Eliminating Musty Odors from Homes & Basements in Maine

Stale. Moldy. Damp. Stuffy. Are these words that come to mind when you pull should-be-fresh clothes out of the dryer? Or when you walk down to the basement? What you’re smelling is often described as a “musty” odor. While this is not exactly pleasant, it is important that humans can smell things that could alert us to potential danger. Behind the mustiness can be mold or mildew, and they can be harmful.

If your home or clothing smells musty, chances are you have mold or mildew hiding out. While other things — like a lack of ventilation or high levels of humidity — can make a musty odor more noticeable, they typically are not the primary cause of the smell - they just create the conditions under which the musty smells develop. In short, musty odors are when your house is crying out for help.

Mustiness or a stale smell coming from your clothes can really only indicate one or more of three causes:

• Your washing machine is embedding the odor,
• Your dryer is no longer venting properly, or
• Your closet is damp and a hotbed for mildew .

You must first find the cause, and then implement the strategy that will eliminate the problem. Let an Odor-Pros affiliate help you investigate and develop a plan.

Basements are likely the most common cause for musty odors in a home. Leaky foundation walls that let in dirty and microbe-infested water into your cellar only to stand and grow new colonies of fungi and other microbes can quickly spread the musty smells throughout an air-tight house.

It you have water coming into your basement, have your drainage checked and run a dehumidifier.

YES. As already stated above. Exposure to mold and mildew in the home can be hazardous to your health. Some people are more sensitive to mold and mildew than others or may already have asthma that mold and mildew can exacerbate. 

The problem can still cause respiratory and other bodily symptoms.

While the most common source in a home is your cellar, you may also have a leaky roof, condensating supply lines, dripping drain pipes or poorly sealed windows.

Anywhere that moisture and get in and soak construction materials within your home like drywall, wood trim, floor boards, ceiling tiles, carpeting or more can all develop the musty odors that indicate mold.

If your nose and eyes are not able to immediately identify the source of the problem, then consider having a contractor scan your home for moisture content within the substrates of your home - moisture will indicate musty smell origins and mustiness will identify the location for the spores that develop into mildew and mold.

When you hire one of the OdorPros you get the common PLUS much MORE:

1. We use natural odor absorbents - we blend our ClO2 solution with a cousin to baking soda called Sodium Carbonate. This both absorbs the odors and releases deodorizers.
2. We go where others CAN'T - by invading all air space with a super-small molecular vapor, we can penetrate deep within every surface in your room.

Our OdorPros can assist you with musty odor removal services from such surfaces as:

1. Tile, wood and other hard floor surfaces.
2. Carpet & upholstery.
3. Wall, ceilings, curtains, drapes and trim.
4. Circulating through the HVAC system, where odors cling to dust adhering to the ductwork.