A musty smell from your basement indicates the presence of mold and mildew.
Dry basement smells musty.
The solutions to fix these two problems are different.
It s probably not the first time you ve heard this but mould and mildew aren t exactly healthy.
Since basements are built underground the basement exterior walls are generally cool in temperature and while warm air in the home comes into contact with the cool walls or surfaces it will produce condensation.
If it smells musty it is musty.
Remove the source of odor.
For an uninsulated slab the solution is to install a layer of polyethylene and then a layer of rigid foam and then osb or plywood subflooring above the slab.
Sewer gas distinctively smells like sewage and permeates through to affect all of the house smells.
You re not going to like this answer.
Musty odors commonly occur on the basement for the following five reasons.
It s likely mould and mildew.
Both air flow and sunlight can help deodorize a room a great deal.
What causes the musty smell in basements and other places.
You can have enough mold growth on your basement walls or basement slab to have a musty smell even when the mold is invisible and the concrete looks dry.
Closed dark and damp places are the perfect location for moulds to thrive.
You should notice a more pleasant smelling basement in a couple of days.
The musty odor on towels tile and basement walls can be a sign you have a mildew problem.
The key is to keep the moisture down in the basement area.
The leading cause of musty smells in the basement however is simply lack of ventilation.
Wet drywall has a musty smell while wet fiberglass have a sulfuric rotten egg smell.
The final step for how to get rid of musty smell is actually lifting the odor.
Allow the spray to dry.
As basements are typically below the ground level they don t have windows.
Musty smells in the basement air are caused by mold growth water damage or high humidity levels.
To remove any lingering musty smell try the old fashioned yet effective remedy of setting out a few small bowls of baking soda around the room.
Or if they do the windows don t provide significant amount of sunlight or more inportantly air flow.
The most common reason for musty odors in basements is the prolonged growth of mold in the space.
With a few simple pantry items you can completely eliminate the odor and.
Mold growth can be in visible spaces as well as hidden in wall cavities in carpets and above ceilings.