Cincinnati Emergency Cleaning Service

Every moment you go into the basement you breathe the air and it is filled with that nasty musty aroma. You are not the only one. Basements in many homes have that same smell resident in them too. If the odor is something you would rather not have, there are ways to destroy it. This is probably a wonderful idea anyway as the musty smell is a clue that mold and mildew are lurking around someplace in the basement and presents a probable medical risk.

Open windows everywhere in the basement. This will allow air flow throughout the basement and will assist in dissipating the musty aroma. If there is furniture in the basement and carpeting is there remove any padding and buy new, you should steam clean the carpets well and dry them totally, using fans to spread the air for faster dehydrating. Bring furnishings outside and clean them there. Permit them to dry and air out in the sunshine. Make sure that if your dryer is in in the basement that it is correctly vented to the exterior of the house so it does not promote humidity in the basement.

Prepare a blend of chlorine and water with about 1 cup of bleach to 1 gallon of water. Mop up any cement flooring and all the walls of the basement. Let the bleach remain for almost fifteen minutes then rinse the walls and dry them as well. This will destroy any mold or mildew that began to proliferate thus removing the musty smell.

If these elementary fixes aren't sufficient and the musty aroma returns you should check for the cause. Analyze the the exterior of the home. Make sure that the gutters are working properly and are not overflowing onto the ground around the foundation. Be sure the ground around the substructure slopes down and away leading water to move away from the abode. This helps prevent water from pooling and leaching into the ground around the foundation causing hydrostatic pressure. This pressure results in splits and openings appear in the groundwork which allows moisture into the basement. The wetness leads to the musty smell.

Make certain that the windows in the basement are in better condition and are well caulked. This is one other way to keep wetness out, not allowing the awful musty smell from moving in.

If you have splits, gaps, or signs of moisture on the walls make certain to waterproof the walls. Fix any cracks and openings. Use hydraulic cement to restore cracks and openings. Apply a cement sealer that is waterproof to the walls and cement flooring of the basement. This should kill any wetness from accumulating in the basement and thus also eliminate that musty odor.

If the difficulty still remains after you have done everything mentioned above, it is time to consider purchasing a dehumidifier. A dehumidifier removes the moisture from the air. This will keep any humidity at a minimum in the basement. This will preclude the musty scent as there won't be moisture in the basement to accumulate and create mold or mildew. This will also ensure that there are no medical risks to your family due to mold development in the basement.