Who doesn't know the musty cellar smell that settles not only in the rooms, but also in all the objects and clothing that were stored here. Prevention therefore makes sense by packing the stored items well. If the cellar smell has still persisted, it may be possible to remove it from the items using various household remedies, although this requires a lot of effort.
Avoid cellar smell in the house
The entire house can also be affected by cellar mustiness. For example, if the cellar door is opened, the bad air flows directly into the entire apartment. Therefore, the basement should also be kept odor-free so that neither books, clothing or suitcases stored in the basement nor the apartment are affected by the musty smell. To avoid basement smells, you should act as follows:
- Avoid moisture in the basement
- ventilate thoroughly every day
- ventilate to a limited extent in summer
- otherwise warm, moist air will settle on the walls
- moisture creates mold
- this one gives off an unpleasant smell
- Set up room dehumidifier
- Don't fill up the basement room
- Air circulation should be ensured between objects
- Set up coffee or vinegar in bowls
Removing basement mold from furniture
If there is little space in the house or apartment, furniture is often stored in the basement. If these are to be converted back into a living room, then it could well be that they smell just as musty as the basement itself. But there are tips to remove the smell from the furniture.
Tip:
If the furniture in the basement has become a victim of mold, then unfortunately it can no longer be saved and should be disposed of immediately, especially for he alth reasons. Mold on furniture penetrates deeply and cannot be combated.
Upholstered furniture
Cellar smell tends to settle, especially in the soft parts of upholstered furniture. But no one likes sitting on a smelly couch that will spread discomfort throughout the room. Therefore, the following steps should be taken to combat the smell in upholstered furniture:
- put all removable covers in the washing machine
- Add odorless heavy-duty detergent with vinegar essence
- if the smell is very strong, use a hygiene cleaner
- also helpful, soak in s alt water before washing
- Soak the seat cushion in the bathtub in s alt water
- then wash by hand with hygiene cleaner and vinegar essence
- wipe all surfaces with vinegar cleaner or vinegar water
- First deep clean the upholstery with a steam cleaner
- then distribute odorless home remedies
- Coffee, baking soda, baby powder or cat litter
Apply the odor-neutral products directly onto the upholstery or place a cloth underneath. Allow to soak in for several hours, then carefully remove the cloth or vacuum the product well with a vacuum cleaner. After wet cleaning, the furniture, upholstery and cushions must dry thoroughly. Then give the upholstered furniture a good pat and possibly remove the odor again using home remedies.
Wooden furniture – eliminate odors
The smell of the cellar can also penetrate deeply into wood, especially if the wooden furniture has been in the cellar for a long time. And wood can also become affected by mold, which should result in the wooden furniture being thrown away. But you can combat the smell as follows:
- Sprinkle home remedies on surfaces
- this includes coffee, cat litter or baking powder (baking soda)
- let it move in
- wipe with pure alcohol or vinegar
- place a bowl with s alt in the piece of furniture
- Put lavender, orange peel or bay leaves in it
- Put coal in a cloth bag in the wooden cupboard
- soak a stainless steel soap in water and place it in the furniture
If these home remedies don't help because the smell is too strong, then the surfaces should be sanded. If these are painted, stripping them can also get rid of the smell. Because this settles primarily in the painted surfaces.
Use bleach
If the cellar smell is particularly persistent, then the piece of wooden furniture must be completely taken apart. All shelves and drawers are removed. Then make a mixture of 10% wood bleach and water and rub all parts well. Gloves should definitely be worn when working. The furniture parts must then be ventilated and dried well. Then proceed as follows:
- Use odor remover for pets after drying
- is available at drugstores or pet stores
- contains enzyme-degrading components
- neutralizes bad smells and basement mustiness
- spray all surfaces
- ventilate well in a room with an open window
If the wooden furniture still smells like a basement afterwards, then it has to be completely dismantled because the smell is still stuck in the cracks and grooves. After neutralizing the odors, it can also help to sand the wood with sandpaper or, if necessary, sandblast it to completely remove the smell.
Get rid of mustiness from clothes
If clothes have been stored in the basement and smell musty and musty, then they can no longer be worn. But the basement smell from clothes that are not yet affected by mold can also be combated. The following steps should be taken to combat this:
- Putting clothes in the washing machine
- Can this be washed at 95 °, perfect
- but other items of clothing can also be freshened up here
- Use odor-neutral laundry detergent
- Add vinegar, baking powder or pure baking soda
- Hygiene cleaners can also help
- Bleach for white clothes
- put only a few clothes in a washing machine load
- then hang it in the sun to dry
- the smell should disappear completely
Clothes that cannot be put in the washing machine should be dry cleaned. Then treat with a commercially available textile freshener. The garment should be slightly damp throughout. Hanging them out in the sun to dry will help get rid of the smells even better. If the smell has not been completely removed after the first wash, a second or third wash or spray with textile freshener may be necessary to get the clothes fresh again.
Tip:
The most important thing is to pay attention to the washing instructions in the individual items of clothing. Not everything can be washed at high temperatures. Bleach or pure alcohol should also be used with caution.
Free books from cellar mustiness
Books, especially old ones, are often found in a basement and then smell musty or musty. Especially if they have not been stored properly, they can absorb moisture and mold from the basement. However, the longer a book has been stored in a damp basement, the more difficult it will be to save it. Especially if the pages curl or stick together at the edges, then the book has become very wet. When removing the bad smell from books, each book must be treated individually. You should proceed as follows:
- Put the book upright and fan out the pages
- Carefully untangle pages with tweezers or letter opener
- then place the book fanned out in a warm, dry place
- don't put it in the direct sun, then the pages will fade
- then use a large and a smaller container
- put a household remedy in the large container
- Cat litter, baking powder or charcoal are suitable here
- set small container with the book
- close large container tightly
- Let stand for several days and check daily for smell
If the books are odorless, they should then be stored in a warm and dry place so that they do not become damp again and start to smell.
Tip:
Charcoal is also a good neutralizer of odors. When using them, however, care should be taken to ensure that the books do not come into direct contact with the coal, thereby causing unsightly black spots.
Getting rid of basement mustiness from suitcase
Suitcases are often stored in the basement if they are not used during the year. But here too there is a risk that the suitcases will take on an unpleasant smell of mold and musty. However, suitcases cannot be used because the clothes stored in them also acquire the smell on the way to vacation. Therefore, you must act as follows before traveling:
- first wipe well with pure vinegar or alcohol
- inside and outside
- leave it open outside and ventilate and dry well
- then fill in a household remedy and close
- Cat litter, s alt, coffee or baking soda help here
- set in a container
- Cat litter can also be added directly
- leave closed in a dry place for a few days
- do the smell test every day
- possibly replace the home remedy every now and then
Tip:
If nothing helps against the unpleasant smell, then it's better to think about buying new ones so that the clothes don't smell unpleasant during and after the vacation.
