How to remove odor?

Maybe you have mold somewhere that you don't know about. Is there paneling in the basement? You might want to take a peek behind paneling. I hate basements anyway. They stink, get water, and cause nothing but problems.

Cedar chips placed in differant areas around the basement is what my great grandmothers journal of comman sense says..

(her actual words on journal she left & no one else had the thick skin to want it but me. )But she always kept a root cellar and her home had a basement . And it has not failed me in over 30 yrs in my house and my daughter is in her new home with paint smells and she is using it to absorb those odors.

If you have a window in the basement I saw a cool video of a guy put in glass blocks with 1 opening and put in a small clip on fan to exhaust the basement.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7xvbYbG5Ww

Try a bucket of charcole briquettes, boxes of baking soda and air spray like Ozium, Odoban, Frebreeze Air Effects.

Find the source of the dampness. If you have a sump pump it may need to be cleaned out. If the walls are damp you may need to seal them with Dryloc.

Check your gutters are removing the water far enough away from the house, they are clean including down spouts. If drainage in yard is poor, put in a dry river bed to the street or a french drain.

Moldy basements have water and soemthing holding the mold in place. I live in the land of mold, Portland Oregon...

Find the source of humidity. This can be a leaking plumbing pipe or drain, a downspout that doesn't drain far enough from the house, old foundations that hold water or poor ventilation. It can be as simple as a laundry dryer vent that doesn't go outside or particle board that is ceazy moldy.Find the source and solve the problem.

The dehumidifier is great, and so are the other suggestions. If there are Windows that open use fans, they get that stinky air moving. I have found that solving the problem, cleaning the basement, bleaching and then painting solved it in my basements of doom and despair.

place buckets of damp rid in the basement

I used to

have that problem on Long Island., what I did was hang one of those "car Christmas tree" smellers in front of where the air blows out of your dehumidifier and my basement smelled wonderful. Hope this helps you!

When my unfinished basementstarts smelling musty I spray around the edges and under the stairs with a mix of Clorox and water. Be careful not to get it on anything and protect yourself. If your basement is finished (not just bare blocks and concrete) you might be able to find problem areas that you can safely treat but take care!

Never mix Clorox with other cleaners!!!

You need a dehumidifier.

Constant air circulation has been a help for us. We have a basement dry system that works well as long as common sense is used outside of our home. Gutters, and any other help to keep water away as far as possible. Keep all items away from floors and walls to allow air flow all around. We use our basement for many things and storage is just one. We try to avoid having wood down there.

Thank you for all the suggestions, I will use them.

Sandra