Having a musty odor in your basement can make it such an ugly environment. The smell is most likely going to escalate to the other rooms in your home, leading to a very shameful experience. The smell is usually a signal of mold, which comes with very serious implications on your health and safety. The secret to doing away with this smell in your basement lies in addressing the underlying causes.
Mold and mildew, which are the most probable causes of the odor in your basement, mainly thrive in places that are damp and dark. The scary fact about these two is that apart from the smell, they also cause a lot of damage to your home by causing decay in the areas where they form. The result of this includes health issues and allergies such as asthma. You, therefore, have to ensure that your basement is always free from them. The secret is always going to be in doing away with the factors that enable mold and mildew to thrive. The following tips are very effective in assessing the problem and ensuring that this shameful and dangerous experience is kept at bay. Ask us about basement renovation if you have any questions.
Look for condensation and water leaks: You will need to examine your basement for any water leaks. If you find any, ensure you stop it right away; otherwise, it will damage the foundations of your home and other property in your house. Wrap and insulate any pipes in your basement that show signs of condensation. This will ensure there is no moisture to perpetuate the growth of mold.
How to Getting Rid of Smell
Dry out the basement: Ensure there’s no moisture in your basement that can support mold. Keep the basement door and windows open and circulate fresh air using a fan.
Kill the mold: You can use undiluted white vinegar, which kills up to 82% of mold spores. Ensure you wear protective gear to avoid contact with the spores. As you do this, ensure your windows and door are open. This is necessary in order to allow free circulation of air, so as to avoid any harmful effects of the white vinegar on your health.
Clean the air: after removing the mold, freshen the air using any of the following options.
- Placing bowls of white vinegar at different positions in the basement to help lift the odor from the room. This leaves a clean and fresh smelling basement within just a couple of days.
- You can also place cat litter in open containers and position throughout the basement. Change it regularly so that the litter can absorb all the musty smell.
- Baking soda also works like cat litter. However, it maintains absorbency up to 3 months if the odor is strong.
When all this has been taken care of, the basement should smell fresh and free from the odor.
If all these steps do not help, you may have to contact an expert to help with removing the mold and all the causing factors.