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.
General dampness, repeated condensation, and high humidity can sometimes bring on a musty smell. Since dampness can also facilitate mold growth it's likely that mold is beginning to form once you start noticing a musty smell.
Damp, mould and mildew are the most common causes of a musty or stale smell in houses, creating this smell by emitting gases known as microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOCs) as they grow.
Common culprits to watch out for include mold and mildew, dust, dirty laundry, stains and spills, pet accidents and leftover food. Once you determine the source of the smell, dispose of it and clean the area as needed.
In the bedroom and living areas, look around window seals for leaks and under potted plants that can leak. Check closets for mildew caused by storing damp shoes or clothes. Don't forget to take a trip to the attic, basement, and garage to check for damp areas around windows, water heaters, and vents.
To get the last of the musty smell out of your house, use a natural odor absorber like activated charcoal or baking soda. These products will absorb the smell, so you'll want to throw them away and replace them every two weeks or so.
The musty or mouldy smell is a sign that something is not right in your home. Mouldy and musty smells are similar in nature and both are caused by the presence of mould or mildew. Mould and mildew are both fungi and grow in the presence of moisture, or water. Arrange A Free Home Survey & Permanently Remove Mould Issues.
Each night, our bodies release at least half a litre of water into the air through perspiration and our breath. If this moisture has nowhere to go, the excess dampness can cause the growth of mould in your room. If your room lacks good ventilation, then you'll wake up in a bedroom that smells bad.
It's often described as musty and earthy, and may even smell like rotting vegetables or plants. You might notice a musty smell, but not be able to see any mold growing. In this case, you should look for areas that might be exposed to water. Mold needs moisture to grow.
Musty smells are often created by dust and poor ventilation, once you get some fresh air in the house it should remove odors considerably. Open the curtains and blinds so as much fresh air comes in as possible. Open cupboards, cabinets, and drawers to air out these spaces as well.
Phantosmia is a condition that causes you to detect smells that aren't actually in your environment. It can happen in one nostril or both — and the odors may be foul or pleasant. Common causes include colds, allergies, nasal polyps and dental issues.
Your pores can be a major source of body odor, and they don't always get an adequate cleaning, Neubrander says. "Despite a superficial scrub with soap, removing compounds and organisms on the surface of the skin, the pores themselves are not easily washed clean and emptied," he explains.
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.
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.
Mold has a strong, pungent odor that's enough to make you gag. Mildew has more of a musty smell that can make you wrinkle your nose, but it doesn't invade the senses as much. If the smell is reminiscent of wet, forgotten laundry or a damp basement, then you're likely smelling mildew rather than mold.
Use the word musty to describe an unclean, stale, and possibly moldy smell. If something smells musty that means it's probably been sitting in a damp corner without any air for a little too long. Musty smells take time to develop: they're caused by dampness and mold, and signal some amount of decay.
While a property owner may eliminate the mold inside the home, the mold smell may not completely disappear. The microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOC) that mold spores release cause the smell of mold. Not all mold produces the MVOC, and some spores may simply stop creating the MVOC at any given point.
Note: The presence of a moldy smell in your house doesn't always indicate mold infestation. If you can't find where the smell is coming from, check for rotting food items, wet laundry, and other potential sources of the odor first. Also, open your windows to air out the area.
An air purifier will not only help to reduce or eliminate the scent from your leftover fish dinner, but it will also help reduce other food odors in your kitchen as well, including the strong scent that lingers after cooking with delicious but strong smelling spices like curry, or the smell of the occasionally-burned ...
Apple cider vinegar: Mix apple cider vinegar with a small amount of water in a spray bottle. Spray the mixture onto your armpits. The acid in vinegar helps kill bacteria.
You're more likely to have body odor when your sweat comes from apocrine glands, which release sweat from hair follicles found in the armpits, groin, and pubic area. Sweat from these glands, produced when you're hot or stressed, contain fats and other compounds that smell when broken down by bacteria.
If you have phantosmia, the odors can vary from smells that almost make you sick to really pleasant scents. But most people with phantosmia tend to detect bad smells. The odors have been described as “burned," "foul," "rotten," "sewage," or "chemical." You may be smelling it from one or both of your nostrils.