I though my house smelled a little off before I left on a two week vacation in early September. When I cam back the smell was worse. No one else could smell it. I searched the house and in the basement found that in one of the corners of a room were two very hard mushrooms and the the carpet was a little damp. I called a Water Damage Co. And they ripped the walls, took the wet insulation (yes the insulation was wet from floor to about 5 feet high) and took the carpet and under-pad away. After, they dried the room with an industrial dehumidifier and a fan was put in the window to take the air to the outside as I am very allergic to mold (penicillin).. This went on for a week. This fan removes the air in the whole house every two minutes. Once dried they sprayed the wood with a fungicides and sealant. DO NOT PUT BLEACH ON MOLD. Check with your State or Provincial Home Builders Association for do it yourself clean up. Now the walls are back up. The job is not finished yet. But no more smell in the house. Lately though I have been having some heaviness in my breathing. It is now the heating season and I have bought the most expensive filter for the forced air furnace I could find that takes away 99% of mold, dust, animal dander, bacteria ect... I will wait another week or so and check with my doctor if this continues. It has now been three months since I first smelled a musty smell. The problem was the outside water tap froze last winter and it had been leaking in small amounts all summer everytime I turned it on outside. Basements can be dangerous places to live in. Be safe, be alive and well.
