Unventilated interior spaces with little or no sunlight often become musty, with homeowners having to remove common basement odors. If you've dealt with musty basements long enough, it's easy to think that you have to live with it. However, this should not necessarily be the case as there are some practical ways to take effective countermeasures. Read on to find out howget rid of unpleasant smellsand can prevent its occurrence.
For these reasons, you should remove basement odors
Not all basements have to be musty. You can also neutralize the smell that has already occurred in the basement and prevent it from recurring with a few simple and inexpensive tricks. However, first you should ask yourself what is causing the musty smell in the basement. As a rule, this is unique and unmistakable. You will never enter a garage or even a bathroom and mistake its smell for that of a basement. A musty basement smell is variously described as earthy, fleshy, or similar to rotting wood, wet socks, mushrooms, or a wet dog. Adding certain spicy or sweet notes brings the smell closer to that of a really musty basement. Recognizing and understanding the causes of a musty basement smell is crucial because these causes directly correlate with the solutions.
Identify and combat mold and mildew
Two of the main causes of the specific basement smell are mold and mildew. These are fungi that thrive on water, oxygen and food. While they are often confused for one another, mold and mildew are actually different. Mold is usually thicker and higher up, even developing a mossy and fuzzy appearance. In contrast, mildew is shallow. Mold can be colorful, ranging from dark green to gray and black. Mildew is usually brown or gray and eventually turns into a white powder. However, there are other contributors to basement odor, such as damp materials, sewage, animal feces, or even iron bacteria.
How to remove basement odors with simple steps
Always start with mold removal, which also means getting rid of or limiting moisture in the basement. When you rid your basement space of mold and mildew, you are effectively taking care of the main source when getting rid of the musty basement smell. So make your basement as dry as possible. Start by drying the outside of the room first. Efficient water management outdoors can also stop moisture before it even gets into the basement. However, you can also create a slope so that the ground next to the house slopes downward. A drainage system would be even better and can helpFlooding of the basement with waterlead far away from the house. Berms, barriers or French drains in the yard also drain the water.
Also protect your basement window with the right covers. However, waterproof and moisture-proof foundation walls with a liquid or solid membrane are also suitable for protection. Install or repair drainpipes and gutters, or clear out if possible. Inside the basement, you can also apply waterproof finish coatings to the inside of the primer. Installing or repairing a sump pump or dehumidifier is another option.
Clean the basement and prevent mold growth
You should dry and clean or remove and replace any wet or damp materials in the basement as quickly as possible. Floating (not attached to the subfloor) hard floors such as laminate and vinyl can also be pulled up and dried. However, if the bottom of the laminate is soaked, you should replace it. Additionally, also remove baseboards to pull back carpets and upholstery from wall to wall, where you might inspect the floor for impurities. Strange circles usually indicate mildew spots, while black mold might show up as dark spots. Mold formation depends on both dirt and moisture. These microorganisms not only need moisture, but also food, with dirt and dust often making their feeding possible. So if you dry out an area, you should also dry it outThoroughly clean the basement.
Repair leaky tube
Most homes and basements have pipes running throughout them, starting with the water shutoff where the water line enters the home. Water heaters also lead back to the bathrooms and kitchen. Piles of dirt also carry unpleasant odors out of the house and equalize the pressure on the pipes. Therefore, check all visible pipes for leaks. Hidden pipes can run through ceilings and leak onto drywall. It is often worth hiring a plumber to check pipe leaks. If you also have an ongoing problem with rodents and insects, you may want to consider pest control if you want to remove any resulting basement odors.
