Can you EVER get rid of a musty smell in an old house?

[Steve McDonald]

Originally Posted by Grlzrl

We have looked at quite a few houses over the years since I want to move. We can't afford to build new so we have been occasionally considering rehabbing an older home. But 9 times out of 10, the older homes smell musty. I don't think I could get past it. I am not sure there is any way to get rid of it because if there was, wouldn't the owner do it?

I saw a gorgeous tudor yesterday but it hit me the second I walked in and I couldn't think of anything else the entire time. I asked if they had water damage because it's a low lying lot and on the back of it is a creek. She said yes, it does flood sometimes and they have had water damage.

Do you really want to buy a house that is on a creek that floods occasionally and causes water damage? What will happen when that "century flood" comes along and the house is inundated? In our area, we've had four so-called century floods, in a 51 year period.

[MLSFan]

if you want to get rid of smell, a good industrial ozone generator will get rid of it, about $40-60 on amazon

it wont fix problem, but if you fixed it and now want smell gone, this works well

[manekeniko]

Originally Posted by ndcairngorm

We once had a house that defied all our efforts to get a certain smell out after repainting, etc.etc. Then the smell magically disappeared when we gave the windows a good cleaning. So I learned a lesson there: glass adsorbs odors (not absorb, adsorb, which means the deposits sit on the surface).

The 1940 bungalow I bought had an old house smell for months and wouldn't leave. It finally dissipated when several windows were replaced. The windows were original and painted closed. They were so filthy and couldn't be cleaned. Now the house smells okay even with the windows closed. The house is in the desert, so humidity isn't an issue.

When I was selling my previous house, I too a lot of care to ensure the house smelled clean in a neutral way. I'd not cook anything if I knew there would be a showing soon. Odors put people off.