"Tom Baker" wrote in message
om...
"Ohaya" wrote in message
news:hKf_b.10572$f23.2323@lakeread02...
Hi,

We discovered a small leak under the kitchen sink (one of the valves
needed
to be tightened). We've fixed the leak, but the water had moistened the
cabinet bottom somewhat.

We've now dried all that up, and we cut a hole in the cabinet bottom,
and
dried the area under that, cleaned it, and applied diluted Clorox bleach
several times.

What I'm wondering about is that that cabinet area under the sink still
smells like mildew. All of it, including the floor under the cabinet
bottom
feels dry to the touch.

My wife feels like we should keep the cabinet doors closed, but I've
read
that we should leave the doors open to get some air circulation under
there.
I'm also thinking that we should keep some of the windows (just above
the
sink area) open a bit to get more air.

What's the best way to get rid of this smell?

Thanks, Jim

P.S. We have someone coming in to see if they think that we need to do
any
replacements, but assuming that that is not the case, I'm wondering how
we
get to removing the odor....

We've lived through similar problems more than once. You don't say
what materials are involved, but wood and wood composites can hold a
lot of water for a long time. Air circulation usually solves the
problem over time. If you have a fan that can help in the early
stages. Leaving the doors open is a help too. Closing the doors traps
a volume of air whichy picks up water more and more slowly as it
eventually reaches its capacity for holding moisture. Opening the
cabinet doors allows the moisture in the air to be distributed through
the volume of the room.


Tom,

Thanks. The cabinet/cabinet bottom material was typical, composite with
veneer. The flooring under the cabinet bottom is plywood. We've now
enlarged the hole in the cabinet bottom so that we can completely clean
under there.

The really sad part of all of this is apparently she had noticed this leak,
about 2 weeks ago, and didn't mention it to me because she "didn't want to
worry me" ... Simply tightening the valve nut stopped the leak...