Water damage in your house can cause a number of problems. The worst part of water damage is water damage smell. Water damage can be caused due to a number of reasons. Whatever is the reason you will notice a musty smell in your house.
This musty smell a sign of water damage as well as mold growth in your house. Water damage smell is common in old homes. The smell that you get is dank, stale and earthy. You cannot live with this smell for a longer period of time. Staying with this kind of smell can be unhealthy.
The air becomes contaminated with the mold spores. Health risks such as allergies and respiratory problems are related to this kind of smell. So, you need to get rid of water damage smell as soon as possible.
5 Important Tips to Remove Water Damage Smell
Here are some tips that can help you get rid of water damage smell.
- The first thing that you need to do is find the actual source of the smell. You can start by searching the damp areas of your house. Mold usually grows in damp areas. You can look into the bathroom, basement, attics and crawlspaces. You should also search for water damage or pipe leaks in and around the bathroom sink and tiles. Other than this, organic materials like drywall, carpet and wooden materials can become the breeding ground of molds. Once you locate the source of smell, you need to find out the actual reason behind it. Sewage backup, leaking pipes, cracking foundation and melting snow are some of the major causes of water damage.
- After you locate the musty water damage smell, it is important to remove its source. Try to repair the leaks in the pipe. Make sure you fill up the cracks on the foundation along with the cracks on the other areas of the house, such as roof. Repairing these leaks and cracks at the proper time will help preventing these kinds of smells from coming back.
- It is important to remove all the damaged materials to avoid further contamination. Removing such things can be become a challenge. You can always hire a mold remediation company to help you in these daunting tasks. After removing the affected materials you need to dry the area completely to remove moisture. If the affected area is less, then you can do the cleaning yourself. But before you start cleaning, do not forget to wear protective clothing and masks to prevent any kind of allergies.
- The next step is to get rid of mold. Sometimes the mold spreads to a larger area. It then becomes difficult to remove mold easily. In the early stages, you can use DIY methods to treat mold. Vinegar and bleach can be used to remove mold from the walls, floors or tiles. If the area contaminated is more than 10 square feet, then it is always a better option to call mold remediation experts.
- Once you are done with mold removal, you need to deodorize the area. First you need to ensure proper air flow in the affected room. Open the doors and windows of the room for ventilation. You can also use a dehumidifier or an overhead fan or a box fan to dry out the area completely. To deodorize the room, you can use lemons. You need to boil the lemons and keep it in the affected area of the house. This will surely help you remove the musty smell. You can use a fan to circulate the beautiful smell throughout the room.
You need to check whether the musty smell still persists even after all these cleaning. In this case, you will need the help of professionals to remove the smell through powerful equipment.