Made a terrible mistake by scattering mothballs in my basement?

Depending on what type of floor you have in the basement, mop it with warm water and baking soda. Also place bowls of vinegar around the basement to neutralize the odor.

Here are some suggestions:

How to Get the Mothball Smell Out of House

You might be pulling your hair out yelling “my house smells like mothballs”! Not to worry, here are some methods for getting rid of the pesticide scent around your home:

• Ventilation. One of the best ways to oust the mothball odor is to air out your space. Open the windows and doors. Turn on ceiling fans. Let the air circulate around the room or house for a few hours.
• Wipe down surfaces. After you have removed the mothballs, spray the floor, counters, and other surfaces with a 50-50 mix of vinegar and water. You can use a rag or mop to wipe down the hard surfaces. Alternatively, you can mix together some water and baking soda for a similar effect.
• Spread around zeolite. If you have kitty litter in the house, you’re in luck. Cat litter is made from zeolite, a cluster of minerals with a unique structure that causes odors to stick to it. You can scatter around some cat litter on carpets, flooring, and even furniture to suck out the naphthalene smell or in common terms the mothball scent .
• Set out coffee grounds. Used coffee grounds have many uses, including deodorizing spaces. You can pour the coffee grounds into a small bowl then set it wherever the mothball smell is the strongest.

ref:https://www.moth-prevention.com/blogs/the-art-of-prevention/how-to-get-rid-of-a-mothball-smell

Hello. Here’s a link that my offer some ideas. Hope this helps

https://applianceanalysts.com/eliminate-mothball-smell/

A dehumidifier might help quickly to remove the smell. I would thoroughly clean the basement and put little boxes of baking soda on your vents to help absorb the smell.

Wash down with Odoban. That should fix it. As far as mice, cinnamon and peppermint are better scents to drive them away.

Remove Mothball Smell From A Room in Your House

The best way to remove the mothball smell in your home is by using baking soda. Mix some baking soda with warm water and mop the floors with the solution.

Make sure that you keep the rooms properly ventilated when mopping. Then place a bowl of vinegar, bowl of coffee grounds, or a plate of activated charcoal in the room (or closet). This will absorb any leftover mothball smell. As a temporary option, while you’re removing the smell, you can get scented house cleansers and air fresheners.

FIRST ANYONE READING THIS, MOTHBALLS ARE POISONOUS. ONE CAN KILL A DOG. Vets do not know why dogs like the taste of them. SECOND the new mothballs look like pineapple candy lifesavers in color. They are round and have a ridge around them looking very much like a piece of candy to a child. Again....POISONOUS. No idea why anyone would use them in the first place. The camphor smell is awful.

You oould also buy Room Shocker used by contractors for foul odors in homes. They sell it at the big box stores like Lowes, Home Depot etc.

Hi Kadie, buy some kitty litter and spread it where you placed the moth balls. That should do the trick.

Thank You!

Irish spring bar soap will keep critters out. I don't know about the moth ball odor. Sorry

That's a tough one. I would mop everything down with a vinegar and water solution. Then I would turn on a dehumidifier. I would also put out small bowls of coffee grinds. Good luck!

Wanted to know what actually worked for you to get the scent out. My husband just did this and was the worst mistake ever but instead of using mothballs he used the moth crystals and it is hard to get the moth crystals up compared to the balls as our basement is not a normal basement older house he threw the crystals under the house in the basment to get rid of skunks. Trying to figure what would mask the scent with out having to pay thousands to have someone come and vacuum the obyss because it has like a crawl space. The scent is strong.

A bag of charcoal is supposed to remove most all odors open a bag but be sure to put the brickets on something that will contain them and let it sit a few days and then check. Good luck!