musty smell - Boston.com

Ask the Remodeler: Tracing a summertime musty smell.

Posted: Wed, 18 Aug 2021 07:00:00 GMT [source]

If it dries up or the recycling goes on its way, not a problem. If it hangs out in your house too long, that's going to stink. Mildew is usually powdery or downy (think powdery mildew on plants). Reducing humidity can be done with a dehumidifier, but simply opening windows every morning for half an hour after you wake up can reduce humidity.

Can a house smell musty without mold?

Many front load washers retain a little water at the base of the unit. Over time, this water grows bacteria, leading to musty smells in your laundry area. The new unit has a small drain hose, and I clear the stale water out every couple weeks. If you own an older home, the chances are it’s going to have some kind of odor to it. That “old house” smell doesn’t have to be unpleasant, however.

Steam clean carpets and furniture

If you need some ideas to help you get started, check out Spring Cleaning – 6 Steps to a Clean and Organized Kitchen. 6 Ways to Get the Musty Smell Out of Clothes and Towels includes tips for dealing with musty closets. I think most of us have walked into a home where all you can smell are the pets. When you share your home with beasties, regular cleaning is a must. See “Best Odor Eliminators for the Refrigerator, Freezer and Carpets and More” for tips on dealing with musty carpets. Mold and mildew love to grow in those sweaty nooks and crannies of refrigerator and freezer door gaskets.

Why Does My House Smell Musty? 12 Possible Reasons

Keep in mind that a musty smell is an indication of a dirty house or poor ventilation. If they’re dirty, grimy, and dusty, they could emit poor-quality dirty air with a bad odor. Any dirt and spills not cleaned up properly can cause your house to have that unpleasant musty smell. If you or another household member smokes indoors, even if it’s only occasionally, then you may have found the culprit behind that old, musty smell inside the house. You can also use a more natural approach by spraying the area with distilled white vinegar. Allow the vinegar to work for an hour, and then scrub away the mildew with a sponge or microfiber cloth dipped in baking soda.

Causes of musty smells in homes

why does my house smell musty

Not only can dust and dirt hide in the tracks and the fibers, but the carpet itself also sucks up moisture in the air and moisture is what mold and bacteria need to thrive. If your clothes smell lovely and clean when you put them away or hang them up, but smell musty in a matter of only a week, you have an air ciculation problem. The solution can be to leave the drawers slightly open/wardrobe doors slightly ajar, although it's not the most aesthetically pleasing one. You can also buy some moisture absorbers made from silica and put them in your drawers/hang in the wardrobe. Just make sure pets/children don't find them and try to eat them. If you’re unsure of how large your problem is, hire a mold professional to inspect your home.

Inadequate airflow is another common reason a house smells musty, even without mold. If the mold area is larger than 10 square feet, you may need professional mold abatement. For small colonies of mildew on fabrics or walls, you can follow these tips to get the source of the musty smells under control.

If you haven’t cleaned it in a while, you might find scraps of food and other gunk. Sometimes the tray comes out so you can just rinse it in the sink. Spread a layer of moisture-barrier material over the soil in crawl spaces under houses. You can use heavy roofing paper or polyethylene plastic film. In extreme cases, a fan or blower may be needed to move the humid air from under the building. So even if it’s the beginning of winter, it’s always a good idea to open the windows, even for a few hours a day.

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