How do I get rid of a musky smell in our home?

David
by David

My wife and I moved in with her mother for four years because she had Alzheimers and dementia. She recently passed away and we are going to move back home. Our house was closed up for the entire time. There is a little seepage in the laundry room that we are going to get taken care of in the near future. I have been washing the walls with Borax and hot water but I can still smell a little musky odor. Any suggestions would be very appreciated. Thank you, David

  5 answers
  • K. Rupp K. Rupp on May 08, 2019

    keep the dehumidifier on constantly. If you had mold on the walls, the dehumidifier needs to run consistently it sounds like. Even if you paint over mold, it can all come back so just keep running that thing. You will see the smell will disappear. If you are dealing with black mold and it appears on the walls...you might need to bring a professional to remove it. Black mold can make you sick. If you are dealing with more of a moldy smell, then that dehumidifier is the key! It may take months for the smell to dissipate but it should work. AND keeping water out!! You might have to fix any issues with your gutters and adding some drainage tiles in your yard underground to carry water away from your house so you don't get any flood waters coming in which will give all the musty moldy smells.


  • Janice Janice on May 08, 2019

    Hi David, I've found that placing several charcoal briquettes in small paper bags or in an open container in various spots such as corners, on shelves, etc. helps to absorb those musty odors. Baking soda can help too, but I like the charcoal briquette method. I used this method for a musty basement. Be sure to get the charcoal that hasn't had any firestarter added to them. Another method is also open bowls of vinegar, but I found that to be a bit messy. Any or all the things I mentioned will help. Best to absorb the odors rather than trying to cover them up with another fragrance.

  • Twyla J Boyer Twyla J Boyer on May 08, 2019

    If it is just a musty smell from being closed up, wash or steam clean anything that is soft (curtains, drapes, carpets, bedding). Open as many windows and doors as weather allows to get a lot of fresh air in. Run a dehumidifier if you have one along with fans to circulate the air. Burn some scented candles and/or cook highly fragrant food to help mask the smell.


    If you have any floor drains in the basement, pour some bleach water down those to help kill off any thing that might be stinky from them. And make sure all toilets have been thoroughly cleaned and flushed repeatedly as well as cleaning all sink drains and flushing them well with lots of hot or boiling water.


    However, if you have seepage in the laundry room, you might have rot under the flooring or behind walls. Make sure to check all of that when you have the seepage fixed. Also, clean the washer and dryer as well as the dishwasher and fridge and under the fridge really well. There might well be a drip pan under something that has standing yucky water and mold in it. Also, clean the gasket around the fridge doors really well.


    Depending on the type of washer, you can either use some of the cleaner stuff they sell for front loaders or, for a top loader, you can probably take apart the fabric softener part of the agitator. I had a laundry room off the kitchen that had a constant musty smell (from before I moved in). I got something stuck and the covering over the fabric softener thing in the middle of the agitator popped off - I was horrified to see the amount of mold in there. Once I took as much apart as I could and cleaned it well, the musty smell went away.

  • Maura White Maura White on May 12, 2019

    Get a dehumidifier to get rid of any extra humidity that can also be causing the mildew growth that you are smelling. Lots of breeze of fresh air will also help as the temperatures get warmer!