mildew smell in house
 

I'm renting an old house that has a mildew smell thorughout. The living room has a slab on grade that is lower than the lawn outside. The humidity inside the house is 75%. I know that to really solve it, the slab situation would need to be addressed. But as a renter, I can't do that.

Anybody find a solution? I just want to get rid of the smell. Will a dehumidifier to the trick? Something else?

If it smells then you may be living in an unhealthy environment.

How long you been there?

Having any recurring respiratory issues or other constant illness?

Charlie,

Mold and mildew is serious business, not only for you and your family health-wise, but for your landlord legally.

When it became clear to me that a rental house I had here on the farm was going to have recurring mold and mildew concerns unless I spend over 35K in foundation/basement repairs (and even then they would not guarantee no mold/mildew), I scraped it and filled in the foundation.

The nightmare of getting sued for health issues from renters was simply too much risk.

I'd let my landlord know ASAP...if they do not respond immediately, they aren't very smart.

My thoughts exactly, You could call a restoration company to come out and probe the walls for moisture. Then you may have a better idea of what you are dealing with. How is the circulation inside the house? Is it closed most of the time? Mold is bad even if you cannot see it.

google toxic mold, sleep in a tent in the back yard until you can move

75% humidity is very, very high. That's what's causing the through-house mildew smell. You can't do anything about the smell until you lower the interior humidity. Use the fans in the bathrooms and kitchen whenever you cook or shower. Keep them running long after the shower or other use.

That level of humidity will require a lot of dehumidification. I would get two big units and run them 24 hours a day. You'll see a big difference. That level of humidity can't even be comfortable to be in.

We move in tomorrow. There's no visible mold anywhere and it's a very common problem in the area. It's not a toxic type, just smelly. People don't get sick from it around here. I was hoping someone here has had some previous experience and a simple solution that worked reasonably well.

We sold our house and had to find a rental quick. The supply is very low here, and we had to jump on this one. Of course, it's been vacant and unheated (we're talking foggy, cool coast) so it may improve after we move in, heat it up, and open some doors and windows.

Where do you live? As long as you have moisture, you will have mold. You can rent a moisture meter to probe the concrete slab and the walls at their base to get an idea of where the water intrusion is coming from. Dehumidifiers will be a band-aid fix until the water intrusion is solved.

Let your landlord know what the problem is. If he does not fix it to your satisfaction, then it is time to move. There is no point in jeopardizing your health. Measure the humidity level outside the house as well and compare it to the inside. If significantly higher inside then there is a problem. I experienced health problems in our house and got rid of the mould in the basement. The source was overuse of the humidifier in the basement because of a cold dry winter. Symptoms of mould are congestion and just generally feel like cr-p.

Radiator Springs is in the desert - how do you have mildew?:D

Radiator Springs happens to be a suburb of beautiful Half Moon Bay. It's cool and foggy here. The house is on a golf course. So moisture is everywhere. The outside even smells a little mildewy.

As for a band-aid fix, that's all I need. We will be renting for less than a year while our new house is being built.

If all you care about is short term, get a few big dehumidifiers then an ozone generator to help with the odor.

I'd get a dehumidifier with a HEPA filter. The ozone generators can cause respiratory problems at ozone levels that are too low to be effective against mold.

In the central Pacific, a little near the equator, right at the surf line (~100% humidity all the time with salt spray) for buildings containing delicate equipment we used a combination of refrigerated air conditioning and small portable dehumidifiers (appliances that use refrigeration to turn electricity into water:D). Everything had filters changed regularly. If the outside environment is humid, refrigeration is usually the only effective way to get rid of humidity. In my experience (I hate Florida for this reason) the only way to get rid of mold/mildew is to rip out and discard the affected material and/or scrub down the material that can take the chemicals with a disinfectant.

Make sure your new house is being built properly with moisture barriers in the right places, moisture permeable air infiltration barriers in the right places, an appropriate HVAC system with enough fresh air exchange, proper ventilation of non-living spaces (attic, crawl space, etc), proper drainage and a sound roofing system .

I'd write a letter to the LL asking him/her to purchase a dehumidifier, and notify him about grading so's its on the record....

Even a small one at $130 with a gravity drain hose is better than nothing.
40-60% is normal range I believe. Above that, you can really feel the moisture.
Windows will have to be kept closed.
That area is foggy all the time but very beautiful. I've driven Road 9 a few times twisting through the trees. :)

If you have suspicions about types of mold, you can get inexpensive test kits at Lowes and maybe HD.
This might be grounds to cancel your lease early if necessary.

I've had black mold in an apartment (in my 30's), and woken up not being able to breathe!

There's a big difference between "mold & mildew" and "mildewey smell" for a house that's been unlived in (closed up) for a period of time imo. I'm a landlord too, but think maybe folks are jumping the gun. Around here, it's over 95% humidity these days, and I dare say that any house would have a "smell" if sitting vacant for a while. I'd open the house up, get maximum circulation, run the A/C (or dehumidifiers), etc. before overreacting. Mold/mildew IS serious business, but I think your last post is the approach I would take...just my .02 worth. Good luck!

edited: "heat it up"....where are you "down under"?

I agree with KC. Get a dehumidifier from Lowes, turn on the AC and see if the smell goes away.

I'm on the coast south of San Francisco - Half Moon Bay. People from AZ come here to escape the heat. BTW, no one here has AC. I'm hoping a dehumidifier and turning up the heat is what's needed.

Is the place carpeted? I think a good quality cleaning of any carpet is a good thing followed by proper drying. In your case, that would be heat and de-humidifiers. If it was my house and had carpet, I'd have the carpet cleaned outside and re-laid over new padding. In the meantime I'd use a moisture meter on the slab and lower walls.

No one should have to live in circumstances like a moldy smell for a year.

It's interesting that air conditioning and dehumidifiers are essentially the same thing.
With A/C, the condenser is put outside to separate the two thermal reactions of the loop.