By Pat Muller, Ready 2 Respond Instructor
Someone reports a musty smell in a storage room. An occupant says a space “still smells funny” days after a leak, or a facilities team walks into what looks like a minor water event and notices an unusual odor that doesn’t quite match the visible damage.
It’s tempting to treat odor as a comfort issue – something to eliminate so the space smells normal again. But during water damage response, odor can provide important information about what’s happening inside a building.
R2R training encourages facilities professionals to use every available observation when assessing an event. Visual conditions, odor, source of the water, the materials affected, and the overall complexity of the situation all help determine whether the situation falls within the scope of an in-house response. From there, the drying process relies on moisture meters, documentation, and daily monitoring against an established dry standard to answer four questions: What is wet? How wet is it? Is it drying? And is it dry?
Odor does not answer those questions on its own, but it can tell you when you need to take a closer look.
Here are five common misconceptions about odor worth clearing up before the next water event.
Myth #1: “An odor is just an inconvenience.”
Fact: Odors can provide valuable clues during a water response.
An unusual or persistent odor deserves attention, especially during or after a water event. Although a moisture problem can’t be diagnosed by odor alone, it is a crucial observation – in addition to visible conditions, meter readings, occupant reports, and the history of the affected space – that helps determine the next steps.
For example, consider a musty-smelling basement or storage area. The odor itself doesn’t establish what happened, but it may raise useful questions such as:
- Has this area experienced a previous water event?
- Could moisture still be present in flooring, walls, or other materials?
- Is there evidence of microbial growth or other secondary damage?
- Was a previous event fully dried and properly addressed?
If a situation that looks like a straightforward clean-water loss also looks or smells unusual, it is reason enough to investigate further rather than treat it as routine.
Odor also matters to the people who use the building. A lingering smell can lead to occupant complaints or questions about whether a space is ready for normal use. Dismissing those concerns erodes confidence, whereas investigating them gives the facilities team a chance to find out what’s really going on and communicate clearly.
Myth #2: “If the odor goes away, the problem is solved.”
Fact: Odor is one indicator. It is not proof that materials are dry.
Our senses are useful for an initial assessment, but they have limits:
- A space can smell normal while moisture remains hidden beneath flooring, behind walls, or inside cabinetry.
- An odor can linger even as the drying process progresses.
Therefore, neither smell nor appearance should be the final measure of success.
Moisture meters provide the objective data needed to identify what’s wet, locate hidden moisture, understand how far the damage has spread, and track drying progress. It is important to measure unaffected areas of the same material to set that benchmark, then track affected materials against it throughout the drying process.
Daily documentation matters too, as consistent readings show whether moisture levels are trending downward and flag areas that may need a change in equipment placement or adjustment in drying strategy.
Myth #3: “Every odor means the same thing.”
Fact: Different odors should lead facilities teams toward different questions.
A musty odor, a sewage smell, smoke, chemical odor, and a burnt smell do not point to the same source or require the same response. The goal is not for facilities staff to become odor-diagnosis experts – it is to recognize that what they smell can help guide the next questions.
For example:
- A sewage-like odor during what was believed to be a clean-water event should raise questions about whether the original water classification is still accurate.
- A musty odor may point to a previous or ongoing moisture source.
- A burnt or chemical smell may signal a separate building issue that should be assessed before drying continues.
For teams handling frequent clean-water events in-house, those differences can affect the next step. An unexpected odor may be a sign that conditions have changed, the original assessment needs another look, or the situation falls outside the scope of an internal response. The goal is to identify a problem by smell alone, but to recognize when the response may need adjustment or additional expertise.
Myth #4: “Moving more air will eliminate odor.”
Fact: Airflow supports drying, but odor control starts with the source.
Airmovers are essential to structural drying. Paired with proper extraction and dehumidification, they help pull moisture from wet materials into the air so it can be removed from the environment by dehumidifiers. However, moving air does not address the source of the odor.
If wet or contaminated materials remain, more airflow – or a pleasant fragrance – might make the space feel different for a while, but it won’t solve the underlying problem. Until the actual source is addressed, the odor is likely to persist or return.
That is why odor control has to stay connected to the larger drying process: removing as much liquid water as possible, identifying all affected materials, deploying the right amount of drying equipment, and monitoring progress until drying is complete. Ventilation, air filtration, and air scrubbers can also support the response depending on conditions, but equipment does not replace investigation.
If an odor continues, the question is not “How do we make this smell better?” It is “Why does this still smell?”
Myth #5: “The response is complete when the space smells normal.”
Fact: Response is complete when materials reach their documented dry standard.
The final stage of a water response should not depend solely on whether an area looks, feels, or smells normal. A successful drying process ends with verification: comparing moisture readings to the established dry standard, completing documentation, then cleaning up and removing equipment.
That documentation creates a clear record of where moisture was found, how readings changed, what adjustments were made, and when the drying goal was reached. Persistent odors or other unusual conditions should also be noted in the daily record too, since they can signal the response needs more attention.
Building occupants also want reassurance that a space is ready for use, and facilities teams need more than “it smells fine now” to provide it. A room that smells normal is a useful observation, but a room that has reached its documented dry standard is evidence.
Use Every Clue, Then Verify
Water response requires facilities teams to gather information quickly, often under pressure, and make confident decisions. Odor is one part of that assessment. It may signal that conditions require a closer look, challenge assumptions about a seemingly simple clean water event, or raise questions that warrant further investigation. It can also affect occupant confidence and shape communication throughout the response.
But odor should never stand alone. A systematic response combines observations with moisture mapping, extraction, properly calculated and placed drying equipment, daily monitoring, and documentation.
The lesson is not to ignore what your senses tell you – it is to avoid letting them make the final call. Observe first, then investigate, measure, and verify. This process helps facilities teams move from assumptions to informed decisions about the next steps.
Contact the R2R team for help developing a standardized water response program with customized equipment planning, hands-on training, and practical response procedures.
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