Partners home smells musty

[Leoliving]

Hi,

I’ve moved in with my partner and he’s not the most domesticated. This has been a struggle as I was taught to clean from a young age and I’m generally very house proud. He’s never been shown how to properly clean things so I’ve shown him how to do certain things. He’s been very receptive and is a lot better now. He’s not a slob per se but has slobbish tendencies which are thankfully improving after living alone for some years. His home tends to get dusty which aggravates my allergies. He also wasn’t properly ventilating by opening windows as he didn’t want his pet to escape. Pet is no longer with us so the animal smell has gone but there’s a musty odour that persists. We’re going to do a deep clean this week so I was wondering if there’s anything in particular we can do to get rid of it once and for all and quickly? I really don’t like the smell and it clings to my clothes and hair. We’ve cleaned the carpet and the sofa and I’ve bought a steamer in the hope that will help. Also going to get a second dehumidifier for downstairs as we dry clothes indoors due to no garden. I’ve checked and there’s no mould. Any tips would be greatly appreciated

Are you able to identify if any rooms are better / worse than others? Can you keep doors closed for a couple of days and then go around sniffing like the child catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and try and figure that out?

How long has he lived there? Smells can get trapped in houses.

We bought a HMO a year ago now and for the life of me I can't make the smell go. We've replaced all flooring and curtains, has a new master bathroom, painted the whole house (at great cost as we had professionals in to her it done), re plastered two rooms. The only major thing we haven't don't is the kitchen (yet).

I've had windows open every day. It STILL smells musty when I get home. It's so frustrating. The house preciously had an unattended leak and it's going to take a long time (and probably a new kitchen) to get rid of the smell.

Oh and @SparklingLime you say I gave context about the relationship but you seem to be deliberately ignoring all the positive stuff I said? By your way of thinking I should leave my wonderful partner and go back to the shitty dating market just because he doesn’t know how to do a deeper clean beyond wiping things. Makes complete sense

Haha so I actually sniffed everywhere last night when I got back. The kitchen is the worst place. Bathroom smells damp but we’re going to get an extractor fan fitted as it doesn’t have one

Oh no. He’s lived here for about 6 years. Your story doesn’t fill me with confidence but I’m hoping we’re able to get rid of it. Fingers crossed you’re somehow able to get rid of it without the expense of a new kitchen

Just a thought as well if it is definitely not damp carpet, buy some of that Dettol laundry cleanser and wash any fabrics with that....I noticed a musty smell upstairs and it turned out we must have put some towels away when they were still slightly damp and they gave off a weird earthy smell (and 'contaminated everything they touched bizarrely!)
No relationship advice....he sounds nice enough and if he's stepping up now you have asked there is hope! It's the one's that point blank refuse to do it 'because they don't know how and you're better at it' that you have to watch for😊

Right? We have a cost of living crisis, war in Ukraine & a shitty government but a lack of dusting is what has people clutching their pearls.

So true. So quit cleaning this man's house and get out there volunteering at a food bank, fundraising for Ukraine, and campaigning against the government.*

Also, it's just a lack of dusting? So why all this fuss?

(* Obviously I'm sure you are doing all of this and more already.)

I am astonished at the amount of grown adults who do not understand the need to air properties daily (we often have complaints of condensation which 99% of the time turn out to be inadequate ventilation)

I agree. It never fails to amaze me that people don't understand that if you dry washing indoors with all doors and windows closed that condensation, then eventually damp and mould will form.

I use my tumble dryer for towels and when I empty the tank it contains several litres of water. Where do these people think this amount of moisture will end up? It won't disperse without ventilation.

Thanks I’ll buy that today. And yup he really is lovely. I’m not saying he’s perfect and neither am I but I really don’t think the criticism is justified. He’s stepped up massively which is what I wanted. My ex was also rubbish at cleaning and when I asked him to step up he yelled at me and called me a nag. I ended things with him promptly after that. My DP’s response was completely different hence why we’re still together much to the chagrin of some on here it seems

Sure, tell me where I sign up as obviously I’m sure you’re doing it as well.

I never suggested LTB.

I said "I'd be very careful about how he steps up over the longer term, OP."

You genuinely sounded naive, OP, hence my comment. But I won't waste any further time.

You do you. Not worried about how he’ll step up in future since he stepped up after I asked him the first time. Something people seem to be forgetting. I’m many things but naive isn’t one of them. I know a lost cause when I see one hence ending previous relationships. This isn’t one of those

No shit Sherlock, people have been unbelievably rude to op. Do some of you have nothing better to do on a Monday afternoon?

100% windows open

If I dry indoors you must have a dehumidifier

I notice a stale smell if the windows are closed wish wet washing, even for 10 minutes. I doesn't take much for things to get whiffy. Plus bins, toilets, soft furnishings (sofa, blankets, bedding), food smells

Ok - but what / where in the kitchen is the damp smell coming from? Could you crawl around and stick your head in all the cupboards and see if you can identify a “source”? Or is it everywhere? High and low?

Is there a “best room”? Could you keep your clothes in there? And the door shut? It must be miserable to always have clothes that smell a bit musty?

Kitchen and bathroom are likely to be damp issues.

If you know someone handy see if you can get someone to check what pipes you can access, if there are any leaks it won't just be smells you should worry about. Look for any signs of swelling in any wood/MDF etc.

It may just be bad ventilation but leaks are a royal pain in the backside.

Why can't you answer the question?

Because it’s not relevant. This thread is about cleaning

It seems to be everywhere. Small one bedroom house so not really a best room unfortunately. Currently dried in the bedroom but I think downstairs is better as there’s more space

How on earth does it matter how his cat died? 🤣🤣🤣 why would someone be interested in that?!

Once you've got the strongest extractor fan you can buy, do a 90 degree wash for all the towels with biological powder and a dose of antibacterial liquid.

I guess if Tiddles died after eating the rotting corpse of a mouse he found in the kitchen cupboard then there could be relevance. 😂

Or if Tiddles was hacked to death by the Op’s partner and his machete then the “LTB” brigade would have some ammunition…..

That’s a pain. I’m guessing the flooring is not carpet? Could it be under the flooring? Are you able to lift the flooring?

Oops, I had a typo in my earlier post. Fixed it for myself.

Once you've got the strongest extractor fan you can buy, inform your boyfriend that he needs to do a 90 degree wash for all the towels with biological powder and a dose of antibacterial liquid.

No we have laminate flooring and carpet on the stairs. Not sure if we can lift it but I’ll ask