Basement Mold

You know you have mold in your basement when you have that old musty and wet smell typical in moist places. Although basement mold is not going to give you or your family members any serious health problems, it may make someone in your house who has allergies or asthma have aggravated symptoms. There are some molds out there, which release toxins and make you tired, vomit, and have headaches. Because molds love to grow in wet environments they are commonly found in bathrooms and kitchens. It's impossible to get rid of all the living mold in your house as it's okay to have an acceptable level of it.

The best way to limit the amount of mold in your house is to make everything as dry as possible. You can...

Make sure that your basement doesn't leak. If you have leakage problems in your basement, invest in an exterior drainage system, which will keep water out. You also want to make sure that you have no water or moisture coming in from the damaged plumbing or air conditioning drain lines.

Install a fan in your basement to increase air flow. You can also open up windows now and then to increase circulation.

Make sure that everything in your house is dry. If you have a moist drywall in your basement, your best bet is to replace it with a new one.

Get rid of unnecessary boxes and debris lying around in moist areas. Mold can grow on pretty much anything, especially cardboard. Once you get rid of stuff lying around your house there will be less chance for mold to grow.

Use a vacuum cleaner often as this will prevent mold spores from flying around.

Invest in a dehumidifier. You can purchase a portable one or purchase an air conditioner, which has a special dehumidifying feature.

Mold comes in the form of black or blue fuzz. You can clean it off with some mild detergent or bleach while wearing goggles, gloves, old clothes, and a particles mask to make sure that you don't breathe the spores in. Once you've cleaned it off, make sure that the area is dry. You know you've done your job if there is no more musty smell and if the mold does not grow back.

If you have a lot of mold in your house it may be best to hire a mold cleaning specialist to do the job for you. Online sources recommend that you hire a mold remediation specialist if the mold growth is more than 10 square feet. When looking for mold in your basement, just because your basement "looks" clean and mold free, it does not mean that it is. You may have mold growing in the insulation in the ceilings, behind the drywall, on ceiling tiles, or behind wallpaper. You may also have it growing underneath basement flooring you may have installed. Usually when you have mold growing in such places you're going to have to hire a professional to remove it. If you start removing tiles, wallpaper, or drywall, which has spores, you may be releasing huge amounts of spores into the air.

If you had a serious leak or flood in your basement you should know that there are water damage restoration services, which can help you not only make your basement look decent, but get rid of the mold.

If you think that you have mold growing in your basement, don't just assume that it is small and you can get to it later. You can, but the problem may be a lot worse because mold is alive and it grows. If you have a leak somewhere in your basement, you have about a day or two before mold starts growing. So clean it up ASAP. You should also not paint over the mold as the paint is likely to fall off when it drys off.

For more tips check out Water Damage Mold and How to Get a Dry Basement.