How to Get Rid of a Musty Smell in an Apartment

An apartment might look nice on the outside, and it might even look great on the inside, but an apartment doesn’t have to look old and dilapidated to have a bad odor. Most apartment homes are slabs, which means they’re just about level with the ground, and this can cause a host of problems including a musty smell – especially when the downspouts aren’t properly directed away from the building. This adds an even greater problem, and the ending result is a musty smell that originates from the outer walls.

If your apartment is smelling musty don’t despair, and don’t bother calling maintenance if the source is the outer edges of the building. Unless they’re willing to extend downspouts, moisture will be a continual problem, and a musty smell will occasionally seep in around the edges of the walls and carpets. Instead, try these tips for getting rid of a musty smell in an apartment. When you don’t own your own home there’s only so much you can do, but with these ideas you have nothing to lose but the smell of mold and musty mildew!

Locate the Source of the Odor

The first step in figuring out how to deal with a mildew smell in an apartment is to locate the source of the odor. More than likely the musty odor is coming from the outer edges along the walls. If this is the case you can’t do much to solve the problem permanently, but you can control the musty smell and keep your apartment home smelling clean and fresh.

Baking Soda Around the Edges

A musty smell coming from the outer edges of an apartment along the wall can be sprinkled with odor-absorbing baking soda. Allow the baking soda to remain on the edges of the carpets along the walls overnight before vacuuming it up. Hopefully the odor will be absorbed by the baking soda and will lessen the problem – at least temporarily.

Burn Candles and Use Air Freshener

Highly fragrant candles do a tremendous job of overpowering a stale odor in an apartment. Buy scented candles you prefer, and burn them regularly. When guests arrive, all they’ll smell is the fragrance of the candle, and along with a plug-in air freshener or two, the musty smell in the apartment will be completely hidden.

Open the Windows

One of the best ways to help get rid of the smell in a musty apartment is to open the windows. When the windows are open, chances are the musty smell won’t even be detectable. More than likely you most often notice a musty apartment smell when the windows are closed after it has rained.

Keep the Air Circulating

Opening windows isn’t always possible, especially when away from home, and when the weather isn’t ideal. If permissible, consider installing ceiling fans in your apartment, or at least have a couple of portable fans running to keep the air circulating. The musty smell won’t be as apparent, and the fans will help keep your apartment home smelling clean, fresh, and more like your very own home.