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[Hershey2]

I`m in the Leesburg ares and need some help on how to rid home of this smell. Our place has been closed for a year and it smells horrible. Have washed everything down except for the carpeting but the odor persists. Anyone have any suggestions? The fellow installing Dish said this is how Flordia smells, I hope not.

[IamMrsG]

Just a few moments ago, I read an online article that suggested using used coffee grounds as a musty room deodorant. The writer claimed that coffee grounds will absorb just about any odor. I cannot attest to the validity of this idea, but thought it might be worth passing on for you to try.

[Mindy D]

Your air conditioner's air handler-- the part that's inside your house; usually in a closet, could have mold and mildew growing on it. Have a reputable company come out and service it. Ask neighbors who they use. Your carpeting could be sprayed with lysol and then the windows left open. Pull up carpet in corners and some areas to see if there're mildew stains or other stains. Check your water heater to see if its leaking. This is very common. Check attic for roof leaks. Your home inspector should have done this--if you had one. There's a great bathroom shower cleaner--Lysol with bleach that foams. Walgreens has it and there are three or four posts about it on this board (I probably got the name wrong and it could be by Chlorox). Buy new ac filters that have high filtration numbers. Try Fabreeze on carpet and materials a few days after the lysol. Run your dishwasher empty, with soap and dry. Clean your washing machine around the inside top by hand and then run an empty hot cycle with bleach, or you can use two or three cups of vinegar instead if bleach. I have bought two Florida homes that were sitting for years. Let all your showers run for awhile and do the same if you have a jacuzzi type tub--add a few cups of bleach to the water in this tub when running for fifteen or twenty minutes. The water in your toilet tanks probably looks like the black hole of Calcutta. Lift the tank lids and inspect for mildew and crud. This is a problem area because when you add bleach here you can cause metal plumbing components to rust and rubber to break down. I added bleach to mine and let it sit for ten minutes three times. I did this over a few days and I flushed and flushed to keep the bleach from sitting on the metal. I did not have a problem, but I'm only telling you what I did- you have to decide. Re clean your fridge. I did have a freezer and fridge I cleaned AND LET COMPLETELY DRY, that I stored coffee in. It works. I have used some if the sprinkle in carpet fresheners that you vacuum up, with good results. Do not fall for haveing your air ducts cleaned. I had it done once and there wasn't anything in the ducts. It was a waste of money and a scam. Change your vac bag as you vacuum the carpet freshener. Run you garbage disposal with a couple slices of lemon after running with water mixed with bleach a few times. Clean or spray with lysol or Fabreeze any drapes and wash and wipe down other window treatments. Good luck.

[Nightowlz]

If the musty smell is just caused from the home being closed up & you don't have a mold problem you could try vinegar. Put it in small bowls around the house for a day. I know vinegar kind of stinks but it will dissipate after you rinse the bowls after you leave them set for a day. It's worth a try. I also heard kitty liter will remove musty smells. I have never had the need to try either. I know the vinegar works removing cooking odors.

[chi5925]

When I lived in South Florida, they sold a powder that we bought in a hardware store.

When we went out of town, we put the open container in several rooms and, in particular, the closets. The powder s*cked up the moisture which prevented mildew and mold from appearing and thus, there was no odor. It also turns the powder into kind of a mush which means that its done its job and you should toss the container.

[luvdoodles]

Maybe running a de-humidifier would help also and an air purifier. I would be concerned about what's under the carpeting though. Hope you find a solution.

[Serenity-Now]

Good luck, I used to live in FL & always had to take sinus meds because I am allergic to mold & mildew. Once I moved north, I haven't needed sinus meds daily anymore.

Mold & mildew can get into anything: the walls, the attic, the carpeting, sink, bathrooms, even the soil of houseplants & area plantings that have mulch. It is everywhere in FL. Just make sure that you don't have a serious mold issue within the home itself; you can call the health department and inquire about free home testings for sick building syndrome, and hopefully they will come out & perform tests that will give you answers. We did this after my husband contracted bacterial pneumonia, & discovered that we had a serious mold issue within the home. At the very least, the health dept can advise you of your options & can offer you low-cost test kits that you can use yourself, & hopefully get to the bottom of this Q. Good luck! Figuring out the problem will already get you half-way to a solution. The perks of FL living will help you balance out this angst & bother

[151949]

i have lived in Florida for 4 years and we never have a musty smell here , even though we snowbird back to Pa for 5 months in the summer. Are you running the AC? Here in Florida it is vital to run the AC as that gets rid of the humidity in the air. On days that are humid we run ours even if it isn't very hot out. My DH also installed a device called a humidistat on the thermastat so it measures the humidity and turns on the AC if it gets too high. So, after you find and rid yourself of whatever is causing the odor you may want to invest in a humidistat. I believe there are companies down here that do mold removal in homes for you if you are unable to find it and rid yourselves of it.

[151949]

PS - i would get up into the attic and be certain there is no water leaks /mold up there, then I agree with the person who said it could be the carpet. Maybe you should consider investing in new carpet. Did you buy the house furnished? if you did that could be the problem too.

[depglass]

I have used coffee grounds inside dresser drawers, it took a few months. But what did I have to lose at that point? I have also hung a leather jacket inside a closed plastic bag with coffee ground in the bottom. Again it took a couple months, but it was that or throw it out. I can't figure out how to adapt this to a room, however.