The rest of the house smells fine, but one bedroom smells musty. It’s one of the most common smell complaints in Florida homes. Bedrooms often have their doors closed, closets on outside walls, and windows that take a beating in storms. All of that adds up to trapped moisture.
Common Causes of a Musty Bedroom
- Poor airflow. A bedroom with the door closed and a weak AC vent, or no return vent, doesn’t get the air drying that the rest of the house does.
- The closet. Closets on outside walls stay cooler and damper, and packed clothes hold moisture. See mold in your closet or on your clothes.
- Window leaks. Wind-driven rain can get in around windows and run down inside the wall. Look for stains, peeling paint or soft drywall under the window.
- The mattress and bedding. A mattress absorbs sweat and humidity every night, especially one sitting directly on the floor or a solid platform.
- Carpet. Old carpet and pad hold onto humidity and smells.
- A shared wall with a bathroom or the AC closet. A slow leak on the other side of the wall can show up as a musty smell in the bedroom first.
- A guest room nobody uses. Rooms that stay closed up go stale fast in Florida.
What You Can Do
- Run the AC and keep air moving. Leave the bedroom door open when you can, make sure the vent is open and blowing, and use a ceiling fan.
- Use a dehumidifier in a room that stays damp, and empty it often.
- Thin out the closet, leave the closet door open, and keep clothes and boxes off the floor and away from the outside wall.
- Wash bedding and curtains, and use a mattress protector. Lift a mattress off the floor so air can get under it.
- Check under windows and along baseboards for stains, bubbling paint or soft spots.
When to Get It Checked
If the smell comes back after you’ve cleaned and dried things out, or you find stains or soft drywall, there may be moisture inside the wall. We offer a free visual inspection with moisture readings and an infrared (thermal) camera, which can show hidden moisture behind walls and around windows without opening anything up. Lab testing is separate if it’s needed. Florida licenses: Mold Assessor MRSA4035, Mold Remediator MRSR4158. Read more about what a musty smell means in a Florida home.
Clearing the Smell Once It’s Dry
If there’s no moisture problem, or it’s been fixed and dried, but the musty smell has settled into the room and the rest of the house, our whole-home odor removal treatment treats the air throughout the entire home, including one AC system and an attached garage. You’ll be out for about 8 hours. It’s an odor treatment only. It doesn’t fix leaks or remove mold, so any source has to be handled first.
Smell something different? See our smell-by-smell guide.
Whole-Home Odor Removal in South Florida: $997
Our Whole-Home Odor Removal Treatment is $997 and includes one AC system ($550 for each additional AC unit). You can buy and schedule it online, or call 877-224-2532 to request a free visual inspection. We answer 24/7; when you call, we’ll tell you honestly when a technician can be there based on that day’s schedule. Hablamos español.
About the author: James Rice-Peña is the owner of FL Cleanup and a Florida-licensed Mold Assessor (MRSA4035) and Mold Remediator (MRSR4158). He has worked in property restoration in South Florida since 2012, and FL Cleanup has earned 200+ five-star Google reviews.
