Musty smell in new(old 1980s) home

fantasyvsreality

Hi all, I bought a house back in June and am very pleased with it. The survey came back great with only the suggestion of changing all the double glazing as it was old and in some cases seals had blown. I found a really good window fitter who has been kindly doing the windows as I save up. I still have 3 left to go. What my post is really about is that I have been struggling to get rid of a musty smell. I don't notice it in my home but I do when I arrive back from work and it has settled in my clothes. I can't find any damp but I do have mold in my windows at the front, they are next on the list for replacement. Could this be the cause of the musty smell? I've attached a picture. 

I have had all the rooms redecorated, I stripped the wall paper myself but had a professional paint, he found no evidence of damp. The carpets will be changed as soon as I have the funds but they don't really smell musty when you sniff them, they did have moth damage though, as I had a moth problem when I arrived. 

I will admit it gets me down, a couple of friends were honest with me recently saying that they smell mustiness on my clothes when they hug me, and my partner tells me his clothes smell of it when he goes home to his house. 

Thanks!

FreeBear

Musty smells are the result of condensation & mould. Replacing the windows should go some way to alleviating any condensation. Heating the house to a reasonable temperature (18°C for example) will also help - Try and avoid furniture against external walls, especially wardrobes where you store your clothes.

You may want to consider a MHRV or PIV system - The former is quite expensive to install. The latter, quite a bit cheaper, but does have higher running costs.

danrv

The carpets I think would have a lot to do with the musty smell. The window mould can easily be cleaned off. 

fantasyvsreality

@danrv yes, I wondered how much the carpets are to blame. I have noticed though that with each window replacement the smell is less. It's more of an issue now because when I moved in in the summer I had the doors and windows open every day. Just really want to get it sorted! I'm a clean/tidy obsessive so smelly musty is really freaking me out LOL. 

Cherryfudge

It may help to wipe down the mouldy areas with vinegar, which I've heard kills the mould. It certainly reduces unwanted smells on fabrics, and the vinegar's own smell goes off once it's dried. You can put some in with each load of laundry as well as using it on surfaces, at least till you've got rid of the musty smell.

You could also sprinkle bicarbonate of soda on the carpets, leave overnight then vacuum. It's a good way of lifting smells out of carpet fibres.

Soot2006

might also be worth checking your washing machine filter is it's the clothes that are the worst, just in case?

fantasyvsreality

@Soot2006 Good point! I have noticed though that it is my jumpers that are particularly bad and I hand washed them before I arrived here so it's definitely in the air. 

fatbelly

A dehumidifier will lower the humidity and move the air around.

As you seem to be doing a lot of wiping and painting etc I'd suggest it would be an excellent investment for say £150 new.

I've bought several over the years from car boot sales and the like, and always got good value.

Albermarle

Cherryfudge said:

It may help to wipe down the mouldy areas with vinegar, which I've heard kills the mould. It certainly reduces unwanted smells on fabrics, and the vinegar's own smell goes off once it's dried. You can put some in with each load of laundry as well as using it on surfaces, at least till you've got rid of the musty smell.

You could also sprinkle bicarbonate of soda on the carpets, leave overnight then vacuum. It's a good way of lifting smells out of carpet fibres.

I think it is best to use white vinegar ?

fisher66

Do you have any built in wardrobes? I bought a house with a built in wardrobe attached to an outside wall and that made my clothes musty. I removed it and that sorted the problem. Other than that, I would also suggest the carpets and any other soft furnishings that were left by the previous owner (e.g. curtains).  I had an old case with a velvety inside that was musty smelling and I spent over a year trying to remove the musty smell all to no avail. I tried vinegar on it and leaving it out in the sun in the summer and nothing worked. Eventually I burnt it on a bonfire in the garden and you could smell the mustiness in the air as it burnt.

Was any old wooden furniture left by the previous owner? I think that wood can also retain some mustiness.

twopenny

Yes that window is dirty and mouldy and if the seals don't fit there'll be a slight incoming bringing the smell into the house.

I had similar where the house hadn't been maintained.

I also sometimes get a miasma in the fitted wardrobe which is not ventilated.

Cleaning carpets always helps but it's not the weather for it.

My soloution was cleaning all the window frames with white vinegar and putting on new grease.

Carpets bicarb or in my case I grow lavender which when dried I sprinkle and tread in for a day or so then hover.

Spray the hover filter with just a little perfume so it fragarances as you hover. Remember to clean out the filter as often as possible or you are filling the air with a dusty smell as you go.

In the wardrobe clean out and wipe down with baby wet wipes and hang little bags or something scented with essential oil (just a little).

Spray inside shoes with deodorant regularly as they are kept in the wardrobe.

Like you its winter only this happens so it's extra cleaning and some fragarance - seems to do the trick.