Curing Damp and Musty Bathroom Smells

A common question we encounter is “What is that horrible damp or musty smell in my bathroom?” While most people keep their bathroom thoroughly clean and tidy, they just can’t seem to get rid of that lingering stink that leaves the space feeling oddly unclean, no matter how much you clean!

What is that nasty smell?

Simply put it’s very likely the smell caused by damp, mold or mildew that occurs over time when a bathroom has little to no ventilation. This smelly fungus can really cause a variety of health problems for people who are sensitive to mold.

What are molds?

As mentioned above, molds are fungi, of which thousands of species have developed over millions of years. They grow where there is moisture and suitable temperature conditions. Ring a bell? That’s right, your bathroom is the perfect place for molds to grow.

Avoiding molds

The simplest way to avoid mold and mildew developing and spreading in your bathroom is to remove what they thrive on: moisture.

While it’s obviously impossible not to use water in the bathroom, you can provide proper ventilation to allow ease of exit to moisture in the air caused by steamy baths and showers. The longer steam or condensation is allowed to settle on walls and ceilings for, the more mold will grow and thrive on the moisture and warm temperatures.

Adding ventilation to your bathroom

While most bathrooms feature an opening window, sometimes the window is not large enough to properly ventilate a large bathroom, or perhaps it is positioned at a far end of the room. To properly ensure your bathroom has adequate ventilation install an extractor fan; these handy bathroom additions are extremely effective are removing all air moisture from the room while you use the bath or shower.

Better still, you can leave them running throughout the duration of your bath and shower to ensure steam and condensation doesn’t get chance to settle on surfaces in your bathroom, eliminating the opportunity for mould, damp and mildew to form and grow, creating that horribly unclean musty bathroom smell!

Check back next time for more fantastic bathroom tips!