Recipe 27 of 100 · The Country Cleans Mix Book
How to Get Rid of Musty Basement and Closet Smell
DIY Moisture Absorber
Basement or closet smells damp even though nothing looks moldy? Hang a colander of calcium chloride pellets (the ice melt kind) inside a bucket in the dampest corner, set an open box of baking soda across the room, and run a box fan on low. Pour the brine down a drain weekly. Same chemical as the name brand absorbers at about a tenth of the price. Keep it away from pets and kids.
What it fixesThat damp cellar smell in a basement, closet or under the stairs, where nothing looks moldy but everything smells like it.
You need
- 4 cups calcium chloride pellets (hardware store ice melt labeled calcium chloride, or DampRid refill)
- 1 five gallon bucket
- 1 plastic colander or an old mesh laundry basket that sits inside the bucket rim
- 1 box baking soda, 1 lb, or 2 lbs plain charcoal briquettes with no lighter fluid added
- 1 shallow pan or open container
- box fan
Mix it
- Set the colander inside the bucket so it hangs a few inches above the bottom with an air gap under it.
- Pour the calcium chloride pellets into the colander.
- Separately, open the baking soda box or dump the plain briquettes into the shallow pan. Those go in a different corner of the room.
- There is no liquid to mix here. This is a moisture trap, not a spray, and that is the point.
Use it
- Put the bucket in the lowest, dampest corner of the space.
- Set the pan of baking soda or charcoal on the opposite side of the room.
- Run the box fan on low for a few hours a day, aimed to move air across the space, not at a wall. Still air is what makes a room smell like a basement.
- Check the bucket weekly. The pellets will dissolve into a clear liquid brine in the bottom of the bucket. Pour that brine down a drain, flush with plenty of water, and refill the colander.
- Expect noticeable improvement in about a week and a real change in three.
- Replace the baking soda or charcoal monthly.
Dale's noteCalcium chloride from the ice melt aisle is the exact same chemical as the name brand moisture absorbers at about a tenth of the price, so buy a bag and refill your own bucket forever. If the pellets turn to liquid in under a week, you do not have an odor problem, you have a water problem, and you need a dehumidifier or a look at your grading and gutters.
Don'tDo not let the brine sit on concrete, metal shelving, tools or a garage floor, because calcium chloride solution is corrosive and it will rust steel and pit a sealed slab. Keep the bucket where pets and kids cannot reach it, since the pellets and the brine burn mouths and skin, and never dump the brine on a lawn or garden bed.
This is 1 of 100 mixes in the Mix Book
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