My House Smells like a Musty Old Basement– Help!

Real Estate Experts article posted on 21 July 2010
The sun is shining, the temperatures are rising, and with some condensation and humidity your basement could house an abundance of moisture whose prime resident is mold.
There’s nothing to it, mold can grow in the simplest of conditions. Did you know that if a space has more than 60 percent humidity then it’s just the right condition to harbor mold?
Your basement or crawlspace doesn’t have to be flooded, it just needs that moisture, and then comes the must; that stinky, old smell. Guess what? If your basement or crawlspace smells, then it will radiate into the rest of your home. Not a pleasant thought, huh?
Do you want to get rid of the traces of mold in your basement or crawlspace? Is it time for a change and a makeover?
Learn about how you can lower the mold count, the smell, and improve the air quality all in one shot!
What’s the problem?
It smells. It makes you sneeze. It’s mold.
But, the good part is that it’s controllable, better yet it’s preventable.
Mold is a kind of fungi that survives by eating organic materials and living in a moist environment. So, when we say organic that means materials like wood and plastic. An organic compound is something that had come from an object that was once living. Thus, when you finish your home with materials that are organic you are looking at a tasty environment for a mold family.
Mold is definitely a guest that can wear out its welcome and never gets the hint. You can remove it once, twice, even three times and return to the scene a day later to find the mold has returned. So how do you get rid of this stuff?
Mold Removal
You can remove the mold from your basement or crawlspace by removing the moisture from the air. You’re probably wondering how moisture is even getting into the air when it’s hot outside and the air down there is cool.
Well, if the air outside is a bit humid, then because the air is cooled when it is in the basement or crawlspace, you are increasing the relative humidity by 2.2 percent with each degree of cooling!
So, the summer is a prime time for mold growth because the humidity in your basement or crawlspace is making the air probably the wettest it will be all year.
There are several specific ways to lessen or completely remove the mold in your basement or crawlspace.
Vapor Barrier Protection
Some basement contractors will use a vapor barrier to become the layer separating the home and the earth from one another. By utilizing a vapor barrier, your basement or crawlspace will be completely protected from the moisture that tries to inundate such spaces.
Sump Pump System
In addition to a vapor barrier, a sump pump system can be installed to remove the water that collects beneath the vapor barrier. The sump pump will take any water from leaks or broken pipes and steer it far from your home’s foundation. Speaking of leaks, you can rely on the sump pump alarm to notify you if there’s ever a leak in your crawl space. This is especially important because plumbing leaks in crawl spaces can go years unnoticed!
Conclusion
Now that you have learned about the importance of removing moisture from the air of your basement or crawlspace, it is equally important to find a contractor who can do the best job of waterproofing, repairing and dehumidifying your basement or crawlspace.
Brought to you by one of our Real Estate Authors from http://www.realestatelocalexperts.com, a multi-authored blog about real estate.