Mold doesn’t just look nasty. In fact, the appearance can be mere child’s play compared to the ungodly odor. Mold and mildew odors have been described with numerous adjectives: musty, sour, thick, pungent, rotten. If you’ve lived in a home with mold, you know it well. Even if you have never lived with mold, you have probably smelled the musty odor at one time or another, perhaps in an old library or in a damp old house.
But why does mold smell so horrible? What gives it that acrid aroma? The answer can be summed up in four words: microbial volatile organic compounds (or mVOCs). These compounds are actually fumes that mold spores release during their growth. Like all living things, mold spores grow as they consume nutrients, but whereas humans eat and digest food, and plants rely on photosynthesis, mold spores undergo chemical processes. These chemical processes cause gaseous fumes (the aforementioned mVOCs) to release into the atmosphere.
These mVOCs contain the musty odor that you know and love. In other words, the fumes are smelly. It’s not the spores themselves, but it’s the gases that the spores release during their germination. If you kill the spores, or dry them out, the smell will go away because the spores can no longer reproduce (and therefore they can no longer consume nutrients).
So if you home reeks from mold or mildew, try turning on a dehumidifier, air conditioner, heater, or anything to get the air circulating. If you have flooding, use a wet dry vacuum. Just remove the moisture by any means necessary. For a more thorough disinfection, you might spray the area with bleach (1 cup bleach + 1 gallon water). If you stop the mold from growing, you will stop your home from stinking.
It really is that simple.
All information on this website is intended for research purposes only, and is in no way intended as a substitute for professional consultation or inspection. Information is gathered from a variety of sources including government websites and mold remediation websites, and may not always be accurate. Any mold removal effort is done at your own risk. "Mold and Mildew Remedies" bears no responsibility in the event of illness or structural damage. Always contact a professional mold remediator for best results.
