Don’t Ignore Mold Growth In Your Basement
Your basement is one of the most common places where mold can grow. As we have discussed in previous articles, mold is not something you should ignore, even if it is growing in low-traffic areas like your basement. Depending on your health, how sensitive you are to mold, and the amount of mold in your home, you may experience a variety of symptoms such as a stuffy nose, itchy throat, coughing, sneezing, and eye irritation. For individuals who are more sensitive, it is also possible to experience skin irritations and with prolonged exposure much more serious health issues.
Why Mold Can Proliferate In Your Basement
Understanding why mold can grow in your basement is important because you can try to limit or prevent its growth. Unfortunately, mold is everywhere but in order to grow it needs the right combination of moisture, temperature, and time to grow and spread. Your basement is a place where it is less likely for you to notice mold growth and because of poor ventilation, combined with the darkness, high moisture levels, and organic material, mold tends to proliferate with ease.
What You might See or Smell
The mold growing in your basements can be slimy, dark in color (e.g. green, gray, or black). It can grow on wood, fabric, shoes, drywall, laminate, under carpets, and much more. You might also be able to smell mold (a musty or earthy odor) but it doesn’t always have a strong smell so you need to be more cautious when checking your basement.
You should be aware that mold can also produce gases known as microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOC’s). Therefore that musty smell is not just the mold you are smelling. The smell is also produced by the chemical compounds that are released during the different mold growth stages. Trying to increase air circulation or airing out the musty smell is not going to be effective if you have mold growth. You need to have your air tested by a certified mold testing and inspection company. This should be done as fast as possible since the mold smell won’t go away on its own and you shouldn’t spend your time trying to mask it with air fresheners.
How To Prevent Mold Infestation in Your Basement
Control Humidity and Moisture Levels
To prevent mold proliferation, it is wise to regularly check for water leaks since mold can begin growing within a few days after a pipe begins leaking. Moreover, check for cracks in the foundations of your basement walls that could be permitting moisture to enter your basement, especially after heavy rainfall or flooding. What’s more, air-drying clothes in your basement in order to cut down on energy costs can increase humidity and moisture levels. The moist conditions in your basement create the ideal environment for mold growth. To avoid moisture buildup, you can use dehumidifiers to control your basement’s humidity level. Installing an exhaust fan, although it is not as effective, could also help air circulation and decrease the possibility of mold growth in your basement.
Insulate Pipes, Walls, and Windows
Insulation is an important mold preventative since it can reduce condensation on pipes which is often the result of the difference in air and pipe temperature. You can easily insulate any exposed pipes with pipe sleeves, fiberglass, or other insulation materials. You also need to cover your basement windows with plastic film insulation to prevent condensation, especially during winter when you are not able to keep windows open.
Additional actions you could take are to check for issues with your sump pumps, hot-water tank corrosion, and moisture under your carpets if you have any. These can be fixed quite easily and limit the moisture level in your basement. For example, today, there are even carpet materials made from fibers like olefin which dry quickly and can be resistant to mold and cleaning chemicals.
Getting Professional Help
If you suspect that you have a mold issue in your basement, you need to take immediate action since mold can easily spread to the rest of your home through your HVAC system. You need to ensure that all mold is removed and the rest of your home is also tested for the presence of mold.
If you are a resident of Columbia, Greenville, and Spartanburg, SC, call BioTek Environmental at 866-630-7340 24/7 – 365 days a year or contact us online. We can provide you with professional mold inspection, removal, and remediation services. Our Clean, Green Restoration methods employ EPA registered and environmentally safe chemistries to help our customers reclaim their property from mold removal, and flood and fire damage in the safest ways possible.
