Musty Smell in House
If you are not thorough with cleaning your house regularly, many a time you would experience a musty smell. Living in an old house or keeping old furniture - these are some of the reasons behind the stench which may be limited to a particular corner of the house. However, if not taken care of quickly, the smell might encompass all other areas soon!
Causes
In most cases, the main culprit behind that bad odor is the fungi, mold and mildew, which grows at various places in the house. So, if the wood in your house, whether on the flooring or of the furniture, has not been cleaned for a while, most likely mold has grown on it and is causing the smell. Or, if you are experiencing a musty smell after rain, there could be some possible leaks in your house from where water is entering inside. Often when water stands at one place for a while, molds and fungi start forming on it. That's why bathrooms are one of the chief areas which get afflicted by fungi and bad odors.
Besides the bathroom, some other areas of the house that are most likely to get attacked by fungi are the basement as well as the vents of air conditioners. If house cleaning is overlooked, fungi and dust may form on the furniture, inside the cupboards, any tearing in the wall and on the carpets of the house.
Tips to Get Rid of the Musty Smell
Temporary Solutions
One of the first things that you can do to get rid of the smell, is to use an air freshener spray. These sprays have strong odors and thus, when used in the house, will instantly remove the musty smell. This is however only a temporary solution.
Another good device to get rid of the odor is an ionizer. This device releases ions into the atmosphere which overpower the molecules of the smell, thus removing the odor for a while. However, just like an air freshener, the effects of an ionizer are short lived too.
Permanent Solutions
For permanently getting rid of the smell caused by the fungi, apply something acidic on them such as vinegar. Pour vinegar on the areas plagued by mildews and molds and soon, you will see the smell associated with them fading away. For getting rid of the odor in the cupboards or cabinets, first of all empty them and then keep white vinegar in a dish inside them. Keep them closed for a day and when you open the doors, the musty smell will be gone!
Another equally effective solution is lemon juice diluted with a bit of water. Pour this liquid on the fungi. If there is formation of mold on the clothes, apply this solution as it is very useful for mold removal from clothes. Follow it up by washing with water and soap and that's it! You would never get to smell the bad odor again!
If you find a bad odor emanating from your bathroom, you can trust hydrochloric acid to do the work for you. This acid is so strong that it can easily annihilate molds from the marble or tile surface of the bathrooms. One thing that you should be cautious of here is to not use this acid on a wooden flooring as hydrochloric acid may damage it permanently!
Precautionary Solutions
Invest in a dehumidifier. This device keeps the air inside the house free of moisture, thus preventing the formation of fungi and bacteria. It keeps the room air fresh and breathable by continuously replacing the stale and musty air.
As you can see, by being a little more proactive and careful, one can prevent and get rid of the musty smell in the house. It is not something that should be taken lightly as fungi is known to aggravate respiratory problems. So if you see that fungi is all around your house, gather all the ingredients required, wear a mask and start making use of the tips given above to get rid of it as well as the smell in your house!
