Help! How Do I Get Rid of Old House Smell? House Smells like Mildew? [Find Out the Secret Tool We Use To Eliminate Bad Smells]

It is a common occurrence for many homeowners to encounter mildew and musty smell problems in their houses. While detecting the musty old house smell is relatively easy, understanding their causes, identifying their sources, and getting rid of the odor that make houses smell like mildew is a whole different matter.

While there is an unpleasant odor associated with mildew smell and mold growth, the problem goes well beyond that. There are many health problems and potential risks associated with mildew and mold growth, such as wheezing, coughing, fever, redness in the eyes, itchy eyes, shortness of breath, etc. Some of these problems can be heightened for those who are asthmatic.

Therefore, it is essential to be informed about the best way to get rid of mildew and musty smells in your home, which can be done through deep cleaning, proper ventilation, and our secret weapon treatment.

At the same time, it is highly beneficial to understand what causes musty smells, how to identify their sources, and ways to prevent musty smells in the future.

This in-depth guide offers comprehensive information to help you understand different smells in your house ranging from old house smell, old people smell, or mildew or even mold smell.  More importantly, we will explain how to get rid of these unwanted smells and eliminate potential health risks. 

We will also include our favorite and most effective tactic (and secret appliance you can buy on Amazon today!) to combat these unpleasant smells in the house. 

Our goal is to provide you with actionable information to eliminate undesirable odors in your house.  The first step thought is to know what type of foul smell it is.

Understanding the Root Causes of Mildew and Musty Smells

Understanding the root causes of musty smells is a good place to start. It can help you determine what needs to change in your home so that you can prevent musty smells in the future.

It is also good to be informed so that you know what you are up against. Consider the following points when assessing root causes in your home:

• Excess Moisture and High Humidity Levels:
  • High humidity levels and excess moisture contribute to a musty odor because humidity nurtures mold growth and intensifies musty odors.
  • Common sources that cause excess moisture and high humidity are water damage, water leaks, and stagnant air.

• Mold and Mildew Growth:
  • Mildew growth and mold spores have a direct impact on indoor air quality because they release harmful pollutants into the air. The ramifications of this fact are heightened when considering the estimates of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that state that individuals spend 90% of their day indoors.
  • Some of the most common areas prone to mold growth are the basement, a crawl space, air ducts, the laundry room, shower curtains, and wood furniture.

• Poor Ventilation
  • Poor ventilation and stagnant air in older homes are leading causes of musty smells and mold growth. This is due to odors and moisture being trapped when there is an inadequate amount of airflow.
  • As a result, you must be made aware of the necessity for adequate ventilation in preventing a musty aroma. You may also want to assess how the problem can be addressed in your home.
    
    

First Steps to Identify the Source of the Musty Smell

Now that you understand the root causes of musty smells and mold growth, we can delve into ways you can identify their sources. Consider the following points when identifying the source of your musty smell or mold growth:

• Inspect the Affected Area:
  • When searching for affected areas, ensure you focus on damp areas like bathrooms and under kitchen sinks, hard floors, wood floors, and hard surfaces in your home.
  • As you are inspecting these areas, you will want to go slow and be meticulous to look for visible signs of mold and especially black mold in your house.

• Use Your Sense (especially smell and sight)
  • When looking for mold and the source of musty odors, it can also be good to conduct a smell test to locate the source of the musty smell. Try smelling damp areas or hard surfaces such as pianos, dressers, nightstands, etc. Sometimes hard surfaces located near walls can be a good place to look.

• Check Moisture Levels:
  • It can also be beneficial to measure moisture levels with a hygrometer. You can place these detectors in different rooms to determine if a specific room is more humid than others. You could also ensure to check your humidity levels throughout the year.
  • Water leaks are one of the leading causes of musty odors and mold growth. Therefore, you may also want to inspect for water leaks near your water heater, HVAC system, air ducts, and garbage disposal.

How to Get Rid of Old House Smell

After you have detected the source of the musty odor and old house smell, you are now ready to work towards getting rid of it. Consider the following points on how to get rid of old house smell:

• Improve Airflow and Ventilation:
  • Open windows and use fans to increase air circulation and bring in fresh air. As previously stated, trapped air is the equivalent of trapped moisture. When moisture is trapped in your home, it fosters mold growth.
  • You could also try installing exhaust fans and ceiling fans to maintain the airflow in your home.
  • Ensure your HVAC system is functioning properly with clean HVAC filters and air ducts. You should generally change your filters every three months.

• Deep Cleaning with Natural Remedies and Odor Absorbers:
  • After you have located the affected areas you will want to try deep cleaning products around the affected areas using natural products like white vinegar, baking soda, coffee grounds, persimmon extract, green tea, apple cider vinegar, and lemon peels.
  • You could also use essential oil in a spray bottle to freshen up your common living areas such as living room, kitchen, and dining room.
  • There will also be times when calling a professional may be the best choice. If you do not have the time to treat your home properly or if the problem is out of hand, you could consider the assistance of cleaning services for thorough mold removal.

• Dehumidify and Control Moisture:
  • In Texas, humidity is a big factor in daily life and general home maintenance. Using a dehumidifier to lower moisture levels and prevent mildew growth is also a wise choice. Mold growth occurs at high humidity levels. Using a dehumidifier can help you control your humidity levels and stop mold from growing.
  • Placing activated charcoal and other odor absorbers around your house can help to combat against musty odors. You could also try placing a bowl of baking soda in a musty room to act as an odor absorber.
  • Regularly cleaning appliances (such as your washing machine with hot water and laundry detergent or your garbage disposal with hot water) is another beneficial approach because bacteria and mildew tend to grow in these areas.

• Enhance Indoor Air Quality:
  • Try investing in an air purifier with a HEPA filter for better indoor air quality. Air purifiers help to remove harmful pollutants in the air and thereby increase the air quality in your home.
    
    o Replacing HVAC filters in your air conditioner regularly and cleaning your air filters to reduce mold spores is vitally important. As stated previously, you will generally want to replace your HVAC filters every three months. There are also a wide assortment of filters to choose from, so finding the right one for your home may take some research.

• Address Structural Issues:
  • When attempting to get rid of musty smells in your home, you will want to fix water leaks, water damage, and moisture problems that lead to the musty smells. A foundation that needs work will cause broken sewer lines and moisture buildup.
    
    o Ensuring proper insulation and sealing in older homes is a critical element in controlling and eliminating musty odors.

Preventing Musty and Old House Smells in the Future

After you have gotten rid of the musty smells and mold growth in your home, it is time to think about the future. How can you prevent such problems moving forward? Consider the following points to prevent musty smells or mold growth in the future:

• Maintain Proper Ventilation:
  • To prevent musty smells and mold growth in the future, ensure that you regularly open windows and use exhaust fans to keep air moving.

• Regular Cleaning Routine:
  • Following cleaning tips for thorough cleaning of damp areas and hard floors is an essential component of preventing musty odors and mold growth. Regular deep cleaning with mold-fighting products and keeping surfaces dry are vital components to incorporate into your regular cleaning routine.

• Monitor Moisture and Humidity:
  • Keeping humidity levels in check using dehumidifiers and ensuring adequate ventilation is a key-component in preventing mold growth and musty odors. Keeping the humidity levels in your home to around 40%-50% will help to eliminate odors and mold.

When to Call a Professional

• Persistent Musty Odor:
  • Unfortunately, there may be times when no matter how hard you try, you can’t get rid of your musty odors and mold growth. If lingering odors remain after DIY efforts, consider professional mold remediation
• Severe Mold Growth and Health Effects:
  • As previously mentioned, there are many adverse health effects to prolonged exposure to mold growth. Consult experts if you detect black mold or experience health effects from poor indoor air quality.

Our Secret Weapon Against Persistent Odors: The Ozone Machine

One of the best-kept secrets for home improvement by eliminating stubborn odors like old house smell, mildew, and mold is an ozone machine—our favorite tool that hardly anyone talks about. This small yet powerful device is the best odor eliminator – this small appliance the size of a shoebox generates ozone (O3), a potent oxidizing agent that breaks down the molecules causing these unpleasant smells. When ozone is released into the air, it reacts with odor-causing pollutants, neutralizing them and converting them into harmless substances like oxygen.

In our over 2500 real estate transactions in Texas, we often target houses that have odor problems as most homebuyers or investors go running away and we find a possible discount to market value available.  From Fort Worth to Dallas, it is more than safe to say we have had many experiences in handling houses that needed to remove odors of all kinds. 

You name it, we have been in it – hoarders houses in Arlington TX, pet odors, older people houses in Plano TX, cigarette smoke, cigar smokers, heavy body odor, nursing home smell, homeowners that never changed their air filters (or knew where to change), animal hoarding houses, cat lady house in Garland, houses filled with dog poop, and the list of smelly houses we have bought and treated with ozone is plenty. 

We believe ozone treatment is the most effective tool in the treatment of strong foul odors in a house or apartment not just in Texas but throughout the nation.   Using an ozone machine is straightforward, but it does require some specific safety steps. You’ll need to ensure the area is unoccupied, as high ozone levels can be harmful to people and pets.

Place the machine in the affected space, close all doors and windows, and let it run for a few hours at minimum, but we run the ozone machines for up to 2 or 3 days sometimes depending on the odor’s intensity and type.  The old person smell and cigarette smoke are the toughest so give it the most time and exposure to the ozone. Afterward, it’s crucial to ventilate the area thoroughly before re-entering.

The best part of ozone treatment is that you are not covering up the smell of the microbial volatile organic compounds causing the unpleasant odors, you are actually destroying and killing the source of the smell. 

This is not like using air fresheners that covering up house smells musty, or ductwork that has an earthy smell, but actually attacking, killing, and getting rid of the mustiness at the base microbial level.

If you’re uncomfortable with doing the ozone treatment yourself, don’t worry—we can handle it for you. Our company provides professional ozone treatment services to ensure your home is safely and effectively rid of unwanted odors. For those who prefer a DIY approach, check out our favorite and recommended ozone machine.

It’s our secret weapon against stubborn smells, and it works wonders in keeping your home smelling fresh and clean.