Home Improvement » House Cleaning » Article


Getting Rid of Musty Basement Odors

By Jason Lee
Filed under: House Cleaning         Words in this Post: 253



Print This Post Print This Post AddThis Feed Button

If a basement smells musty, the moisture in the basement may have caused mold and mildew. Sometimes standing water can also smell before mildew and mold occurs.

You can do three things to immediately getting rid of musty basement odors:

  • Get a dehumidifier and run it constantly as soon as hot, muggy weather sets in. In the northern tier of states, that’s usually until fall when the furnace kicks in.
  • Use a fan to dry out the damp area. Then use a bleach and water solution to clean it.
  • Get a sump pump to handle excessive moisture. It will kick in at any time of the year when water collects in the drain.

If you shop for sump pumps or talk to contractors, be sure you get a pump that is large enough to handle all of the water you get. And consider a battery-operated backup for power. Sump pumps don’t operate when the power goes off and that’s precisely when the most water damage occurs. You want another source of power to take over during storms.

If you use a dehumidifier, be sure to empty the reservoir every day. Otherwise, the dehumidifier will shut off when it’s full and the captured moisture will slowly evaporate, putting moisture back into the air.

In colder climates, basement dehumidifiers “freeze up” when temperatures drop. To defrost a frozen one, turn it off and don’t turn it back on until after the area warms up and the ice or frost has melted. Be sure to maintain the dehumidifier as directed by the manufacturer.

View More Articles in House Cleaning. . .
Author: Jason Lee

Please Rate This Article
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (No Ratings Yet)
Loading ... Loading ...

Tags:

 

You may also be interested in the following Articles:

Comments

Feel free to leave a comment...

Better still write an article, express your opinion & get free backlinks to your site.

In a hurry today, just write a few words in the comment, we'd appreciate! And oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!

You must be logged in to post a comment.

 

Visit ChiTownPost.com - A Wealthy Resource of Articles on All Subjects