Empty premises do not stay as they were. Traps dry out, moisture builds up, and fungal growth often appears where nobody can see it.
Premises nobody lives in change in several ways at once:
The result is the characteristic "uninhabited" smell, which is not one smell but the sum of several processes. That is exactly why you cannot air it out: while the sources are still working, the air is replaced but the smell is back within hours.
If premises are unheated, the line between "air it out" and "treat it" is one winter.
The building type changes where the problem shows up first. In pre-war buildings with thick walls and timber floors, damp usually starts on the basement side and the ground floor, and it is capillary moisture from the foundations. In Soviet-era panel blocks the weak points are the panel joints and external wall corners, where surface temperatures are lowest. In new builds and renovated buildings with sealed windows the problem is different: there is essentially no air exchange at all, so moisture has nowhere to go and mould appears even without a visible water source.
Some of the problems you can solve yourself, at no cost:
If the smell then goes, the problem was the traps and nothing more is needed. If it stays, the cause lies elsewhere, and it is worth looking for it rather than ordering ozone treatment straight away. Ozone without dealing with the source gives a result that lasts a few days.
We check the premises, measure moisture and look for mould in the places people usually cannot see.
We make sure the source of any sewage smell has been dealt with.
If we find fungal growth, we treat it and remove the affected material.
We treat the surfaces where dust and moisture have accumulated.
We remove the stale smell from the room, the textiles and the upholstery.
We air the premises and tell you when they are ready to use.
Inspection matters more here than in other cases, because the problem is usually in several places at once and some of them are not visible. We look behind furniture and inside fitted cupboards, in external wall corners, behind curtains, under sinks, around window reveals, and in the basement or roof space if it is a house. A moisture reading shows whether this is accumulated condensation, which ventilation and heating will solve, or moisture in the structure, which needs a different answer.
In inherited flats and summer houses the main question is usually about furniture and textiles.
Ozone treatment deals well with the musty smell in old upholstery and textiles, because it also acts on the surface layer of the material and on hard-to-reach places. If the filling has absorbed moisture and there is fungal growth in it, ozone is only a postponed solution — and we say so before the work, not after.
Summer houses have their own seasonal pattern. Before the season the premises have usually come through an unheated winter, and the first jobs there are traps, ventilation and checking for mould in external wall corners and under beds.
After the season, when closing the house for winter, two things are worth doing that save money the following year:
Tightly closed, unheated premises are exactly the conditions in which fungal growth does best.
Flats from €55 depending on the number of rooms, private houses from €95. Ozone treatment €1.20/m², minimum €60. If we find mould, we quote for treating it separately.
Traps dry out within a few weeks. More serious problems — moisture and mould — usually appear after one unheated winter.
Often yes. Ozone treatment works well on old upholstery and textiles. If the filling has absorbed moisture and fungal growth, we tell you honestly.
Yes, that is one of the most common jobs of this type. It is best done before the season starts, so the premises are ready to use.
Describe the situation — we will tell you whether treatment is needed at all, and which one.
Fill in the form — we will call you on the number you provide, ask a few clarifying questions and propose a solution.
Thank you! We will contact you on the phone number you provided shortly.
