How to Get Rid of Basement Odor

How to Get Rid of Basement Odor

Have you set up for fun and games? Or have you made a pantry out of it? Either way, you should clean it regularly to avoid a build-up of smell and moisture. But looks like, despite all your efforts, the basement has started to smell weird.

So, why does your basement smell funny even after you take good care of its cleanliness? This is because most basements are super closed, sitting below your house, and hence have no windows for ventilation. 

Thus, when the humidity in the air increases, the basement makes a great breeding ground for mold and mildew.

Therefore,, even if after you experience your basement smelling fusty and mushy, no that it could be because of mold and humidity. So, is there any way to get rid of it? How to get rid of the musty smell in the basement? We might have the answers you are looking for!

How to Get Rid of Basement Odor

A musty basement smell can make you uneasy being in the place, making it hard to breathe at times. If you have tried all tricks, you know to remove the smell but to no avail, here is how we work on removing odors from the basement:

1. Find the Cause

As we said, one of the biggest reasons why your basement smells musty is because of the hidden, growing mold and mildew colonies. Thus, if you are experiencing such a smell in your basement, try to find the cause and eliminate it.

If you have been successful in finding mold and mildew, you need to remove them ASAP. For this, you can either prepare a vinegar and water mixture spritz the walls, and use a brush to scrape it off, or simply hire professional cleaners for the work.

Once, you can eliminate the cause, you will see the odor will quickly fade away!

2. Fix the Leaks

Another reason you experience musty smell leaks. If there is leakage in the pipes that run through your basement, you will not only see a quick growth in the mold but will also experience a musty smell.

Thus, call in a professional to get the pipes checked because if there is a leak inside the walls, you need to get it fixed right away.

3. Humidity is the Biggest Culprit

Because your basement is sitting within the ground under the house, we bet there are no windows there for ventilation. Yes, you may have fans or exhaust in the walls, but no windows that would increase ventilation in the room and help control humidity.

Without proper ventilation, you will see the humidity levels spiking high quickly, and hence, to control these, you need to find other ways of controlling them. When there are no natural ways, you can use an air dehumidifier to control the levels.

The machine is pretty compact and easy to use. In addition, when the humidity in the basement will stay below 50, the normal range, it will neither contribute to the growth of mold nor produce any odor.

4. Clean the Basement

Okay, so let us ask you, how often do you clean the basement? Once a month? Once in two months? If you rarely use your basement then there are high chances that you would be lazy in cleaning it, which is wrong.

Make sure you are regular to clean the basement and use a good cleaner for it. If not then you can simply mix some white vinegar in warm water and mop the floor. And if mopping is not an option, sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda onto the floor of the basement and vacuum it up.

Both white vinegar and baking soda are natural germ killers and deodorizers and hence, easily available in every household.

5. Time to Add a Window Fan

Since controlling humidity in the basement can help you get rid of the odor, it is high time you think about adding something for ventilation. We suggest going for a window fan that works as an exhaust, is easy to install, and improve ventilation in the basement.

This will work as a quick basement odor removal, a fix that will help you in the long run.

6. Place Bowls of Activated Charcoal

Activated charcoal works as the best basement odor remover and not everyone knows it. Just bring in some activated charcoal, fill in a few bowls with it and place it in the basement. The charcoal will absorb the odor over the next few days and will help cleanse the air.

7. Call a Professional

Are you still unable to get rid of the basement odor? Well, no problem because when things get out of hand, you can always call the professionals in for some help.

But how will the expert cleaners remove the odor? Well, first of all, they will find the root cause of it like mildew or mold, and try to eliminate it to prevent the odor in the future. They will then deep clean the house and you should be able to breathe in the fresh air.

The musty smell in the basement can make you uncomfortable while breathing there difficult. Hence, make sure you deal with it before it is too late.

How to Prevent the Basement Odor

Once you have successfully gotten rid of the basement odor, you would like to prevent it in the future? Why? Because it takes a lot of hard work and effort to eliminate it and hence, you would not want all your efforts to go in vain.

Hence, here are some ways that can help you prevent the basement odor in the future:

  1. Use air dehumidifiers to maintain humidity levels in the basement
  2. Repair any leaks or cracks that lead to seepage and ultimately give area to mold for breeding and hence the musty smell
  3. Add a window fan for some ventilation
  4. use baking soda for vacuuming the place and removing the smell
  5. maintain cleanliness in the basement

When you have a basement, make sure you do not ignore it. Just like you clean other rooms of your house, make sure you are regular in cleaning the basement too. 

This is because not everyone uses the basement regularly and hence, it becomes one of the most ignored rooms of the house.

Also, because the basement sits below the house with no ventilation, maintaining humidity levels there can be a challenge. Can you add windows there? No! Maybe a fan but no windows of course and so what you do is use an air dehumidifier to maintain the humidity.

Moreover, also try your best to vacuum the place regularly, and if not, mop it with a good cleaner to get rid of germs and the odor. Breathing air that smells musty can be difficult. 

Thus, rather than compromising on your health make sure you try your best to keep the basement clean.

Relax and Enjoy!

If you cannot get rid of the smell on your own, hire a professional for the work. The experts are equipped to remove all sorts of smells from any area of the house and hence, getting rid of them should not be a problem for them.

So, spare some time and call professionals to take a closer look at the basement, find the problem and eliminate it. And once you are done removing it, try your best to prevent it from happening again. 

Bring in dehumidifiers or place activated charcoal because both of these will help decrease humidity to remove the musty smell.

You may also take a look at our ultimate step-by-step vacuum cleaners buying guide.

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