If you are fairly positive your basement does not have a water leak or other areas that gather unwanted moisture, there are ways to counteract the lingering musty smell! A musty smell emitting from the basement of the home is most typically associated with mold, which is known to grow in moist environments such as basements, crawlspaces, and attics.
Even after the mold problem has been dealt with, it’s not uncommon for the musty smell to linger long after.
But why?
Even if you have scrubbed all of the surfaces in a basement clear of mold, the mold spores are still abundant in the air. It’s imperative to have circulating air in the basement along with a dehumidifier running as often as possible to reduce the risk of moisture build-up.
If you are taking the proper precautions and practicing a few of the routines below, that musty smell in your basement will soon be a thing of the past!
Once you have found the root cause of the musty smell and have successfully eliminated it, it’s time to remove the smell once and for good. Odors have a tendency of clinging to various surfaces, so it may take a little elbow grease.
Many effective deodorizers can be found around the house, such as white vinegar or cat litter. These substances are well known for actually trapping and removing odors as opposed to temporarily covering them up.
Putting a few small bowls of white vinegar, baking soda, or cat litter around the basement will actively soak in odors while you relax.
If your basement has windows, open them as frequently as possible! Running a fan and dehumidifier will help with ventilation as well.
If your basement is carpeted or filled with furniture and personal belongings, extra steps may be necessary to remove that pesky musty smell. Odors soak into fibers objects such as couches, rugs, carpets, curtains, clothing, and so much more.
If you have had a leaky pipe in the past or other forms of water damage, these items could be responsible for holding in that musty smell. Carpet and fabric cleaners are vital tools that can easily be utilized without needing to seek additional assistance.
It could be that forgotten couch that never even touched water that ends up being the root cause of the musty smell in the first place.
If you have followed all the necessary steps in order to eliminate the musty smell, there could be water entering the basement without you even knowing it. A few quick assessments can be done around the home to get a good idea of the amount of moisture entering the basement.
Try this:
Between running heaters in the winter, dehumidifiers to counteract moisture build-up, and fans for overall ventilation, you’ve covered almost every base!
In this day and age, new products aimed directly at eliminating the musty smell basements are notoriously known for are popping up on the market every day.
Air purifiers are great for having circulating airflow in basements that do not have windows, just make sure to keep the air filter clean!
We take cleanliness very seriously. It’s kind of our thing. People rely on us to treat every situation as if it were our own home because that’s exactly what we do.
Here at Valor Mold, our philosophy is to do it right the first time, no matter how long it takes. Even if you cannot find the root cause of your musty-smelling basement, we sure can!
If you are at wit’s end with tackling the age-old problem of a musty basement, give the clean freaks a call at (703) 897-7121 and we will take it from there!
We remove mold the right way… and it would be an honor to hear from you.
Your home is in the best hands—our chemical-free remediation has the highest success rate in the industry.
You get the answers you need—our special mold testing provides 99% accurate results on the spot.
You can trust our process—we’ve performed over 300 successful projects since we opened in 2006.
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Valor Mold Removal is a certified and experienced mold testing and remediation company. We are fully insured and fully licensed. We also provide crawl space encapsulation, soda blasting, humidity control, and air quality cleaning.
