Does musty smell go away?

[Freiherren]

I also guess on pressure-treated wooden studs directly on the concrete slab. And/or in the walls if you have a basement/souterrain. However, it usually smells sour/cat pee and not like wet soil.

 

[Appendix]

Thanks for the response. The question is how to pinpoint where the smell is coming from. Before the purchase, we walked around with the inspector, and he said there was only a slight earthy smell in the crawl space that could be easily fixed with a plastic sheet and a dehumidifier. However, I noticed a strong smell in the house and, after two hours inside, I felt my clothes smelled when I left the house.

Didn't you think that was a reason to reconsider the purchase when the clothes get odor-infused?

THAT, for me, is quite a warning sign. Sure, houses can smell "stuffy" or have odors from old materials, smokers, cooking, etc. The usual smell rarely transfers to clothing.

Whereas mold and the like seem to cling quickly to clothes.

Otherwise, it's the earlier advice that applies. Check the ventilation (FTX is not a magic remedy for odors). Replace materials. Install ground plastic. And renovate and replace the surfaces.

 

[Appendix]

I also guess pressure-treated wood studs directly on the concrete slab. And/or in the walls if you have a basement/sutrerrain.
However, it usually smells sour/cat pee and not like wet soil.

Exactly. Earth cellar/earthy smell is typically mold.

 

[StarkK]

I hope it's okay if I borrow the thread a little bit. We also bought a house (first-time buyers) where unfortunately we have problems with the smell, apparently due to impregnated wood.

The house is built in two stages; crawl space in 1980 (about 50m2) and an extension of the house in 2011 on a concrete slab (50m2). A total of 100m2.

We installed a sorption dehumidifier 2 months ago but it has not noticeably helped with the smell. I'm now considering whether we should replace the sill plates, at least in the older part of the house, but I wonder if that's enough? To be on the safe side, it would be prudent to, in addition to replacing the sill plates, also replace the floor joists and install a ventilated floor. But does anyone have an idea of the costs we are talking about if we do this only in the older part of the house versus the entire house? The downside to this is that the kitchen is in the old part of the house, so the whole thing would likely have to be dismantled and moved during the renovation regardless of what we choose.

 

[VetarN]

It's probably different, but the ventilation in the house also needs to be good. I would say that if the house breathes well, it should last.
I repainted everything in the house and changed the floors, so I didn't have anything existing that the smell could stick to, and it works. If people come into my house now, it doesn't smell like anything.
However, I've been away for about a week, so the smell is noticeable. I would guess it's because the kitchen fan isn't running and the pax fans in the bathroom aren't doing the job. But the smell disappears when I've been home for a few hours and "worked" the house in.

Maybe worth trying instead? Although not a very cheap solution. Good luck.

 

[StarkK]

It probably varies, but the ventilation in the house also needs to be good. I would say if the house breathes well, they should hold. I repainted everything in the house and changed the floors, so I had nothing existing for the scent to cling to, and it works. If people enter my house now, it doesn't smell. However, I've been away for about a week, so the scent is noticeable. I would guess it's because the kitchen fan isn't running and the exhaust fans in the bathroom aren't doing the job. But the scent disappears once I've been home for a few hours and "worked" the house.

Maybe worth trying instead? Not a very cheap measure though. Good luck.

The house had indeed been noted for poor ventilation, which is why we had 2 fresh air vents installed in the newer part of the house last fall.

I'm planning to contact 2 - 3 companies to get quotes for changing the sill and also the floor structure, and then we'll see what we decide. Another member on the forum pointed out to me yesterday that the floor structure is probably not treated, and he's likely right; I seem to remember that the sills are mint green, while the underside of the floor isn't.

Then I think a bit like you; we use the house as a vacation home. If we were living there full-time, it would likely help to heat the house, air it out more frequently and, so to speak, impregnate it with our scents.

 

[z_bumbi]

A solar-powered ventilation is not so expensive and then costs nothing in operation alternatively if you have a chimney, install a "rotating ventilator" on the chimney.

 

[StarkK]

It's probably different, but the ventilation in the house also needs to be good. I would say if the house breathes well, it should hold up. I repainted everything in the house and changed the floors, so I didn't have anything existing for the smell to stick to, and it works. If people come into my house now, it doesn't smell.
However, if I've been away for about a week, the smell is noticeable. I would guess it's because the kitchen fan isn't running and the pax fans in the toilet aren't doing the job. But the smell disappears after I've been home for a few hours and "worked" the house in.

Maybe worth a try instead? Though, not a very cheap solution. Good luck.

Hi! Just wondering if you've taken any more measures against the smell?

We had issues with the smell and eventually decided to do a major renovation, so we had the floors changed (not the baseboards but insulation and surface flooring), replaced the plastic in the crawlspace, drained the terrace, repainted the inside of the house, we previously had Anticimex corroventa, and have installed 2 exhaust fans. The house was odor-free for about 2 months, but now the smell is back, albeit not as strong as before, but unfortunately definitely there. I'm wondering if it might be that the insulation in the ceiling has been contaminated with odor and that's what's smelling now...? What more can be done besides tearing down and rebuilding? Maybe some kind of odor investigation to try to determine the source of the smell?

 

[VetarN]

What kind of skin is it

Hi! Just wondering if you've taken any further action regarding the smell?

We had a problem with the smell and finally decided to do a major renovation, so we replaced the floor (not the lowest boards but insulation and surface floor), we changed the plastic in the crawl space, we drained the patio, repainted the inside of the house, we already had Anticimex corroventa and have installed 2 exhaust vents. The house was odor-free for about 2 months but now the smell is back, admittedly not as strong as before but unfortunately definitely there. I'm wondering if the insulation in the ceiling might have absorbed the smell and that's what's causing it now...? What else can be done besides tearing down and rebuilding? Perhaps some type of smell investigation to try to determine the source?

what kind of house is it, is it from the 70s? Then it might be the sills, so you need to replace them.

Otherwise, make sure there is some airflow in the ventilation. That helped us.

 

[StarkK]

What kind of skin

what kind of house, is it from the 70s? Then it might be the studs, so you need to replace them.

Otherwise, make sure to have some airflow in the ventilation. That helped us

Early 80s. However, I had an expert on stud replacements almost 2 years ago who determined that the studs were in good condition. He believed the smell was due to light mold on the crawl space ceiling, which in turn contaminated the insulation. And indeed, when the insulation was removed and placed in a big bag on the driveway - it smelled strong! We then smoked both the crawl space and the interior of the house. It helped for a few days...

The smell completely disappeared after the major renovation last summer but started to return about 2 months after it, gradually increasing.

What kind of skin

what kind of house, is it from the 70s? Then it might be the studs, so you need to replace them.

Otherwise, make sure to have some airflow in the ventilation. That helped us

 

[VetarN]

The last thing is to check the ventilation then. I have many who have done similar with my neighbors and above all have airtight windows but forgot that the house had natural draft. Bring in someone to check the airflows. It's a cheap solution to create some supply and exhaust air or check the existing system. It might not solve the problem but alleviates the symptoms and maybe "your" problem thereby.

 

[StarkK]

The last thing to check is the ventilation then. I have many neighbors who have done similar, especially those with tight windows but forgot that the house had natural ventilation. Get someone to check the air flows. It's a cheap solution to make some adjustments to the inflow and outflow, or check the existing system. It might not solve the problem but alleviate the symptoms and perhaps "your" problem thereby.

Thanks, I'll look into that. Just like for you, when we were in the house this weekend, had a fire going, warmed up to room temperature, etc. - it became noticeably better. Not odorless but better and not comparable to how it was before the major repair.