What's the Musty Smell in My Living Room?

dogstarheaven

it's been like this ever since i've been in this house for 15yrs. it's always recognisable whenever i come in from being outside, that this waff of something hits you. kinda musty-fusty (some of you guys should know this word?!) okay, i'm not the world's best cleaner, but i have floorboards and one rug in the room. the rug's seen better days but it has been vacumned at least twice a week. as it's black, i don't notice the stains. if any spillages are made, they're cleaned up immediately.

there isn't much in the way of any smell being retained as my furniture is kept to the minimum. i've a leather sofa so that shouldn't smell, the piano and one bookcase/cupboard unit. do you think the culprit is the rug itself that's causing this not-so-pleasant stench. i'm not sure that baking powder is the best deodoriser for it as i think something stronger will be needed. if anyone can help, i'd be most grateful. i'm constantly burning incense (Nap Champa is lovely!)

ps. everytime hot food is consumed in the front room, the front door is open so it's not lingering food smells.

fuddle

Have you any cupboards in the room? We have a smell that is in the cupboards in the living room. They're both under the arches next to the chimney breast. The fire is now electric so does not heat the room and I think the cupboards (attached to the gable end wall) are a little damn, although there are no damp patches to see.

Also it could be coming from your walls. The amount of water our dehumidifier draws from what I can only think is the walls is unreal. So maybe you could have a spot of damp even without the damp patches?

It's a horrible smell though. i don't notice it until I've been away for a few days and when I come back it hits you...... I just hate the fact that people smell it every time the enter the house

Mazzawa

Check the rug backing - sometimes the manmade fibres can really smell. Lift up a corner and have a good sniff...you'll soon know if it is the culprit.

Also, check for anything in line with the window that might be getting hot in the sun, including the window itself.

Hope that helps!

Trazy

I would take the rug out for a few days and see if that cures it, if it does then the rug would be straight in the bin

SpikyHedgehog

I would try cleaning the rug - can you wash it or have it professionally washed? Wrong time of year, I know, but taking it outside, sloshing water on then trampling soap on it before hosing off would be a way to clean it of it won't fit in your washing machine/you think it will shed too much (& beware! I have blocked washing machines with fluff from rugs ) I know the rug in the children's area at our church is vacuumed regularly, but it does have that musty smell. I'm guessing from years of children dripping milk & other drinks onto it...

Jolaaled

Do you have a chimney flue??..Musty smells can sometimes be caused by a birds nest that has been there for a while.. the smell is sometimes a bit like the one you get when you go into an old church!!

dogstarheaven

it's horrible to know that a guest has to enter your house and they're greeted with that smell. i'll try the tips you've all pointed out. i've one other cupboard that's built in which is for my fuel meters. there aren't anything else. ok, the back of the sofa houses some bags and stuff that we chuck down if there isn't room for it elsewhere. i have a damp prob that is on the other side of the house where my bathroom is (groundfloor) and that has had a so-called damp-proof done on it and the internal kitchen wall. i haven't had any noticeable probs since. in the living room, there's a gas fire in the chimney breast that rarely gets used (see Is Your Heating On/Off? on this forum). I mean, very rarely so do you think that has a part to play in this matter? My front door leads straight into the room too (live in a mid-terrace)

i've no space outside to lay the rug down as my garden's filled to the brim with pots. when the OH comes home at the w/e, i'll ask him to sort his one out for me.. let's hope for good drying weather for it!

taxsaver

It's almost certainly damp as with floorboards you clearly live in an older house. Under the floorboards is usually only the earth and this can be slightly damp and give off that musty smell, as can walls, particularly if they are solid ones rather than cavity.

In days gone by the rooms would have been well ventilated (draughty!) with an open fire running much of the time but there is little that can be done in the 'modern' household where we are much more sealed in I'm afraid. You could give the room a good airing each day with the windows open, but it's not a very MS thing to do with the price of heating these days.

SpikyHedgehog

Just another thought, I recycle carrier bags, which for me means keeping the ones & get in shops (& saying, bother! Why didn't I have enough reusables with me? ;-) ), and bagging up all the worn ones & the plastic bags from bread, bags from frozen sweetcorn etc. I have noticed that if any have fallen down so not got rid off within a week, they can whiff a bit - do you think there might be any lurking with the bags on the sofa?

FairyPrincessk

What about curtains? I have quite a lot of condensation, and while the walls can certainly smell, its really the curtains that cause problems for me. Its a fairly quick and easy fix if that is the case, although I usually find it most noticeable when I open/close them.

fuddle

dogstarheaven wrote: »

i've no space outside to lay the rug down as my garden's filled to the brim with pots. when the OH comes home at the w/e, i'll ask him to sort his one out for me.. let's hope for good drying weather for it!

I wonder whether you could lay the rug in a different room for a few days, see if the smell follows the rug and disappears from the front room? At least you'll know for sure it's the rug - maybe.