Having mold in your home looks horrible and can damage your health. On to of all of this it will also smell horrible. As the mold is growing in your basement the smell of it can travel through the ventilation system and infiltrate the whole house. There are various types of mold that can develop due to moist and dark environments.
There are various steps that you are able to take – which will help to remove that musty smell generated by mold. Each of these are simple things that anyone can do. It is important to know that these steps should be taken after you have already taken the necessary steps to remove the mold from the basement.
Ventilate
The first thing that you should do is to increase the amount of ventilation that is running through the basement. This does not mean that you should install more vents around the basement. This will only increase the musty smell and spread it through the house. Instead you need to keep the basement windows open. It is best to keep them open at opposite ends of the room if possible to create cross ventilation.
Remove Mildewed Carpeting
As much as we love to have a finished and carpeted basement once it has been affected by mold this is not always a luxury we will want. The best way to remove the smell is to get rid of any carpeting and upholstery. If you have any padded furniture all you should have to do is clean them and allow them to air out in the sunlight. However, you will need to invest in new carpets or maybe a good looking hardwood floor.
Clean Everything
Once the mold has been removed you need to take the necessary steps to cleaning anything that might have come into contact with it. Use bleach and water or a mold cleaner and wash down the concrete floors and walls. Allow this to sit and saturate it all for ten to fifteen minutes before rinsing it down and allowing it to dry. Make sure that it dries quickly.
Drainage
Too often homes will have porous basement walls that are able to transfer moisture from the ground outside when it rains and it will trap the moisture and turn into humidity in your basement. To avoid this you need to make sure that the ground slopes away from the foundation walls and that the downspouts are six feet from the house.