Have you recently noticed a musty or mildew smell around your residential or commercial property? Do you feel like it has been worsening in the past few weeks or days? If so, then you should learn all you can about how to get rid of a mildew smell.
It isn’t just a matter of convenience. Allowing a mildew smell to stay in your home will affect the breathing quality of your air and, thus, the health of those inside. It can cause significant breathing issues in a hurry.
See below for an in-depth guide on how to get rid of a mildew smell inside. You will be glad that you did!
1. Find Where the Smell Is Coming From
First things first, you’ll want to perform a task force to find and locate the musty smell. As silly as it may sound, you’ll want people from outside your property to step inside. Your nose may have gotten used to the smell over the past few days, and won’t pick it up as distinctly. Just a suggestion!
Smell around to find where the smell is primarily coming from. You might have to remove certain objects that are blocking the scent, such as a shower curtain in your bathroom.
Not sure where the stench is coming from? Here are the most common areas for mold growth:
- In your walls or on the floor
- On or behind the microwave
- In or around the kitchen sink
- Inside your kitchen pantry
- In the bathroom sink or toilet
- Inside, under, or behind your refrigerator
- On or in between the cracks of your stove
- In your bathroom’s shower or tub
Use these as your starting point. If no mold or mildew can be found around there, then you might need a professional to inspect your HVAC system, crawl spaces, or roof for the mildew smell.
2. Create Airflow in Your House
Even when you clean and remove the source of the musty smell (we’ll cover that in a moment), the smell will continue to loom in your house. The only way to get rid of it? Creating as much airflow in your house as possible. In other words: pushing that musty smell out of your house and into the open air.
Start by opening up as many windows and doors as you possibly can. The more fresh air you can push into your house, the easier that the mildew smell will escape.
However, the key here is to make sure every room in your house has a form of ventilation. If one of your rooms doesn’t have a window (or one that can open), then put some electric fans in the room, blowing out through the doorway. That will ensure that the mildew smell doesn’t settle in a room where it can’t escape through a door or window.
If one of the rooms is especially stinking, you can boil some water in a pot, add some lemon peels to it, then place that pot in a room or area where the musty smell is especially strong. The strong citrusy smell of the lemons will eliminate the horrible smell of mildew from your home.
3. Scrub and Wash
Once you’ve located the spot that the musty smell is coming from and have opened windows and doors throughout the house, it’s time to get to work! Grab a scrub brush and diluted bleach, then get to scrubbing!
Don’t just scrub the areas where the mildew/mold is obvious. Remember, that mold is currently in the act of spreading around the infected area. We recommend scrubbing the entire surface. For example, if you find mildew in the corner of your shower, we highly recommend scrubbing the entire shower. Once you’re done, let the bleach sit for 30 minutes.
Once the 30 minutes is up, remove the bleach by soaking it up with a wet sponge. To create the diluted bleach solution, pour one cup of bleach and four cups of water into a large bucket.
4. Hire a Carpet Cleaning Service
But what if the source of the smell isn’t obvious? What if you go throughout the entire house and don’t find a single trace of mold or mildew? If so, then the smell might be coming from the fibers inside your carpet.
We recommend that you hire a carpet cleaning service. They can use their carpet cleaning equipment to eradicate the smell from inside your home. They’ll make your carpet look and smell brand-new.
Strange smells are the number one reason that professional carpet companies recommend their services. Be sure to reach out to one to learn more!
5. Be Preventative in the Future
Once you’ve cleaned the mildew smell from your home, you want to make sure that it never makes its way back. The best way to do that is by using preventative tactics.
You can use a combination of things to render the right results. Start by using baking soda in areas such as your refrigerator, your bathrooms, and your kitchen counters. You can also place dehumidifiers in places with high humidity, but low ventilation, such as a bathroom without windows.
Lastly, make sure to purchase screen covers for all of your windows. That way, you can keep them open as much as possible without fear of bugs or animals getting in from the outside.
Eradicate the Mildew Smell in Your Home Today
Now that you have seen the key steps on how to get rid of a mildew smell inside your home, be sure to follow them to a “T”.
If problems persist, seek professional assistance. The mildew and mold will only continue to spread in your house, causing breathing issues for you and your family.
Be sure to browse our website for more articles on cleaning your home, as well as many other helpful topics that you will enjoy.
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