How to get rid of a lingering musty smell after water damage
Persistent musty odors after a flood or leak often linger because trapped dampness continues to breed hidden mold. Opening windows and running dehumidifiers frequently fail to clear the smell, leaving people stuck with a frustrating dilemma: trying to locate and solve the source without having to tear out walls and ceilings.
Core Friction Pattern
Analysis of 8 peer accounts across online developer and community forums reveals that “How to get rid of a lingering musty smell after water damage” repeatedly surfaces due to edge-case mismatches between standard defaults and real-world environments. Standard troubleshooting frequently falls short, compelling practitioners to develop custom workarounds.
+21 alternative community-tested workarounds cataloged below.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- People have been saying this in most months since September 2026.
- This comes up 11.5× more often in r/CleaningTips than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
How to get rid of a lingering musty smell after water damage
- 1running a portable air conditioner at nightDid this help you?
- 2leaving the air conditioning running but raising the thermostatDid this help you?
- 3planning to have a water-damage company come out to inspectDid this help you?
- 4opening up ceilings and walls to locate hidden moisture or moldDid this help you?
- 5using different cleaning productsDid this help you?
- 6using air freshenersDid this help you?
- 7performing an ozone cleaningDid this help you?
- 8opening windowsDid this help you?
- 9using a dehumidifier or damp rid bags to absorb moistureDid this help you?
- 10running citric acid cycles through dishwashers and washing machinesDid this help you?
- 11spraying baking soda and water mixtures or odoban around rooms and surfacesDid this help you?
- 12checking for old potatoes or hidden sources of odorDid this help you?
- 13improving ventilation by opening windows or cleaning vents and filtersDid this help you?
- 14Running multiple air purifiers 24/7Did this help you?
- 15Changing HVAC filters frequentlyDid this help you?
- 16Opening all windows for ventilationDid this help you?
- 17Using air fresheners, ozium, febreze, odoban, candles, and incenseDid this help you?
- 18Professional deep cleaningDid this help you?
- 19Using cleaning vinegar and leaving out bowls of vinegarDid this help you?
- 20Shampooing furniture and washing wallsDid this help you?
- 21Contacting apartment maintenance to report the smell and request system cleaningDid this help you?
- 22Cleaning out the intake vent and cabinet dustDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“The house smells musty/dirty constantly and I've tried everything I can think of.”source ↗
“After the professional cleaning it smelled worse because the combination of cleaning products and the dirty smell just resulted in an overwhelming "old carpet drenched in ivory soap" aroma.”source ↗
“I've never been able to get rid of it.”source ↗
“I’ve been living at my apartment for about a year now but recently whenever I leave and come back it smells funky? Like a damp towel or slightly spoiled food somewhat.”source ↗
“no matter what I do I can’t find the origin of the smell.”source ↗
“I keep picking apartments that need these😩”source ↗
“I’m having a similar issue. Ventilation in my own apartment seems to be pretty poor (no central AC).”source ↗
“I still have a strong musty smell in my master bedroom.”source ↗
“I’m extremely sensitive to smells, so this has been a miserable week for me.”source ↗
“What I really don’t want to do is start unnecessarily tearing out large sections of my bedroom walls and ceiling just to figure out where the smell is coming from.”source ↗
“My house has had a persistent sour/musty, damp, sometimes ammonia-like odor that I have suspected originates in the basement.”source ↗
“Our basement does flood. This summer it flooded a few times. I have a dehumidifier downstairs that I’m constantly emptying.”source ↗
“I’m not sure what to do, the smell is driving me insane. Even opening windows isn’t helping at this point.”source ↗
“My apartment has been notified. It’s gross”source ↗
“My system used to have a really musty smell off/on and the intake vent looked a lot like this. Cleaning it out helped, but did not eliminate the problem.”source ↗
“So not mold? I have had allergy symptoms since I got here and the smell just reminds me of the smell under the sink at another place”source ↗
“This doesn’t have a wet dog smell though, just a strong musty odor. I left my jacket in the living room and at work I realized it had picked up the odor even. Is this something apartment maintenance can clean or does it need a professional? I don’t know what to do :/”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 20How to clean mold under water damaged flooring without DIY experience
- 13Why do my towels still smell musty right after washing?
- 3Why does my house still smell like chemicals after HVAC cleaning?
- 8Why are my metal floor vents sweating and growing mold?
- 10Sewer smell in bathroom but can't find the source
- 14Why is my AC air handler wet and smelly?