The presence of a stubborn, musty smell in your Hickory home is a sign that something, somewhere, has gone wrong. Unfortunately, there are many possible causes of a musty smell in your home. Figuring out what exactly the underlying cause(s) are can be almost impossible for a non-professional. This is why we recommend that you always seek an expert’s advice if a thorough deep-clean and airing does not make the smell go away. The most benign of the potential causes is the presence of standing water. Stagnant water can produce a distinctive and unpleasant smell that is nonetheless faint. As such, you will find that this kind of odor will be strongest where the problem is located and should not be an issue throughout the whole home. A more severe cause of a musty smell is the presence of some form of mold in your home. Mold has a uniquely dry and musty smell that often has a sweet edge and can cause symptoms similar to hay fever. If you find mold formations in your home, then please do not touch them. They could be toxic, especially if they are black in color. Finally, there is a chance that the bad odor in your home is being caused by pest infestation of some kind. If pests are at work in your home, then the smells will be fairly distinctive. For example, if you have rodents in your home, the smell will likely have a twinge of ammonia (like urine). If you have cockroaches, however, then the smell will be vinegary and slightly more sharp than musty. Of course, if pests are to blame, there will be other signs of infestation like droppings, nest formations, bite marks, and carcasses.