Musty Smelling Carpets?

My home is half underground, concrete base, poor insulation, and had musty smelling rooms and in winter the air felt damp. Solutions that worked for me were - fresh air throughout the day helps remove smells, shaking out pillowcases or musty blankets or washing them more often. Airing a room by just opening windows in the morning for say 3 or 4 hours, as is comfortable. If you can open internal doors and let the air flow smells decrease more easily. It will be even faster if you can open external doors (if you can do so safely and not be cold! ) A good breeze lifts off the odors, but only temporarily. You might need to do this every few days.

BUT when it's winter and cold you cant do that, it increases the odor, damp cold feeling in the home, or mold on ceilings, and wet windows which are not much fun and not good for breathing in. If you can't insulate your walls/ ceiling/ floors or get double glazing, then second best option is I thoroughly recommend investing in a dehumidifier or borrowing one to try out. It was a lifesaver for us, our home was much more comfortable, and will be for you. If you don't know, it removes moisture from the air, collecting that water slowly into its storage container and pushes back out drier air into your home. Dry air is warmer air, so less heating is required, it feels comfortable, less humid, there's less chance of bugs thriving, and knocks mold on ceilings, and water on windows and smells on the head. You can close the windows and not air the house out every day.

If you can invest a bit more into a higher end model, it's worth it. Theyre easier to monitor and empty and clean. (You need to wipe dust off filters monthly. ) Take time to find one with the right settings for your needs, the more options the better, like Eco modes, directional fan, humidity thermostat, laundry drying or whatever; set it for your needs and it does the rest.

Once I decided to try a dehumidifier (Mitsubishi one with lots of setting options), I knew the slight power cost to run it 24-7 somedays, was worth it. A small price to pay for an improved home. Emptying the water tank is also a small price to pay if you can't do major home alterations for comfort.

SoFarSoFun1

March 21, 20160 found this helpful

My home was half underground, on a concrete base, with no insulation, and it had musty smelling rooms, mold in the bathroom and in winter the air felt damp. Solutions that worked in summer mainly was to get fresh air in throughout the day. It helped remove smells, plus shaking out pillowcases or musty blankets and washing them more often. Airing a room by opening windows in the morning for say 3 or 4 hours, as is comfortable. It's more effective if you can open internal doors and increase the air flow. It's even faster if you open external doors (if you can do so safely and not be cold! ) But generally a good breeze lifts off the odors for a couple of days. Depending on your home you might need to do this every few days or weekly.

BUT in winter when it's cold you can't do that so easily. Winter brought my home increased musty odor, a nicotine smell came up out of the carpet (and we dont smoke), moisture in the air, mold on ceilings and windows, and wet windows. It wasn't pleasant, I always felt gloomy, and miserable and it's not good for breathing in. I couldn't renovate as I was renting. They recommend to insulate walls/ ceiling/ floors or get double glazing, and have extractor fans in bathrooms, etc. I realised I must try another option - a dehumidifier.

It worked great. I thoroughly recommend investing in a dehumidifier or borrowing one to try out. Despite the initial cost it's an instant lifesaver. My home was immediately much more comfortable.
If you don't know, it's function is to remove moisture from the air, collecting that water slowly into its storage container and pushes back out drier air into your home. Dry air is warmer air, so less heating is required, the atmosphere feels comfortable, not humid, there's less chance of bugs thriving, and knocks mold on the head, reduces water on windows and smells. You can close the windows!

If you do this, invest a bit more into a higher end model if you can. It's worth it to have more functions or options if you want to save on power costs long term. The easier to monitor and empty and clean the better. (You need to wipe dust off filters monthly, and empty the tank every day or two. ) Take time to find one with the right settings for your needs. Some have Eco modes, directional fan, humidity thermostat, laundry drying, air purifying, etc. Set it for your needs and it does the rest.

Once I decided the moisture had to go and used a loaned dehumidifier (Mitsubishi one with lots of settings!), I didnt mind the increased power cost. You may run it 24-7 somedays, or just an hour or two, but those extra dollars a month were worth it, and I didnt use my heater as much. A small price to pay for an improved home. Emptying the water tank is also a small price to pay if you can't do major home alterations. I vote for comfort!

SoFarSoFun1

March 21, 20160 found this helpful

My home was half underground, on a concrete base, with no insulation, and it had musty smelling rooms, mold in the bathroom and in winter the air felt damp. Solutions that worked for me were - fresh air throughout the day helps remove smells, shaking out pillowcases or musty blankets or washing them more often. Airing a room by just opening windows in the morning for say 3 or 4 hours, as is comfortable. If you can open internal doors and let the air flow smells decrease more easily. It's even faster if you open external doors (if you can do so safely and not be cold! ) A good breeze lifts off the odors for a couple of days, but you might need to do this every few days.

BUT when it's winter and cold you can't do that so much. My home had increased musty odor, nicotine smell came up out of the carpet (we dont smoke), moisture in the air, mold on ceilings, and wet windows in my home. It wasn't pleasant, I always felt gloomy it's not good for breathing in. If you can't insulate your walls/ ceiling/ floors or get double glazing, or have extractor fans, then second best option is a dehumidifier.

I thoroughly recommend investing in a dehumidifier or borrowing one to try out. Despite the initial cost it was an instant lifesaver, our home was much more comfortable. If you don't know, it's function is to remove moisture from the air, collecting that water slowly into its storage container and pushes back out drier air into your home. Dry air is warmer air, so less heating is required, the atmosphere feels comfortable, not humid, there's less chance of bugs thriving, and knocks mold on the head, reduces water on windows and smells. You can close the windows!

If you do this, invest a bit more into a higher end model, it's worth it to have more functions or options if you want to save on power costs long term. The easier to monitor and empty and clean the better. (You need to wipe dust off filters monthly. ) Take time to find one with the right settings for your needs. Some have Eco modes, directional fan, humidity thermostat, laundry drying, air purifying, etc. Set it for your needs and it does the rest.

Once I decided the moisture had to go and use the dehumidifier a friend gave us (Mitsubishi one with lots of setting options), I accepted there would be a power cost to run it 24-7 somedays, but with choosing the best settings for my home, those few dollars a month was worth it. A small price to pay for an improved home. Emptying the water tank is also a small price to pay if you can't do major home alterations. I vote for comfort!