How Do You Know When There's Mold In Your Basement and How To Solve It

Not only is mold an unsightly aspect to your home, it can also cause health issues such as asthma. Some key signs you may have mold in your basement is bubbly walls, a musty smell, water damage and rust. With untreated walls, water can seep in creating damage. When water gets in between your walls, it interferes with the adhesion of paint and sheetrock. If left untreated, this can cause the sheetrock to absorb too much water. With the excess moisture, it causes the bubbling in the walls with the water having nowhere else to go. The musty smell that correlates with mold is the result of the chemical gas compounds released at different stages of the mold’s growth. This sign is an easy one to find, unlike water damage that isn’t always visible. Rust is also a clear sign of water damage as it’s the oxidation process of water on metallic surfaces such as iron and steel. It also grows on organic material like wood and cardboard products.

Now that you know the signs of mold in your home, you can begin to go over the solutions to help resolve the problem. First, you want to remove condensation in your basement so mold has a minimal chance of starting so it doesn’t spread to begin with. By eliminating condensation, there’s less chance of moisture to change temperatures from hot to cold which creates mold. Another way to prevent mold is to landscape around your home properly to eliminate water damage. Your home should be built for rainwater to flow away from your house, not toward it. However, if this is not an option for you, you can always waterproof your basement with some of our products such as our SaniDry dehumidifier. This product will remove humidity in your basement that decreases the chances of that musty moldy smell helping your basement dry and slow the spread of mold if already present. At Healthy Basement Systems we can help address and solve any mold issues you may have.