Why a stale, damp smelling property can cost you €20.000 to €30.000

Many people will have experienced it, you enter the property and you are hit with a stale musty smell. Instantly you know something is not right with this house and your main objective is to get back out info fresh air as soon as possible. This reaction is natural as your sensors are telling you that the air quality is not good and you need to escape.

Estate agents may face this many times, especially if the property has been not used and closed down for sometime, therefore the viewing results in a failed viewing or a large price drop.

So what makes air smell bad and is it bad for your health. Air smells bad due to the 

accumulation of airborne particles, gases, and organic compounds, caused by mould growth producing bacteria in a greatly moisturised air which very often starts in the basement of the property, rising up through the floor levels. People very often ask, if it's moisturised, how does it rise. Well moist air is lighter and less dense than dry air with the same temperature and pressure. The air that has accumulated moisture becomes lighter and rises to the top. The moist air rises more readily that the dry air.

The reason that the molecular mass can not be substituted by the number of molecules is the Avogadro's law which states that the equal volumes of gases at the same temperature and pressure contain the same number of molecules regardless of their chemical nature and physical properties.

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Mould spores travel on or within water. While air currents are the primary method of dispersal for mould spores, water-mediated transport is a major way contamination spreads, particularly through high humidity and condensation.

In summary, water acts as both a transport vehicle for moving spores to new locations and a necessary condition for them to begin growing once they arrive.

Mould spores are bad for health, acting as allergens, irritants, or, in bad cases, toxic agents. Inhaling or touching spores commonly triggers allergic reactions like sneezing, runny nose, itchy eyes, and skin rashes. It can worsen asthma, cause respiratory issues, and irritate the eyes, skin, nose, and throat in both allergic and non-allergic people.

How do you rectify a property with poor air quality? Many will say, ventilation, but ventilation is a two way thing, what goes out must come in or you have a vacuum. Air fresheners, well you are just masking the smell but you still have the spore. Spraying the settled mould with so called mould killer will kill the visible fungi but does not effect the airborne spore which is the dangerous one, being the one we inhale. Indoor air quality is the key to a healthy home.

There is only one way, that is to get the air balance correct, stop the source of the moisture problem, sterilise the entire property and that requires a professional.