You can do this by opening windows, turning on fans, or both. The more you can get the air moving in your home, the better. Ventilation will help remove the musty smell from your house and make your home less attractive to mold and mildew.
With the moisture under control, you can finally tackle that musty aroma. The process is straightforward, and you may already have the supplies on hand. Place bowls of baking soda around the basement. The baking soda will begin to absorb the odors and should make a significant difference over the course of a few days.
Deodorize the Room
Unpleasant odors lurk in the carpets, rugs, and upholstery. To remove these musty smells, fill a dish with half an inch of white vinegar and leave it out in the room until the smell dissipates.
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. Be sure that the system has clean filters and replace them often to help remove musty smells.
If your home has a stale, musty scent, there could be a handful of explanations, including a plumbing leak, high humidity, poor airflow, dirty HVAC equipment, or soiled carpet.
Dust and grime build up
'Musty smells are often caused in the home by a build-up of dirt and grime, which can cause a lingering, unpleasant smell,' explains Amanda Lewis of Elbow Grease. 'To combat these smells, you must tackle the problem and clean the area deeply. '
Less is more with any cleaning product, including vinegar. Use the least amount of vinegar you can get away with to minimize smells. If you use a light hand with the vinegar, the aroma will go away on its own in 30 to 60 minutes, particularly on solid surfaces. If it's on a soft surface, it may take a day or so.
Tip #4: Turn to home remedies: Keep clothes smelling fresh with kitchen staples like vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice. White vinegar is a natural deodorizer. Add one cup to cold water and soak workout clothes for 15 to 30 minutes.
There's a musty smell in your home
When you walk into your home, you want it to smell clean and fresh. Moisture in the air tends to hold and trap odor, Bautista says. A dehumidifier will dry out the air and take away this moldy scent.
Ventilate–and then ventilate some more.
When possible, keep windows (and even doors) open. Fresh air is the best way to keep musty smells at bay! Open those blinds and pull back your curtains if you can't keep your windows open.
Does the Smell of Mildew Go Away? Mildew, moldy, and musty odors are some of the toughest odors to get rid of once they've set. If left alone, the smells might fade over time, but likely won't completely go away on their own. To get rid of the smells, you've got to also get rid of the fungal growth that's causing it.
Those musty smells must go somewhere, and for stale air to leave, new fresh air must enter. Musty smells are often created by dust and poor ventilation, once you get some fresh air in the house it should remove odors considerably.
A moldy odor suggests that mold is growing in the building and should be investigated. The health effects of inhaling mVOCs are largely unknown, although exposure to mVOCs has been linked to symptoms such as headaches, nasal irritation, dizziness, fatigue, and nausea.
In case the clothes smell musty because they are infested with mould, they need to be washed. A mould inhibiting product, such as bleach, vinegar, baking soda, ammonia or borax, should be added to the washing cycle. When using bleach, the “do not bleach” warnings on clothes must be taken into consideration.
There are three key culprits that contribute to an old house smell: poor ventilation, darkness, and humidity. Moisture stays in the home, creating a damp feeling and musty odor.
Using white vinegar to get rid of odors
Karen recommends creating a mixture of 1/4 of white vinegar and 3/4 of cold water before soaking your clothes in the solution overnight. In the morning, the items are ready to go and 'rendered scentless. ' Cleaning expert Cristy Harfmann agrees.
Room odors.
Pour some vinegar in a small bowl, then let sit overnight to erase odors.
If you're worried that cleaning with vinegar will make your home smell like pickles, don't worry – the smell disappears pretty quickly, especially if you air out your space properly. Open windows and doors to encourage air flow. Once dry, you'll find that vinegar leaves a fresh scent.
Vinegar has an acrid, noxious smell, but it's only temporary, and its high acidity will kill burgeoning bacteria and other odor-causing elements quickly, cheaply and naturally. Make drunk air freshener: Finally, you have a use for that cheap vodka that's been sitting untouched for years — a DIY air freshener!
Better Ways to Freshen the Air
Vinegar – White vinegar is an effective natural deodorizer and mild disinfectant. Combine a teaspoon of vinegar with 2 cups of water in a spray bottle then lightly mist the air (you can also stir in a few drops of essential oils).
The Benefits of Using Vinegar in Laundry
To use it, soak the stained item for at least 30 minutes up to overnight in a solution of white vinegar and 1 Tbsp. liquid laundry detergent before laundering. Mold and Mildew Removal: Distilled white vinegar is powerful for removing mold or mildew from fabrics.
The smell of mold is usually quite foul and unpleasant, and it grows stronger over time as the mold starts to spread and sporulate. “Musty” and “stale” are the most accurate descriptors of what mold smells like. The musty odor is a result of the hodgepodge of mVOCs produced by the mold and released into the air.
Banish the musty smells
The trick lies in the active ingredient, cyclodextrin, a doughnut-shaped molecule that locks the odour in its ring to eliminate it. Use Febreze Fabric Refresher on your fabric sofa, curtains and your carpet, and those musty smells should be a thing of the past.
Summary. You might be dealing with plumbing leaks, water damage in hidden spots, or washing machine drain issues if your house smells musty but no mold is visibly present. The first thing to do is identify the source of the smell before attempting to eliminate the unwanted odor.