We’ve all experienced it upon walking into a building: that “old” smell – otherwise known as a strong, musty odor. There are several things that can cause this unmistakable smell, but the main culprits really are mold and mildew. Mustiness is a stubborn odor to get rid of, mainly because mold and mildew thrive so easily when conditions are ripe to do so.
So, how can you get rid of it?
The musty smell of mold and mildew can put up quite the fight and generally speaking, probably has had years to set in and settle into everything in a house. It gets into the carpet, drapes, furniture, and other fabrics in a home. It can even settle into your Contra Costa HVAC system’s filter. Mold and mildew release gasses, creating the mustiness that permeates everything.
Although it can be frustrating to pin down the source of the odor (which is due to moist, dark places providing harbor to molds and mildew), it’s vital that the source be found and removed. Once the mildew and mold are removed, however, that musty smell will linger, so you need to move to get rid of it. Here’s how:
Proper Cleaning: No Way Around It
Simply trying to dry out the area that the mold/mildew were living probably won’t be enough to eliminate the odor completely. Everything will need to be scrubbed with a good cleaning agent. This doesn’t mean you have to resort to strong chemicals or hazardous products to get the job done, though.
If you don’t want to fill the house with chlorine bleach and irritating fumes, try a mixture of:
- Four parts water
- Two parts hydrogen peroxide
- One part boric acid
- Two parts white vinegar
Scrub furniture, walls, and floors with it – but don’t saturate areas. Over-saturation will only exacerbate the problem, since mold and mildew need moisture to thrive. Wash all fabrics you can get your hands on, from towels to laundry to curtains to carpets. Throughout the entire process, be sure to provide adequate ventilation for rooms with open windows, the HVAC system, and fans.
Napa Heating and Cooling
One of the best ways to keep indoor moisture under control is with the house’s HVAC system. You’ll want to keep the air in the home moving as much as possible, even if you only run the house fan on the system.
For this reason, it’s important that you always keep the heating and air conditioning system in proper working order. When a home’s climate control system isn’t working efficiently or properly, it can affect much more than just a home’s temperature – it will affect its humidity levels, too (not to mention your energy bills)!
Let the Sun Help You Work
Mildew and mold love dark, moist spaces, so now that you know how to combat high moisture levels, you’ll want to fight back against the darkness. The best and cheapest way to do so is to open the curtains (and windows, if it’s pleasant outdoors) and let the sunshine in!
Get Help with the Indoor Climate
If you discover that your Contra Costa HVAC system isn’t working properly, or if it’s been more than a year since you’ve had preventive maintenance done on it, be sure to contact our heating and cooling experts at A-1 Guaranteed right away.
When you work hard to rid a home of that musty smell and the offending mold and mildew that causes it, you want to make sure your HVAC system is going to be able to efficiently do its part to help control the airflow and moisture levels in the home. Otherwise, you’ll be right back where you started before too long, noticing that smell and finding mildew and mold popping up again in all the usual places.
If you need help with the indoor climate control of your home, you need Solano HVAC repair, or you need maintenance for your heating and cooling in Napa, contact the pros at A-1 Guaranteed now and let us know how we can help you!
