How to Get Rid of Musty Basement Odors

Musty basement odor can be more harmful than just a bad smell. Air borne illness can erupt and other harmful bacteria may be growing. It is important to get rid of these odors multiple times a week to multiple times a year for the larger jobs. Here are a few ideas to get you started on your odor free quest.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Troubleshoot

1. Clean the basement first. Seasonally gather all the trash, organize storage into air tight plastic containers, sweep the basement, and wash the windows. Mold likes paper, so store in plastic containers.
2. Buy a dehumidifier. Many basement owners have a dehumidifier, but the one you have might not be enough. Make sure the dehumidifier is appropriate for your basements square footage.
3. Remove any extra wood that may be collecting moisture. Sometimes there was a closet or room divider that is old and needs to be removed. Moisture can collect in these and mold begins to grow.
4. Remove old carpets and rugs. The moisture content in these is often too large to salvage. Consider first installing a subfloor and then linoleum, tile, or wood floors accented with area rugs instead of placing carpet directly onto cold damp basement concrete.
5. Fix water damage and mildew build up on walls. See the next section for details.
6. Paint your floor with a water resistant paint, install a subflooring, install new flooring.

Fix the Walls

7. Scrape walls with a wire brush or scraper. Remove any loose particles such as corrosion from the walls.
8. Wipe down or spray walls with chlorine bleach solution. To make the chlorine bleach solution get a spray bottle and mix 20 percent bleach with 80 percent water. Spray this solution on the walls. Wear a respirator to protect yourself from the fumes. Open all the doors and keep the area well ventilated.
9. Let the basement dry thoroughly.
10. Take a hand broom and brush down the wall. The chlorine bleach solution can leave a residue that needs to be removed before the walls are painted.
11. Paint the walls with a mildew resistant paint. This can be found at your local hardware store.

Tips & Warnings

• Empty the dehumidifier regularly.
• Connect a drain hose from the dehumidifier to an outside source to avoid frequent emptying of the dehumidifier.

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