You’ve finally secured the loan for your new home in Birmingham, Alabama, and you’ve got the keys in your hand. As your helpful family begins to move furniture into the home, you stand there, hands on your hips, and take a deep breath. But wait, what’s that smell? The house is only a few years old, so why does it smell like it’s much older? Musty, old smells are more than distracting. They may also indicate a hazardous mold or mildew issue. Removing that old smell with these easy methods makes your house feel like a home and improves your indoor air quality.
Locate the Source
As mentioned above, old and musty smells often originate from mold and mildew growth somewhere in the home. You may have to sniff around until you find the source, but a good place to start is the bathroom. Spores often find a home in the grout and along tub caulking. Mold also can easily grow around windows that are not adequately sealed.
The Mold and Mildew Killer
You can’t always find the exact spot from which the smell is originating, but you can often identify the room where it’s most pungent. Once you’ve done that, mix one part bleach with four parts water and scrub down the room. This mixture kills mold and mildew and leaves the room smelling fresh.
Odor Absorbers
If you’re worried that the bleach treatment isn’t enough, you can keep an open container of baking soda or kitty litter in the problematic room. These odor absorbers may not permanently fix the problem, but they do remove unwanted smells.
Prevent Further Growth
Scrubbing down the room is not always enough to prevent future mold and mildew growth. To do that, you can look into installing a whole-home dehumidifier that keeps the humidity in your home at a healthy, anti-mold level.
Don’t let old and musty smells keep you from enjoying your new home. For more help improving the indoor air quality in your home, call One Source Heating, Cooling & Electrical at (205) 509-1929.
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