Updated: 07/08/2021 13:18:03
The characteristic musty smell of mold indicates that a fungus dangerous to health has grown in the room. The first thing to do is to eliminate the fungus and the causes of its appearance. Mold quickly invades rooms that are poorly ventilated, where the temperature is moderately cool or warm and where there is a high level of humidity. After treating the fungus, you can still smell it, so in this article we will tell you how to deal with the unpleasant odor.
Main reasons
The causes of odor in an apartment can be not only animals or humans. Often what is stored incorrectly goes missing. Then it's hard to escape the stench. The problem can be resolved by identifying the source of the odor.
Household items
Appliances located in the kitchen are often the cause of unpleasant odors. When you open the refrigerator, you feel that some product has gone bad. Ice stuck to the freezer also smells bad.
Wet, poorly dried laundry is stored in closets. And in the laundry baskets there are dirty towels and clothes for more than a day. Over time, the whole house begins to smell like mold.
Alcohol and smoking
The room in which people smoke becomes saturated with smoke. After the holiday, the smell of fumes lingers in the rooms for a long time. Upholstered furniture and clothing strongly absorb odors.
Pets
Our smaller brothers brighten up our loneliness. But dogs and cats must be kept in the house correctly. Otherwise, the smell of urine and excrement penetrates even into neighboring apartments.
Expired food or trash bin
If a person wants to spoil the smell in the apartment, it is worth throwing waste after cleaning the fish into the trash can. Pieces of rotten meat or a meat dish in the refrigerator leave behind a sickening aroma that is difficult to get rid of for a long time.
Sewerage, poor exhaust, unscrupulous cleaning, storage of dirty things
The bathroom can constantly smell of mold and dirty things if the room is not cleaned on time. Problems with siphons, clogged sinks and toilets lead to the smell of sewage lingering in the apartment for a long time.
If the hood is of poor quality or the ventilation is clogged with dust, the aromas of the house are not at all pleasant.
How to prevent mold in your apartment
It is easier to prevent any problem than to deal with it in the future. To prevent mold from becoming a “member” of your family, take care of your safety.
The favorite location of the fungus is the bathroom. After taking a shower, open the curtain. It is advisable to wipe off excess moisture from the walls. Leave the bathroom door ajar for a while.
Use air humidifiers without fanaticism; it is better to ventilate the rooms more often.
Buy an air conditioner with which you can regulate the temperature. However, some appliances themselves are mold pathogens. When purchasing, pay attention to the presence of fungicidal impregnation in its filters.
Keep track of your belongings. Do not hang wet clothes in closets. Do not place furniture in the apartment close to the walls to avoid condensation. By the way, we also recommend reading an article on how to get rid of the smell of mold in a closet.
In warmer months, dry pillows and mattresses. Do not purchase bedding made from rubber, which provokes the appearance of an unfortunate fungus.
Keep an eye on your balcony. Make a flooring so that moisture does not linger and flow down.
Not everyone knows that mold is a powerful allergen. Some people are forced to change housing due to the inability to live in damp conditions.
Folk remedies for mold control
There are many ways to eliminate mold at home with making your own products.
Bleach containing chlorine. Regular white is often used. Dilute it in proportions of 1:10 and apply to the affected areas. Chlorine kills spores and cleans the surface. The disadvantage of this method is that the treated areas become yellowish. After drying the treated area, cosmetic repairs will have to be made.
Don't forget about safety precautions. Before starting work, equip yourself with rubber gloves and a respirator.
Ammonia is an indispensable tool in the home. Dilute alcohol and water in equal parts, spray it on the affected areas, leave for two hours. Then wipe the treated surface with a damp cloth and dry.
By analogy, we spray table vinegar After two hours, wipe and dry the surface. Using this method, it is advisable to re-treat after ten days.
hydrogen peroxide in its pure form. We apply it to areas where the fungus is spreading, mainly to large blackheads. After some time, rinse off the peroxide with plenty of water. Using a dry cloth, remove excess moisture and dry the surface.
If you use peroxide on painted areas, be prepared for the paint to change color and the surface to be repainted.
Baking soda. An effective product for removing old stains. Prepare a solution of 200 milliliters of water and one teaspoon of soda. Wipe the affected areas with a soft sponge. Then rinse with water and carry out the procedure again. No need to rinse again. The presence of soda on the affected surface will serve as protection against new fungus.
Effective methods for eliminating fungus are solutions based on copper sulfate:
- For 10 liters of water, dilute 1 kg of copper or 1.5 iron sulfate. You can dilute both ingredients in 0.5 kg.
- For 10 liters of water we dilute 1.5 kg of copper sulfate and up to 2 liters of acetic acid.
- Pour 900 grams of borax, 0.5 kg of boric acid and 1.5 liters of vinegar into 10 liters of water.
Prepare the solution at your discretion, based on the ingredients you have on hand. Warm it to 70 degrees and spray on the affected areas. Products based on copper sulfate and boric acid are prepared in large quantities to treat large areas.
“Treatment” for mold on wood walls requires repeating the procedure after a month.
How and how to deal with the smell of mold in an apartment
To get rid of the fungus once and for all, you need to find out the reasons for its appearance. If this is due to poor building material, a leaking roof or moisture from the basement, you cannot cope on your own. In this case, mold removal is carried out by special services.
If the cause of dampness is inside your apartment, then we will fight the fungus ourselves. Let's look at the main ways to get rid of mold:
- Let's dry the room.
- If the ventilation in the house is poor, we ventilate the apartment more often.
- We find places where fungus accumulates and clean them with a scraper.
- Apply mold-fighting products to the cleaned surface.
- We throw away clothes that are heavily affected by fungus. You won't be able to wash it off.
- If possible, we eliminate all sources of increased air humidity.
Prevention measures
If you don’t want to take a long and tedious time to remove the musty aroma, it is better to take preventive measures in advance:
- Areas with signs of dampness should be regularly ventilated.
- Use “soft” fumigation preparations.
- Avoid large temperature changes in the room (install heating).
- Do not leave wet items in the washing machine or closet.
- It is advisable to install heated towel rails in the bathroom.
- Insulate the walls.
- Inspect pipes for leaks.
Causes of dampness in a private home
We didn’t think about what exactly was the source of mold in our home. Because all possible factors suited our situation perfectly. Among the reasons that contribute to the appearance of dampness are the following:
- Roof. If there are cracks and the slightest unclosed gaps in the roof, any type of precipitation gradually penetrates into the home. At first, there are no signs of leakage on the ceiling, but over time, moisture accumulates, causing the development and spread of fungus.
- Foundation. The lack of low tide was the impetus for the beginning of the destruction of the foundation of the house. Plus, there were water pipes running under the floor that were leaking, and thus the foundation was washed out and dampness accumulated under the floor covering.
- Walls. They may be partially destroyed and covered with cracks. In our case, mold formed on them due to the lack of an exhaust hood in the bathroom and in the hallway.
- Wall covering. If the room is lined with plastic or other similar material, then it cannot “breathe”, which leads to the accumulation of moisture and the formation of mold.
- Underground. In the absence of supply and exhaust ventilation, dampness accumulates in a short time. In this case, the smell along with the fungus spreads throughout the entire home.
- Groundwater. When they are located close together, it is necessary to have high-quality waterproofing performed both inside and outside the house.
How to reduce high humidity
Once you get rid of mold, you need to protect yourself from its further appearance. First of all, it is necessary to eliminate excess moisture in the room, because mold does not like to live in a dry place.
What measures can be taken:
- Study the ventilation in the apartment. If it is faulty, it will have to be replaced.
- Buy a dehumidifier.
- It is better not to plant indoor plants of tropical origin.
- Ventilate the premises as often as possible.
- Activated carbon absorbs moisture well. “Black tablets” mixed with salt are placed in the corners. Change the mixture to a new one every seven days.
- Avoid drying clothes in a closed room.
- Inspect damp areas where conditions are conducive to mold growth. If fungus is detected, treat the affected area with a primer and antiseptic.
The smell of mold does not always go away after treatment. You will have to wash things that the fungus has not reached, but the smell of dampness has been absorbed.
- At first, light scented candles.
- When cleaning, add essential oil to the water.
- Buy an ozonizer or air ionizer.
Borax solution
A glass of borax to 4 liters of water works wonders. The solution can not only remove mold, but also prevent it from growing again. Put on gloves, pick up a brush, soak it in the solution and clean the entire contaminated surface. After this, remove any remaining product and wipe the treated area with a damp and dry cloth. Dry the surface, you can use a hairdryer and leave it for a day.
The most effective method for use on tiles. Borax, although natural, is toxic, so be careful. It is often used for prevention.
Quick solutions
The easiest and fastest way to get rid of an unpleasant odor is to use a regular air freshener.
- It instantly refreshes the air in the room, filling it with the aromas of the blue sea, green meadow, blooming lilac, and delicate lilies of the valley.
- However, such a solution to the problem is only a temporary measure suitable for emergency situations.
An air ionizer will take a little longer to solve the problem of unpleasant odor: It sprays ions that stay in the atmosphere much longer than heavy air freshener molecules. But it will only become a disguise that will not help eliminate the source of the smell.
Mold Removal Products
It is necessary to combat household fungus with the help of antiseptics, which mold is afraid of. These are special chemical solutions prepared on the basis of white spirit, turpentine, and creosote. They contain substances with antifungal and antibacterial effects.
We will apply antiseptics to a clean and dry surface. After treatment, dry the area where the mold once lived.
In hardware stores you can purchase an antiseptic primer and use this product to remove household fungus. The effectiveness of the primer is that it not only removes mold spores, but also protects the treated surface from further growth of fungi.
Apply it to a clean surface using a brush. When the primer dries, this area can be painted or wallpapered.
It is important to initially clean off all the fungus. Sometimes you have to reach the base of the wall, which in the future will require new repairs.
