Have you ever experienced headaches, stuffiness, or typical allergy symptoms while in your basement, but feel perfectly fine once you’ve left the area? If so, these are signs of mold in your house that should not be ignored. Unfortunately, mold is caused by a number of things, and can quickly grow to create unsafe conditions for you and your family if not addressed timely. Read on to learn more about basement mold and how to get rid of mold in your house.
Why Does Mold Matter?
So what is mold anyway, and why is it so destructive? Mold is actually a fungus that can grow almost anywhere, provided the right environment and enough moisture. The only place you won’t see mold growing is in direct sunlight. A dark, damp environment (like your basement!) is sure to create mold growth and reproduction in just a matter of hours. It starts with mold spores that can enter through ventilation, windows or doors and if it sticks around long enough, it can cause detrimental health issues such as infections, allergies, and more. It’s best to try and kill basement mold as soon as it’s been noticed.
What many people don’t realize is that mold can and will travel. It could start due to a bit of excess moisture in your basement, but will quickly infiltrate your main living area – kitchen, bedrooms, living room. Once it starts to spread, cleaning up not only becomes a bigger task, but is time sensitive.
What Causes Basement Mold?
There’s one key component that is absolutely necessary for mold growth, and that’s moisture. It takes more than just a bit of dampness for mold to start reproducing, but if you notice signs of mold in the house, it’s likely there’s a leak of some sort nearby.
The leak itself can be caused by a number of factors. It could be due to flooding from a recent storm, a leaky pipe, clogged drainage, or it could be a serious sign of foundation issues. In most cases, you should be able to easily identify the source of the moisture entry, but if you’re unsure, we always recommend reaching out to a professional team for assistance.
Basement mold is not something that should be ignored, on the contrary it should be remedied as soon as possible to prevent further spreading and risking health consequences. One immediate step you can take to help with the moisture is purchasing a dehumidifier. This is not a permanent solution and likely will not be the only action necessary to remedy the mold issue, but it will definitely start to collect that excess moisture in the air.
Careful Inspection
When you’re trying to determine where the moisture is coming from, you’ll want to check a few specific places. For both the ceiling and walls, you’ll be looking for cracks (even the smallest hairline crack could be the culprit), stains, or even water droplets. On the floor, look out for cracks, puddles, and soft spots. If you notice anything like this, you’ll want to call an expert team for further inspection and project quote. Cracks and leaks need to be completely repaired to stop the mold altogether, and a basement & foundation expert can help you achieve that.
Trust the Experts
Any amount of damage in your basement needs to be inspected by a trustworthy team, especially if it’s leading to mold-generating moisture. They’ll be able to repair any cracks, water damage, or leaky pipes and ensure you have a healthy environment for your loved ones moving forward. If you’re local to the Western PA area, reach out to A.M. today to set up your free inspection & quote! With nearly two decades of basement and foundation experience, we’ve witnessed many different scenarios of basement mold and can help to give you peace of mind.
