house smells so musty but no mold what should i do

House Smells So Musty but No Mold! What Should I Do?

We are quite protective & conscious about the place we are living, aren’t we? Still, many of us face the problem of having a musty smell in our houses; people think that it’s only molded behind them, but what if they are not?

My mom taught me some ways to identify if it’s mold or not when I was moving to another city for my study purpose; I know now if my house smells so musty but no mold, what should I do?

Anyway, please read the article to know what else other than mold can create a musty smell in your house & how to eliminate them.

What Are the Reasons Behind the Musty Smell in Your House: Know Them One By One

Let’s make a list of the possible reasons where your house can smell like a must without any mold:

1. The house may smell musty if you live in a shabby or congested place, where sunlight & air barely comes in; therefore, you may face the problem.

2. Suppose you were out of your house for some days or months; however, the closed house may be dusty & dirty, leading them to smell musty.

3. Cleanliness is compulsory for your household, & you may have not cleared the dust & web for a long time; thus, your house will slowly smell musty.

4. There may be some rotten items in your kitchen or other parts, creating a bad smell in your house; you have to find the spot out.

5. If any object in your house has got old, or the furniture has some bad smell on it, that can be unpleasant like musty; please clean them well.

Now, you may have understood that only molds & bacteria are not the only reasons behind a musty smell in your house; please change your usual mentality & be more conscious about your home’s cleanliness & safety.

What Steps Can I Follow & How Can You Omit the Musty Smell in Your House?

However, there are some ways you can remove odor from your house & keep it clean; the things you should do are:

● First of all, you must let sunlight & air come into your house; they both can prevent the musty smell in your house. You can bring extra fans & turn them on to increase your airflow; if your house design doesn’t permit the sun in, you should immediately look for another apartment.

● Secondly, you must regularly clean the floor & walls of your house, especially when you keep the windows & doors open because the dust enters more that time; therefore, please make sure your vacuum cleaner works well.

● Thirdly, you should control the moisture & humidity in your house; moisture may sometimes create a bad smell without growing different microorganisms. Please keep the necessary equipment for that because the odor won’t go away until you control it.

● Next, the musty smell may occur from different surfaces like a couch, sofa, carpets, & mattress; however, cleaning & drying them regularly will keep the bad smell away from your house.

Carrying them to the balcony or terrace is not always possible; that’s why you should clean them every day to avoid dust & spores from increasing.

● Suppose the musty smell is not all over your house, but a specific spot; what will you do then? You have to find out the area where the smell is coming from & know what is wrong & causing odor; you have to then clean the surface as soon as possible.

Please remember that you should take a dry & fresh cloth which you can wash later because you should not pollute the other areas with a damp cloth & spread the germs.

● If the source of odor is your clothes, you should understand that either the detergent is behind this, or the clothes aren’t washed properly; you should either change the washing machine or the detergent.

Using a mild vinegar solution in some drops can be a good remedy to remove the bad smell from your closet; moreover, the spores, molds, & other microorganisms won’t spoil your clothes.

● You can bring an air purifier in your house to have fresh air inside; moreover, the fresh air has the minimum chance to have odor with it. Please ensure the purifier is installed perfectly & from a renowned brand; thus, you will have the proper, desired service.

● Lemon extract is another way to reduce the musty smell from your house; you have to add some lemon juice in a pot of boiling water & let the fragrance spread. Therefore, you have to take the pot to the desired area & clean it with hot lemon water; you will have the desired result.

● Lastly, I would say that smoking behind a closed door is a habit of many people, but you must avoid that if you want your house to smell nice, not musty.

You can prevent your house from having bad smells in the ways mentioned above; moreover, you may have understood that mold is not the only reason behind it.

Why Is the Musty Smell Removal from Your House Is Essential?

Would you like to know the necessity of removing musty odor from your household? If you want, find out the outcomes when you decide to live with the bad smell:

1. You may have to entertain guests, and the bad smell puts a negative impression of you when they face the odor after entering your house.

2. It’s bad for your mental health because its continuous presence will spoil your mood; you may even not feel like eating.

3. You may develop skin disease, nausea, dizziness, & other similar health issues if you keep living in such an environment.

If you have read the article carefully, you already know that if the house smells so musty but no mold, what should you do? However, please follow the tips & keep your house neat & clean; the things won’t consume much time.


On the other hand, you can engage other family members in the mission, especially on weekends or vacations; moreover, you can call a maid too. Please remember that living in a clean & fresh environment is also a part of leading a healthy lifestyle; focus on that.