Introduction
No one likes to go down the basement and experience a musty smell. It must come from somewhere. If you’ve been in this situation, you’re in luck. This is an article that we’ve written explaining how to get rid of musty smell in the basement.
Areas that could have mold, a lot of dirt, or hasn’t been touched in a long time could be the source of that funky smell. After all, basements are stock rooms so they will likely smell if left unchecked for a long time. No worries – we’ve got some handy solutions here that can possibly help you get rid of the foul odor.
Budget-friendly |
Middle-priced |
Step-up price |
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If there’s a bad odor in the house, how to get rid of it?
Odor in the house is usually inevitable if you live in a polluted area. However, here are some ways to get rid of it:
- Clean your house more often. Your house can be the haven of germs, bacteria, and mold if you don’t clean it often. Consider not only sweeping the floor or vacuuming it, but also laundering your curtains, carpets, and the like.
- Try natural solutions. You can try vinegar, charcoal, baking soda, and the like as natural household cleaners. They are the typical ways that you can remove odor since most of them have components that are either too alkaline or too acidic – a solution that can neutralize odor. You can also try citrus fruits like lemons.
- Invest in odor-eliminating devices. Did you know that some air purifiers do have carbon filters as well? They can help with deodorizing funky smells in your room due to their carbon content.
- Get a professional cleaning service to do the job. If you’ve done all you can and you still smell very unpleasant odors, you can call a professional cleaning service instead. They will professionally clean your entire house or just a certain spot or room since they have all the tools and experiences necessary.
How to get rid of musty smell in the basement
Here are ways to get rid of the funky and musty smell in your basement:
- Use baking soda. Baking soda is a common household odor neutralizer – just sprinkle some of them with vinegar or water and spray them to your basement walls.
- Add apple cider vinegar. Much like with baking soda, apple cider vinegar is an odor neutralizer. Depending on how bad the smell is, you can use it in spraying to your walls as well.
- Or, you can use white vinegar. If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, white vinegar will also do the trick.
- Try some coffee grounds. We all know that coffee smells good, and by adding some actual coffee grounds, you may also add a good smell to your basement.
- You can also try lemon. Aside from alkaline products, acidic fruits like lemon can also add freshness to your basement.
- Clean your curtains and upholstery. If it’s been a long time since you’ve cleaned your curtains and couches, now is probably the time to do it. You can also vacuum these couches.
- If you have a pet, bathe them more often. Most pets do linger in basements, so giving them a bath more often can help get rid of the pet smell that may linger in your basement.
- Clean air ducts. If you have air purifiers or ventilation systems in your basement, make sure you check the air ducts every now and then and clean when necessary.
- Air purifiers. When you’ve tried everything else, you can also depend on air purifiers as a solution to remove musty odors with their carbon filters.
Best Basement Odor Absorber Air Purifier
Aside from natural solutions, you can also benefit from an air purifier with carbon filters for odor-reduction, such as the following:
Budget-friendly
Here are some low-priced units for you if you’re on a budget:
Eureka Instant Clear 26′ NEA120 Purifier
Key Features:
- Up to 222 square feet
- Carbon activated filter
- UV LED lamp
- Only 32 dB in its noise levels
- Filter replacement indicator light
- 3 fan speeds
If you want an air purifier with a tall design, this one may do the trick. It’s equipped with a true HEPA filter that goes hand in hand with its odor-removing carbon filter so you not only get clean air but also a better-smelling basement. It also has 3 fan speeds for you to choose from, which can not only move the air but may also move out bad odors from your basement.
OdorStop OSAP5 HEPA Air Purifier
Key Features:
- UV light
- Activated carbon
- Multiple speeds
- Ionizer
- Sleep mode and timer
- 3 unit colors
If you prefer a circular design, this may be the air purifier for you. Its odor-reducing capabilities come from its activated carbon filter. This unit even has 3 colors to choose from to match your interior design. It uses an H13 filter along with its activated carbon for room cleaning and it’s backed by a 3-year warranty. The activated carbon can act as a deodorizer for bad-smelling basements and the like.
Middle-priced
Want an air purifier that’s middle-priced? Here are some picks for you:
Dyson Pure Cool, DP04-HEPA Air Purifier
Key Features:
- Small footprint
- Wi-Fi-powered and Alexa controls
- Automatic air quality sensor
- LCD screen
- Up to 350 degrees of oscillation
- HEPA-activated carbon filter
This Alexa-controlled air purifier may just be the ideal one for you if you already have Amazon Alexa working with your other devices at home. It can help reduce odor in your basement or room with its HEPA-activated carbon filter, which may be good for musty smells, damp smells, and such.
OdorStop OSAP3600 HEPA Air Purifier
Key Features:
- H13 HEPA filter
- Activated carbon
- UV light
- 3 speeds
- Automatic mode
- Timer and sleep mode
Able to run at multiple speeds, this air purifier has a semi-rectangular shape and can be for large basements with a CADR of 360. With 3 colors to choose from for the unit, this one even has an ionizer and a pre-filter, ideally for really polluted rooms that smell bad. Since it also has activated carbon, it can help deodorize any room as well.
Step-up price
If you do have enough budget for a step-up unit, here you go:
Aprilaire Allergy True HEPA Air Purifier
Key Features:
- 3-stage filtration
- Activated carbon bed filter
- Up to 495 square feet
- No ozone produced
- True HEPA filter
Aided by its activated carbon bed filter, it can possibly significantly eliminate musty smells from basements. This air purifier may be for you if you want up to 6 fan speeds to choose from. Since it can be used for up to 495 square feet, it may be the best for you if you have a large basement or room to clean and purify from bad odors.
Which is a good basement odor eliminator?
From the above-mentioned picks, we think that the OdorStop OSAP3600 HEPA Air Purifier is our ideal basement odor eliminator since it has a good CADR so it can be used even for larger basements. It also has an automatic mode to avoid having to set it up again and again.
How do I stop my basement from smelling?
Basements can smell bad due to a lot of stocked items there. Here are ways to relieve it from the bad smell:
- Identify any water leakage from the plumbing. Mold can grow from any water pipe that’s been leaking so badly.
- Try leaving out charcoal. Charcoal has carbon so it can be a great solution for deodorizing your basement.
- Use vinegar solutions. As we said above, you can either try white vinegar or apple cider vinegar in deodorizing the basement using a spray solution.
- If present, open your doors and windows. For basements with ventilation areas, try to open them up to let some of the bad smell outside.
- Go for a deodorizing spray. There are many deodorizing smells out there in the market but do make sure that they are eco-friendly as well.
- Clean up, and clean up some more. Chances are, most unclean basements are the smelliest ones, so start cleaning if everything’s a mess there.
- Declutter items. Throw out any items that you may not need anymore, or give them to less fortunate ones (or even to your relatives).
- Get a dehumidifier. If you live in a very humid area, getting a dehumidifier can help in preventing mold from forming (and thereby reducing musty odors).
How do I get rid of the damp smell in my basement?
Damp smells in basements or in any closed room can be revolting, and this is why you may need to do any of the following.
- Look for any damp or wet fabric. Mold tends to stick to anything damp, so it’s best to get rid of those damp areas, especially fabrics. Or, dry them quickly after laundering.
- Spray the walls and flooring with a vinegar solution. The classic way of removing damp smells is by using any vinegar and water solution.
- Get an air purifier to do the job. Most air purifiers do have a carbon filter that you can use to deodorize your basement.
Conclusion
To wrap it up, basements could smell really bad when left unchecked and unclean. Therefore, the best solution for getting rid of the musty smell, aside from checking more often, looking for damp areas, cleaning them, deodorize them, and removing items that you may not need anymore, would be adding air purifiers to your basement.
