Making a Bedroom Less Stuffy

I look forward to my annual spring cleaning for many reasons, one of which is airing out my bedroom. Here is the best way that I found for clearing that musty smell from my bedroom. Best of all these methods aren't limited to working only during the spring time, but year round as well. Follow these simple steps and you will have a clean and airy bedroom, regardless of the time of year.

1. Straighten up. The very first step to keep from having a stuffy room is to straighten up the room. While you are straightening up the room, take the time to examine the walls, furniture pictures and so on to see if there is any mold or mildew, which actually generates the musty smell. Mildew and mold can actually grow pretty much anywhere.
2. Sweep and vacuum. After you have straightened the room, take the time to sweep and vacuum the floor. This will help prepare for a later, more in-depth cleaning.
3. Bedding. Remove all the bedding, pillows, drapes and curtains from the bedroom. Either clean them yourself or take them to a professional cleaner to be cleaned.
4. Clean carpeting. Rent a steam cleaner or carpet shampooer from your local department or home improvement store. Clean everywhere in the room and under every piece of furniture to ensure that you have completely cleaned the carpets. Doing this also helps to reduce the risk of mold and mildew from the carpets.
5. Clean windows. When you are cleaning out the bedroom, take the time to clean the windows and window sills. This will prevent any buildup of dust, dirt and grime that could be spread to other parts of the room if you open windows.
6. Air out the room. Simply using air freshener is not going to be enough to remove that musty air. Open the windows and doors to the room, and let as much sun and fresh air into the room as possible. Keeping them open for a couple of days in a row, or at the very least once a week, will go a long way to removing the musty smell, and keeping it gone.
7. Clean wastebaskets. It may not seem like it but even the lightest type of bedroom garbage can add to any odors or mustiness in a room. If you do have wastebaskets in the room, then doing something as simple as a periodic scrubbing will keep down the odors that can accumulate in a bedroom.
8. Dehumidify. Excessive moisture can, and often does, hasten the growth of mold and mildew. Dehumidifying a room, and preventing excessive moisture from getting into the room in the future, will reduce or eliminate the possible growth of mold and mildew and thereby eliminate a large portion of that musty smell. When taking a shower or bath in an attached bathroom, closing the door will prevent excess moisture and using a dehumidifier will pull the excess moisture.