Mold isn’t just an unsightly blotch with an unpleasant smell. It can lead to eye irritation, congestion, coughing, and much more. To make matters worse, sometimes the mold smell remains even after you eradicate the source.
When your house smells like mold, it’s hard to get things done. You can spend many frustrating hours cleaning the place, only for it to retain those foul, musty smells. If the mold is gone, but the mold odor is still there, what can you do?
In this guide, we’ll discuss the solutions for dealing with a persistent mold smell. By the end, you’ll have the solution to nuking that pesky mold smell once and for all.
Freshen Up the Place
Mold has a very particular smell thanks to its microbial properties. Compounds known as mVOCs (microbial volatile organic compounds) create that mold odor we all know and love–or rather, hate.
It’s these floating fungi spores that create the characteristic scent. Usually, the first solution is to simply get rid of what’s still lingering in the air.
Air Out and Use Air Fresheners
It’s normal for a bit of mold smell to linger after you tackle a mold patch. First things first, make sure to air out the place with the mold problem. Open the windows, turn on the HVAC to the max, and keep the doors open.
Don’t be afraid to use air fresheners. Use one of the spray kinds, or install an air freshener cake. This will neutralize remaining mVOCs and leave your home nice and fresh.
Identify the Source of the Mold Smell
Perhaps, like above, you’ve already cleaned, but the smell persists in the long term. There is only one answer for that: you still have mold. Now, you have to find out where it is.
Find the Places Mold Loves
Mold can only grow in humid, warm, damp areas–areas Tampa is known for. So double-check the places that would be perfect for mold growth. Bathrooms, kitchen sinks, cellars, basements, and so on.
Check Fabrics
Fabric is an excellent breeding ground for mold as well. Take, for example, that damp towel you left on the hook after a hot shower. Without proper circulation for it to dry, it becomes a cesspool of mold.
There’s a good chance that any piece of fabric has become Ground Zero for mold. Inspect clothing, sheets, rugs, or even carpet. If it’s possible to wash it, especially in a washing machine with hot water, do so.
Otherwise, use a deodorizing agent. Fabric-safe bleach should usually do the trick, although be careful not to leave white spots.
Use gloves. Make sure to rinse off the bleach and leave the article to dry.
Identify Hidden Mold
Let your nose lead you to the source. If it’s not immediately obvious where the mold is coming from, dig deeper. It loves to build within the cracks, such as inside a broken sink or bathtub plastic.
You may well have a mold infestation inside the walls or some other inaccessible area. At this point, your best bet is to call mold remediation and removal services.
Use the Right Chemicals
Mold is alive. It’s a microbial collection of fungi that breed in damp, warm places. Using water and a rag may only succeed in breaking up the cultures, but not killing them for good.
When in doubt, bleach it out. Create a mixture of bleach and water–four parts water, one part bleach. Most importantly, make sure you are wearing a mask, gloves, and safety goggles for your health.
Scrub any suspicious area, or really any area that could be a culprit for mold growth. Mold can start very small, so it may not be visually apparent in the early stages. Still, this incipient mold can create a foul smell.
Get in the Habit of Mold Prevention
You can save yourself a lot of money and time if you get into the habit of mold prevention.
Keep your home dry. After taking a hot shower, open the window or turn on the fan. Keep your kitchen, basement, or any other place aired out and dry.
Clean Regularly
Some places are impossible to keep dry for long. So, make a habit of cleaning them regularly to give the mold no place to grow. This regular cleaning usually prevents you from having to go to town with the bleach later on.
Reduce Humidity
Humidity is mold’s best friend. That’s why you will find mold cultures on windowsills and other places that aren’t explicitly wet.
Install dehumidifiers wherever your home is most humid. A cheap dehumidifier can go a long way in a bathroom or underground room like a basement. It robs the mold of what makes it grow best–leaving you little to no cleanup later.
Call a Mold Removal or Remediation Service
Perhaps you can’t find the source of the smell. Or, you’ve done your best to remove it and the smell remains. At some point, you will just have to call the professionals to take care of things.
Call a remediation service and they will handle the whole kit and caboodle for you. They are experts in identifying the source of hidden mold, no matter where it is hiding. Instead of spending a weekend hunting down the smell, let someone who does it professionally handle the problem.
Get Help from Big Easy Restoration
A mold smell is the worst and can induce breathing problems regardless of your constitution. Hidden mold can evade your efforts to remove it completely. Use the above tips, or else call a professional service to handle the problem.
Big Easy Restoration handles it all: commercial, residential, and industrial infestations of mold. Contact us here to tell us about your mold issue.
