When you think of mold, you probably think of a damp, dark basement or a damp, dark closet. But what about a sunny, dry kitchen? Or a bathroom? Or a car? All of these can contain mold as well so it is important that you can detect it early. One way of doing this is by knowing what it smells like.
If you’ve never experienced the pungent, earthy and musty scent of mold, you might wonder what mold smells like. Mold has a distinct smell. As with any other type of odor, the smell of mold can range. In this article, we’ll explore what mold smells like.
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The smell of mold inside your kitchen, bathroom or living room
Mold smells musty and makes the air feel dry. We have to keep in mind that mold can spread so at first, the smell might not be that overwhelming. Mold might not smell at all at first. Over time it will develop into a faint bad smell. As the mold grows, it can become more overwhelming.
Once you enter the room where it is located, you will notice that a weird smell is annoying you. It smells like old books. Others describe it as a mix of dirt or mud and dry grass. After a while, it can become overwhelming and it can be difficult to stay in a room as it is hard to deal with.
Mold is visible as well. You might have to open up a wall or closet before you can see it. For this reason, people generally smell it first. Once you think that you have mold, you should look into it further as it won’t disappear and the smell will get worse over time. You can use a test kit or hire a company to confirm that you have mold. This will also allow you to check what type of mold you have and find the best way to get it removed.
It is also possible that you have mold without that you can smell it. Mold can grow behind walls or under floors. The smell can get trapped inside the wall. For this reason, it is important that you look into this further if you think that you have mold but don’t smell it. The faster that you can fix it, the better. All the materials that have come into contact with mold might have to be thrown out so it can save a lot if you can fix it early on. The smell is only one way to detect it.
The mold will only smell when it is alive. This can indicate that there is water damage as well. For this reason, the presence of mold is a good warning that you need to do home maintenance. It can be a great idea to call a plumber as well if you have mold. The plumber can check if you have a water leak or if there is an issue with the ventilation. Plumbers are generally able to fix the source of the issue. It might be needed to hire another company to remove the mold though as most plumbers don’t do this. It can require some special equipment to remove mold. In some instances, insulation has to be removed and replaced.
Avoiding moldy smells
Mold can also grow in air ducts. This can make your whole house smell bad. For this reason, it is a good idea to get them cleaned from time to time if you have this type of furnace.
You can also inspect your home to make sure that you don’t have water leaks. This can be done by looking around your home. You can use a flashlight and a camera to check areas that are harder to reach. It is also possible to use your hands to feel if there are wet spots. You can use a heat camera to check if there are areas that appear to be colder as this can indicate wet spots.
There are also moisture meters on the market but these are quite hard to use as you have to apply them in the right area. Mold often occurs in the bathroom so this is a great area to check.
The best way to check if you have a water leak is by checking the water meter. Close all faucets and devices that use water. Check the numbers on the water meter. Wait 15 minutes and read the numbers on the water meter again. If they haven’t changed much, it can indicate that you don’t have a leak. If the numbers changed quite a lot, it can be a signal that something is broken and leaking water. You can check this further by repeating the same test but by closing each water circuit in your home (by closing valves for each circuit). This should allow you to narrow down the location of the leak.
What to do if you smell mold
If you think that you smell mold, you can try to check where it is located. Mold is often clearly visible. If you don’t see it but the smell keeps appearing, it might be a good idea to contact a specialized company as soon as possible. They have special equipment and can provide further instructions on how to get the problem fixed. Mold can be dangerous for your home and yourself so it should be fixed immediately.
There are different types of mold and some are quite nasty. For this reason, you have to find out what is going on. The mold has to be completely removed from your home. A lot of people forget to remove a part of it and then the mold reappears soon after. You also have to figure out what the source of the mold is. Often it is bad ventilation after a hot shower or a water leak. Condensation is also possible and you can try to avoid this by ventilating the room or by using a dehumidifier.
To conclude, we can state that mold has a distinct musty smell. It smells like old books or earthy. It is not a pleasant smell and can be quite uncomfortable. You should get it looked after immediately as mold can spread and make the problem worse. Plumbers can check the source of the mold problem and help you to avoid it in the future.
Mold is an unpleasant element in your home and should be removed. Often it is also needed to install a bathroom fan or another way to reduce the humidity levels in a room.
This can require quite a lot of work as the mold has to be found and removed. Once this has been done, the wall or area has to be repaired. The final step is to fix the humidity in the house.
If you smell mold, you should take action immediately as the problem will only get worse. There are several tools to detect if you actually have mold. These range from sensors to testing kits. Lab tests can provide a final verdict and let you know what type of mold you have.
Plumbers often have to find water leaks in walls. Once these have been fixed, it is often necessary to check if there is mold as well. This is why water leaks have to be addressed as soon as possible. We have discussed how these water leaks can be fixed here.
