Every moment you enter the basement you inhale the air and it is filled with that unpleasant musty aroma. You are not the only one. Basements all over the world have that same smell residing in them too. If the smell is something you would rather not have, there are ways to destroy it. This is likely a good notion anyway as the musty aroma is a sign that mold and mildew are lurking about someplace in the basement and presents a potential medical hazard.

Open windows all throughout the basement. This will provide ventilation all over the basement and will help dissipate the musty scent. If there are furnishings there and it is carpeted get rid of any carpet pad and replace it. {Afterwards, you should steam clean the carpeting well and dry them completely, using fans to move the air for faster drying. Take furnishings outside and cleanse them there. Permit them to dry out and air out in the sun. Make sure that if if your clothes dryer is located in the basement that it is correctly vented to the exterior of the house so it does not create humidity in the basement.

Prepare a blend of chlorine and water with approximately one cup of chlorine to 1 gallon of water. Wash down any cement floors and all the walls of the basement. Let the bleach stay for around a quarter of an hour then wash the walls and dry them off. This will destroy any mold or mildew that began to proliferate thus eradicating the musty aroma.

If these simple fixes aren't enough and the musty scent comes back you should look for the cause. Examine the outside of the home. Make sure that the gutters are functioning well and are not flooding onto the surface around the base. Make sure the ground around the foundation slopes down and away directing water to move away from the house. This helps prevent water from collecting and seeping into the earth around the base resulting in hydrostatic pressure. This pressure results in cracks and openings appear in the groundwork which allows moisture into the basement. The wetness leads to the musty odor.

Make certain that the windows in the basement are in acceptable repair and are well caulked. This is one more means to keep moisture out, preventing the awful musty odor from moving in.

If you have cracks, openings, or signs of moisture on the walls be certain to waterproof the walls. Repair any breaks and openings. Use hydraulic cement to restore cracks and gaps. Apply a cement sealer that is waterproof to the walls and cement flooring of the basement. This should eliminate any wetness from accumulating in the basement and therefore also destroy that musty smell.

If the problem still remains after you have finished everything mentioned above, it is time to consider purchasing a dehumidifier. A dehumidifier removes the moisture from the air. This will keep any humidity at a minimum in the basement. This will preclude the musty smell as there won't be moisture in the basement to accumulate and make mold or mildew. This will also help to make sure that there are no medical risks to your loved ones due to mold development in the basement.