Easy Ways To Get Rid Of Musty Household Smells

Of course musty odor is a far from desirable quality, it leaves the impression on visitors of an unclean place, whilst it might not be easily discerned by anyone living there permanently it will be much more obvious to guests. Furthermore musty odors are often the first sign of mould which is can also be associated with allergic reactions.

Musty odors may well come and go mainly dependent on the current climate and the season of the year. For example in the summer time, often the air conditioner is left on continuously which may well get rid of the musty smell yet the cause remains and the smell may comeback in the winter season. Home dehumidifiers can definitely help here.

One of the main causes of musty odors is that of poorly maintained basements that have high humidity possibly due to wall cracks or condensation both of which give water an easy way to enter the property. To stop the musty odor permanently then it is important to locate the main cause and deal with that, though unfortunately there may be more than one. The following will enable you to track down the cause of the problem most quickly:

To prevent condensation on water pipes which can be a source of moisture particularly in winter months is to cover the water pipes with an insulated pipe wrap, these are relatively cheap and are an easy way to prevent moisture dripping of the pipes and onto the floor.

A musty odor can permeate through an entire house when a households basement is allowed to develop high humidity levels through lack of air flow. Installation of a basement dehumidifier can prevent this problem from occurring and remove excess moisture, just make sure you have a drain available in order to take away the excess water gathered by the air dehumidifier otherwise you may have to purchase an air dehumidifier with a hose pipe and pump.

Check that any moisture suspected to be from condensation on pipes isn’t actually from tiny holes. Problems like this can be solved by fixing on a pipe leak clamp, or if the hole is very small, purchasing an epoxy compound from your local building supplier.

A more serious problem is that of weeping walls where moisture simply seeps through from the outside. This next technique should restrict the amount of water entering the house through the walls
Ensure a dry forecast.
Run home dehumidifiers and fans to dry the walls.
Using a brush with strong stiff bristles scrub the weeping areas with trisodium phosphate, which can be found at most regular home improvement stores and will clean the surface for you, allow the scrubbed walls to dry again completely.
Fully seal the walls using a latex concrete sealer and by following the guidelines provided by the manufacturer.
This technique by itself will usually do the trick, if not then get the professionals in.

Wall cracks can also be the cause of moisture entering a house, this is possible in new houses too. The cracks will either be classed as active which means they may still widen or as inactive which means that they should not get any larger. Most cracks are not major and can be done with ready mixed concrete easily enough and a knife.

By following the suggestions provided above, dealing with your specific probelms and with the use of a dehumidifier it is quite possible that you will be able to cure the problem for even the most pesistent musty household smells. Remember that home dehumidifiers and an air portable dehumidifier can help considerably.