My 1950s era basement has such a strong musty smell that it can be noticed on the first floor. The house has a waterproofing system on the walls and floor, and there is no moisture anywhere that is visible.
I have been successful at getting rid of musty odors by setting out bowls of straight white vinegar in such an area. had a friend who lived in the basement area of a very old house. he used the vinegar and it worked for him. took a few days. and to keep the odor away, the vinegar needs to be replaced as needed. also increase the fresh air intake.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
How do I control musty odor in and old cellar?
David from Stillwater, NY
Place BBQ charcoals around the room, they pull the smell out, Them use Oil Of Mint, on cotton balls to give it a nice mintie smell
Editor's Note: To clarify, use plain barbecue charcoal, NOT the easy light kind with the lighter fluid in them.
You need a dehumidifier to take the moisture out of the air. After a few days you will be amazed at the difference.
If you have a cellar door make sure the screen is in & also have a screen made for any small cellar windows. Between the cellar door screen & the window screen you should receive some type of cross breeze thereby eliminating the musty smell.
My aunt's basement has a very strong musty smell that is in the walls as well as the ceiling and beams. Is there anything that can be painted or sprayed on all the surfaces before regular painting so the smell is entirely covered?
By Lois Crane from OH
If it's possible open the windows in the basement to ventilate it so fresh air comes in. If you are going to do the job of taking care of the musty smell in the basement, make sure that you wear a face mask before you tackle a cleaning job. Use a mixture of bleach and water and scrub the walls. The bleach and water combination will get rid of the musty smell and mold. I don't know what can be done with the ceiling. What your aunt's basement needs is a dehumidifier which will remove the dampness.
Maybe others will post some of their ideas.
I agree with the idea of using bleach, but also trying using the product KILZ. It's a primer you use before painting. In my experience, it gets rid of odor and if your going from a darker color to lighter, it works great. Hope this helps.
How do you get rid of a musty smell in the basement?
By Wanda
To rid the basement of musty smells use regular charcoal bricks. The kind used for grilling out. Do not use the ones with lighter fluid added to them.
How do I get rid of a musty smell in the basement?
By Rosie
A musty smell usually comes from mold or dirt. Try running a dehumidifier to see if it improves. My daughter's allergist tells her a clean house doesn't smell. I hope this helps you. I have that smell in my basement, too.
Vinegar will take care of mustiness and molds, but it's a bit of a challenge to wash a whole basement with it. Maybe a spray bottle, and set pans of it out.
Our basement is musty; I clean it often, but am not doing what needs to be done. What can we do to remove odor?
By Jean
If your basement floor has vinyl flooring or linoleum or anything that is non breathable check underneath for water and mould. A concrete floor must be able to breath or you will get mould and a musty smell.
I have a walk-out cellar w/2 windows and a patio door. The windows are open all the time and I still get that smell. I purchased a dehumidifier. I ran it for a week straight which helped with the smell but almost doubled my light bill. Would a ceiling fan help? The walls are dry walled and it's all open. It's the game room and doubles as a spare bedroom.
By Lottie H
A dehumidifier should not have that effect on your electric bill. If you ran it, windows are open and you still have that smell, then somehow water is getting in. Do you have a leak coming from any pipes, hotwater heater, furnace???
Dehumidifiers dont use a lot of electricity. You can run fans for little money
Yes, a dehumididifer runs your electric up BIG time . I have a brand new one in my basement and used it one year. I don't use it anymore because I can't afford the double bill.
My dehumidifier upped my bill $58.00 a month!!!!!!!!!!
What's the RH (relative humidity) outside?
Musty odors are usually a sign of mold/mildew. So check for plumbing leaks and moisture issues in crawlspace or basement. Further check for signs of mold/mildew and address in those areas. Check attic for symptoms, too.
Check to make sure gutters and drain-spouts are clear and carry water away from structure. Make sure soil slopes away from structure to carry water away.
Fans will improve air circulation. Also keep your HVAC running as air conditioning will dehumidify air. Check humidity levels in rooms with hygrometer and maintain at 35-55%.
As for dehumidifiers, it's a bit strange that your bill has increased. I can only recommend you to check your cellar for any leakages and replace your dehumidifier. For instance, we're using the one from hOuseLab and it's Energy Star certified - such dehumidifiers are energy efficient. We use ours almost regularly (since it's located in our cellar) and our bills haven't increased that much.
Here are some useful guides on ventilation and humidity I found useful while I was dealing with moisture in our house, so I hope it helps:
www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/
houseweather.org/
www.doityourself.com/
My basement is 90% finished, but I still get a musty smell in it. How can I get rid of it without spending a lot of money?
By Melissa M
I would suggest a dehumidifier. Do you have any windows you could open as well?
You can get dehumidifier bags at any hardware store
Our walk out basement has a cellar smell. The floor is fully carpeted over cement and has been there for about 25 years. The cellar smell/concrete smell appeared about 2 years ago. How do we get rid of this musty concrete/cellar smell?
By Pat M.
Moisture is getting in some where to cause the smell. You are going to have to find the source and repair it. Look for places where the concrete or carpet may be damp. Check around the windows and door and foundation. Until you find it, put in a dehumidifier.
There is a strong musty smell in my above ground and totally finished basement or lower level.
By Rob
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The basement in our cottage became musty 2 summers ago when we were not available to dump the dehumidifier. Prior to that it was fresh and dry.
Our basement has a damp and musty smell and we were wondering if there is anything that we can do to get rid of the smell?
Could anyone tell me how to get a musty smell out of the basement? I run a dehumidifier daily and I have tried vinegar, baking soda and Lysol but it still smells.
I have a very musty smelly basement. I may have someone staying with us who could live down there.
