Every moment you go into the basement you inhale the air and it is filled with that nasty musty smell. You are not alone. Basements everywhere have that similar odor resident in them too. If the scent is something you would rather not have, there are ways to destroy it. This is probably a wonderful notion anyway as the musty aroma is a sign that mold and mildew are lurking around someplace in the basement and presents a likely medical risk.

Open windows all throughout the basement. This will allow air flow all over the basement and will help dissipate the musty odor. If there are furnishings in the basement and carpeting is there get rid of any cushioning and buy new, you should steam clean the carpeting well and dry them fully, using fans to distribute the air for speedier dehydrating. Bring furnishings out of doors and cleanse them there. Leave them to dry and air out in the sunshine. Make certain that if your dryer resides in in the basement that it is properly vented to the exterior of the house so that it doesn't cause moisture in the basement.

Make up a blend of chlorine and water with approximately 1 cup of chlorine to a gallon of water. Mop up any cement flooring and all the walls of the basement. Let the chlorine sit for approximately 15 minutes then rinse the walls and dry them off. This will kill any mold or mildew that had begun to grow thus doing away with the musty scent.

If these easy fixes aren't enough and the musty smell comes back you should check for the reason. Analyze the outside of the home. Be certain that the gutters are functioning well and are not flooding onto the surface around the substructure. Be sure the area around the foundation inclines downward and away directing water to flow away from the domicile. This helps prevent water from pooling and leaching into the earth around the foundation resulting in hydrostatic pressure. This pressure results in cracks and openings appear in the groundwork which permits moisture into the basement. The wetness leads to the musty scent.

Be sure that the windows in the basement are in suitable condition and are well caulked. This is one more way to keep wetness out, not allowing the unpleasant musty smell from moving in.

If you have cracks, gaps, or signs of wetness on the walls be certain to waterproof the walls. Fix any cracks and openings. Use hydraulic cement to fix cracks and gaps. Use a cement sealing product that is waterproof to the walls and cement flooring of the basement. This should eliminate any moisture from collecting in the basement and thus also kill that musty scent.

If the difficulty still continues after you have done everything discussed above, it is time to think about buying a dehumidifier. A dehumidifier takes out the moisture from the air. This will keep any humidity at a minimum in the basement. This will prevent the musty odor as there won't be moisture in the basement to accumulate and cause mold or mildew. This will also help to make sure that there are no medical risks to your family caused by mold development in the basement.