You are home after a long day at work and are ready for a cozy evening in your favorite spot in the basement. But what’s that? What’s that’s smell in your basement? It’s a smell that interrupts your search for a relaxing time. It’s an strange basement smell but you cannot quite put your finger on what is it. The thing is, that smell could be anything from mold, mild dew, animal excrement, a deal animal or straight from the sewer.
Here are a few kinds of basement smells that you need to identify and some helpful tips to get rid of them:
Mold and Mildew
Basements can store moisture which leads to growth in bacteria. If your moisture content is unchecked, it can slowly grow over the period of time causing it to become something major. Mold has a distinctive smell of decomposition.
Although mold is always present in the air around you, it is not necessarily harmful if your basement has a musty smell. The math is simple, the more the moisture content, the more chances for mold to thrive. Basements are often dark and dingy, and since they are underground, there are much more chances of it sustaining cracks in the walls and windows. The most popular advice to prevent the mold smell is to invest in a good dehumidifier and keep your basement as dry as you can.
If your mold test is positive, it would definitely mean that you might have to throw away any infected carpeting, furniture or any other fabric or cardboard that might be smelly. The most popular home remedy is to clean your stuff with a diluted bleach solution. For smaller items, you can place them out under the sun for a few days to remove any foul smell or kill bacteria.
For serious issues, we recommend calling a professional for help. The most important thing, nonetheless, is to prevent anything that might lead to the culmination of these bacteria. Make sure you have some clean ducts which is free of dust, debris, dead rodents and other smell triggering agents.
Animal Feces or Urine
If you have pets at your home, there is a chance your beloved little pooch sneaked out and left you a little gift, a very pungent and repulsive smelling gift, in your basement. It is best to clean such accidents quickly using an enzyme cleaner; there are a few options on the market. If the smell is pervasive, you might have to get rid of the damaged furniture or carpet. A popular home remedy involves spreading baking soda on the affected area and cleaning the portion after some time.
Sewer Gas
If you smell something rotten, fishy, eggy or garbage-like in your basement, it could be sewer gas. Sewer gas is foul and can be very toxic. The odor may be present in the areas which are usually locked up and no passage of air is allowed. Gases can leak from the plumbing if there is a crack somewhere in the pipes. In addition, the bad smell in your basement can be coming from the venting pipes, which are used for the fresh air to come in. In any case, you should not ignore a sewer gas smell and you might need to hire a professional to get the issue fixed.
Dead Animals
What can be worse than the smell of decomposing carcass in your basement? The smell is repulsive and sickening. Often times the culprit will be a dead rodent such a squirrel or rat small enough to sneak in through cracks or openings.
All in all, performing all the preventive measures is a huge part of the maintenance of your house. The rest can be left up to professional care.