We often experience some bad smells in our house. It could be the smells of the wood attic or anything sticky. These smells or odors are not bearable or comfortable to breathe. You must find the actual reason why it happens.
It will be easier to sort out the problem by following our tips. Today, we will show you all the reasons and the solutions regarding the attic smell of your house. If you want to know in detail, you must keep reading.
Why does my house smell like attic?
Your house smells like an attic because of wet clothes, improper ventilation, growing mold, etc. You should know their solution and get rid of the attic smell within a while. Otherwise, it will ruin the homely environment where you cannot breathe and live comfortably.
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Attic insulation is a must for every house. Especially in summer, you must want to get an evenly hot room to avoid your house’s stinky or attic smell. If your room smells like attic air, you must install the insulator and get rid of the attic air.
If you don’t install the attic insulation, your house smells like an attic when hot outside. Sometimes, you will still smell the attic after installing the attic insulation. In that case, you must carefully check the insulation and repair it if it gets damaged.
Reasons why my house smells like an attic, are given below. These are the prevalent reasons that you will mostly find why your house smells like an attic. You can count more reasons depending on your house quality.
Mold:
If your home smells like an attic, mold or mildew is growing in the attic space. Unfortunately, attics in many homes are poorly lit and have little ventilation, creating an ideal environment for the growth of mold and mildew.
Arguably, the scent of an attic is one of the most typical types of aromas that may be found in an attic. The presence of excessive humidity in the attic is the root cause of the mold growth there.
Roof Leaks:
Even while a little leak might not cause water to seep through the ceiling of the attic and into your living space, the leak’s effects are just as severe on the upper level.
When you detect a stench similar to that of an attic, the most prudent course of action is to get a roofing repair firm to evaluate the roof.
If you choose to overlook a leaking roof, you will eventually have to deal with the costly damage caused by the spread of mold.
Broken Pipes:
The leaky pipes that go through the attic are another potential source of excess humidity, which results in an attic-like smell.
Inadequate ventilation may also result in wet air becoming trapped in the attic, which can then contribute to mold growth.
The presence of musty odors, wood rot, visible mold, and the deterioration of masonry are all problems that can be caused by humidity.
Rodent Droppings / Urine:
Your nose will be just as irritated if you breathe in an attic-like the smell of a mixture of mouse droppings and urine from the rodents.
The smell of mouse droppings is hard to ignore, even though each one is scarcely bigger than a grain of rice (and not in an excellent way).
You can only imagine how bad the combination of their feces and urine must smell. The stench of a rat in the attic is described as rancid, filthy, putrid, and having an attic smell.
Can an attic make your house smell?
An attic can make the smell in your house because of prolonged use, it loses its normal function, and odor is disturbed due to moisture variation.
A smelly scent is a certain indication of form and mold development in the attic. Expecting a foul odor from the attic is a very common feature as the place is kept closed for a long time, and there is always a messy situation.
So if the roof of the house is not monitored for a long time, dirty attics can produce a punchy smell under the roof area, which is a cause of discomfort.
Can old attic insulation make your house smell?
Old attic insulation can lose the quality that insulates the attic’s smell throughout your house. Long-term use of this insulation reduces its effectiveness and cannot prevent the foul odor from under the roof when your home gets old.
Besides, due to the heat of summer and the water flow in the rainy season, this insulation gradually loses its quality, so if there is any stench, it starts to get. Above all, old attic insulation probably fails to obstruct the bad smell from the attic.
How to get rid of attic smell in the house?
You can get rid of the attic smell in the house by following some proven tips. You can use home ingredients like vinegar, baking soda, and other cleaning ingredients. These are excellent in removing the attic smell of your house.
When you ask people how to remove the attic smell, they will give you various solutions. But the fact is you cannot follow them all.
Therefore, you must know how to deal with the attic smell and what advice you can follow. Let’s see if the given tips are worth it to get rid of the attic smell.
Proper ventilation:
The first natural way to get rid of the attic smell from the house is proper ventilation.
You cannot expect to remove the attic or any other stinky smell without the ventilation. If your doors and windows remain closed, you cannot expect to remove the smell.
It’s the best idea to keep both doors and windows open for a long time. Especially if it is spring or summer, you should let the outer air come inside the house.
It will help you greatly remove the attic smell within a while. If the air doesn’t remove the smell, you must follow the next tip.
Removing Mold:
The besremove gets rid of the attic to remove the mold. If you forget to clean any specific area of your house for a long time, it will attract and grow the mold.
The mold will spread the strong attic smell. You cannot avoid it unless you remove the mold from your house.
You can deep clean all the mold and expect to refresh the air. After removing the mold, you have to clean that area and remove the moisture. It will not allow the mold to regrow again. Thus, you can get rid of the attic smell of your house.
Dry the House:
Sometimes, the moisture creates the house’s attic smell, which is very unpleasant. You cannot expect to remove the attic smell by removing the mold and cleaning the house.
You should vacuum the entire closed house and remove the dirt, dust, and moisture. You can use your vacuum cleaner to remove the moisture and the other dust.
It will also assist you in removing the mold from the damp area. If you use dry clothes to remove the moisture and water, you must ensure that the area is dry properly. You can use the fan and dry that area soon.
Use Baking Soda:
After cleaning your house thoroughly, you need to use baking soda if you still get the attic smell.
You can put some baking soda on an open plate and keep it in the middle of your house. Or you can locate the smelly area and keep the baking soda there; it will work better than the previous tips.
The baking soda will take an hour to remove the attic smell of your house. You can keep your window and door open for that time; you will not find any particular lousy odor in your home.
Since baking soda has a strong smell, it will reduce the attic and other odor and give you the fresh air to breathe.
White Vinegar:
If you don’t have baking soda, you can use white vinegar. It will also remove the attic smell from your house.
It will be better to make a mixture of white vinegar and boiled water. It will work far better than vinegar. However, you should avoid using distilled vinegar since it has acidic solid ingredients.
After preparing the mixture, you can put it into a bottle and spray it around the house. It will not allow the mold to grow and remove all your house’s stinky and attic smell.
Final Thoughts
Your house will smell like an attic if you close the house for a long time. Besides, if the house has mold in a particular area, you have to clean it off regularly. You can use the vacuum cleaner and dry out the damp area. You can also use baking soda and vinegar to remove the attic smell.