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Of course musty odor is a far from desireable 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 can also be a sign of mould growth which may also be the cause of 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 definetely help here.
High humidity is a likely cause of musty odors that may well stem from a basement that has cracks in its walls which allows moisture to seep in ot it may come simply from condensation. To prevent the musty odor smell you will need to deal directly with the root cause of which there maybe 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 w3ay to prevent moisture dripping of the pipes and onto the floor.
Sometimes an entire house can be affected by an odor that has risen from the basement and into the entire house but was originally caused by a lack of air flow and high humidity in the basement. 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. This problem can be solved most simply by attaching a pipe leak clamp if the hole is very small an epoxy compound can solve the problem with little problem, ask your local building supplier about both of them.
Weeping walls is a more dangerous problem as water is gentley seeping through the walls from the outdoor environment. The following process should help eliminate moisture coming from weeping walls:
Make sure the weather is going to be clear.
Run home dehumidifiers and fans to dry the walls.
Find a brush with stronf firm bristles and scrub the weeping parts of the wall with trisodium phosphate, this is usually sold at most home improvement stores and will clean the wall for you just make sure you let it dry afterwards.
Fully seal the walls using a latex concrete sealer and by following the guidelines provided by the manufacturer.
This procedure on its own should prevent all future weeping, if not then you’d better bring in a professional.
Another possibility is that of cracks in walls which may allow moisture in and this can occur in newly built houses also. The cracks may be classed as active and likely to widen further or hopefully inactive and not likely to widen. Most cracks in walls are not difficult to repair with ready mixed concrete and a knife.
If you take the advice provided and direct it towards your particular difficulties then there is a high chance you will solve your musty household smell problem permanently. Remember that home dehumidifiers and an air portable dehumidifier can help considerably
