Mildew Smell Removal - not impossible and not impractical

The dank, musty mildew smell is quickly recognizable as well as unpleasant. If your home has the smell of mildew it can seem dirty or unhealthy. Managing this smell begins with preventing the growth of mildew in the first place, but the smell can also pervade areas and materials even after the mildew has been removed. Removing this smell can be accomplished with preventative measures, chemical cleaners and even some normal household materials.

Preventative Measures – The First Step of Mildew Smell Removal

The proverbial “old wives” were especially wise when the spoke the words “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. This is very true when it comes to mildew. Warding off mildew infestations is much easier than removing them once they have already taken over.

Mildew loves a damp environment. Monitoring the humidity of your home, and keeping this level down, with curtail the growth of mildew. You can use a dehumidifier or solid moisture absorbers to keep the air in your home dry.
It is difficult to keep a shower dry all the time, but you can help keep mildew out of your bathroom by using a dry towel to get residual moisture off of the walls and then applying a mildew preventing spray after each shower.
Make sure that you dry washed laundry, or wash damp laundry, as quickly as possible. Mildew can permanently stain laundry, as well as making it smell musty even after washing.
Chemical Cleaners – The Next Step in Mildew Smell Removal


mildew smell removal
Many chemical-based cleaners are on the market that are meant to prevent, treat and remove mildew from surfaces. These are meant for hard surfaces, not fabric or leather.

There are sprays that allow you to gently clean existing mildew off of your bathroom surfaces by applying them directly to the growth, allowing it to sit for a few moments, and then carefully wiping it away.
Some products can be placed in the shower and set to automatically spray the shower every day. This gradually removes existing mildew infestations, and prevents further ones by making the environment inhospitable for the mold. These porducts also have a “booster” button that allows you to spray an additional amount of the cleaner onto the walls after a shower.
Mildew smell can build up in washing machines, particularly those with front-load features. There are products available that allow you to run a cleaning cycle to remove the mildew from the machine. Not only does this help treat and prevent the mildew smell from pervading the machine itself, but protects your laundry as well.
Using a mildew resistant primer and paint on walls in damp areas of your home, or the entire home, will keep mildew from invading the walls and ceilings of your home, where it can grow out of control and cause structural and health problems.
If a mildew problem has gotten very bad, professional cleaners can be called in to treat deep infestations and put down chemicals that will kill the mildew and prevent further growth.
Household Solutions

Minor mildew smell removal can be accomplished using simple household materials that are not only highly effective, but more environmentally aware and safe than chemical products.

A vinegar solution created by diluting plain white vinegar with water, until it is slighlty over half strength, is very effective in killing and preventing mildew on surfaces. Fill a spray bottle with your solution and use it like any other cleaner. Vinegar is also very effective for removing mildew build up from children’s toys such as rubber ducks or bath tub boat toys. Because these toys are played with, and often put in the mouth of, children, it is important that they are clean and not covered in toxic chemicals. You can soak the toys in your vinegar solution or, in the case of things like ducks, fill them with the solution and let them sit for a few hours. Use cold water to further inhibit the mildew growth. After all of the solution and mildew has been squeezed out, or poured away, from these toys, rinse them again in cold water.
A cup of plain vinegar can also be added to a load of laundry that smells of mildew. Do not add detergent and let the load run through a regular cycle. Afterwards wash as you normally would. This will remove the smell and help to take out mildew stains as well.
Borax can also be added to laundry, even with detergent, if the laundry has a musty smell.
Cat litter can be placed in an open container in a basement that smells of mildew. The litter will absorb moisture and also the mildew smell, creating a more pleasant basement environment.
Do not allow wet laundry, especially towels, to sit in a hamper or laundry pile. These need to be cleaned promptly to prevent growth of mildew.
Allowing damp, warm areas to be aired out occasionally will keep the environment from supporting an infestation of mildew.
After reading these handy bullet points, you should be prepared to take your mold problems into your own hands and attack the problem of mildew smell removal.

Read more about how you can carry out Mildew Smell Removal in your home at Mildew vs. Mold blog. E.M. August is a vigilant enemy of mold and mildew everywhere.