A musty smell usually means damp or mould somewhere you cannot see. The job is finding where it is hiding.
A musty smell with no mould in sight usually means there is damp or mould somewhere you cannot see. The most common hiding places are behind furniture on outside walls, inside built in wardrobes and cupboards, behind wallpaper, under the floor, under the bath and in the loft.
Not every musty smell is damp. Drains, a washing machine door seal, damp washing and sink traps can all smell the same, and are worth ruling out first.
Wardrobes, beds, sofas and bookcases against outside walls stop warm air reaching the wall. Pull them out and look at the wall and the back of the furniture.
Built in wardrobes, under stairs cupboards and kitchen units on outside walls are cold and closed. Check the back walls, corners and stored clothes and shoes.
A suspended timber floor needs air moving underneath it. Blocked air bricks or water under the floor can make the whole room smell.
Take the bath panel off and look under the kitchen sink. Slow drips from wastes and fittings go unnoticed for months.
Mould can grow on the back of wallpaper and behind panelling or plasterboard on a cold or damp wall. Look for bubbling, lifting or staining.
Condensation in a loft without enough ventilation wets the timbers and insulation. Look for dark staining on the underside of the roof and damp insulation.
A thermal camera shows where walls, floors and ceilings are colder or wetter than they should be, often well away from where the smell seems strongest. Combined with moisture readings against a known dry control, hygrometer readings of the air, and a look under the floor and in the loft where we can get to, that usually finds the source without opening anything up. How we survey explains the method.
Vigilant Surveys is an independent damp and mould surveying practice covering East Anglia, North London and the West Midlands. We carry out no remedial work, sell no products and take no commission from anyone who does the repairs, so there is nothing to sell you afterwards.
Every survey includes thermal imaging, moisture readings against a dry control and hygrometer readings, and you get a clear written report within 24 hours of the visit. £350 for the problem areas, £450 for the whole property, fixed prices, no payment to book.
There is usually damp or mould somewhere out of sight: behind furniture on an outside wall, inside a built in cupboard, behind wallpaper, under the floor, under the bath or in the loft. Drains, washing machine seals and drying washing indoors can smell similar and are worth ruling out first.
Look at the outside walls and anything against them, inside any cupboards, under the floor if it is timber, and for any pipes or wastes in or near the room. A room that is cold and closed up for long periods is the most likely to smell.
It can. Timber decay, including dry rot, is often first noticed as a strong mushroom smell. If the smell comes with soft, springy, cracked or shrunken timber, have it looked at promptly, because timber decay is much cheaper to deal with early.
In winter windows stay shut, the air holds more moisture from cooking, washing and breathing, and outside walls are colder. Moisture settles on the cold surfaces, often behind furniture and in cupboards, and mould starts to grow out of sight.
It can help if the cause is condensation, by drying the air. It will not fix a leak or water under the floor, and the smell will come back if the source is still there.
No payment to book. Tell me what you are seeing and I will call you straight back, usually within a couple of hours, to arrange a visit and confirm the fixed price.
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