Damp odors, musty odors. Sometimes it feels like buildings are just meant to have that odor because it is so commonplace. We sometimes associate basements with “naturally” having a musty odor. Entering a home that has been shut for a while, the assumption is that that odor is on account of the “stale air.” But what if there is more to it than just being a nuisance odor? That thing that you are smelling is called mVOCs (Microbial Volatile Organic Compounds). According to the

The dominant barometer of good air quality is a physically clean space that “smells nice”. Once these bases have been covered, it is perceived that everything is okay in a building. Arising symptomology of poor indoor air quality like headaches or chest pains are characterized then as “weird” and deemed normal, pushed to the side as building occupants engage in daily tasks. It is always assumed that rudimentary maintenance schedules have been put in place for HVAC systems, he