3 Tips for Preventing Mold Growth in Your Basement This Spring

Mold growth in the basement is no good for the health of your family members in the household. If you did not take steps to prevent mold growth in basement, your family members will be at risk of developing health problems like lung infections, fever, and rashes. Research has shown that there is an increasing number of children that die from being exposed to indoor pollutants for example mold spores. So, you must not treat the matter lightly and take steps to protect your basement from mold growth. The following are the 3 tips on the steps you can take to prevent mold growth in the basement.

1. Seal the Basement Flooring Against Seepage
Often, moisture will enter into the basement through the concrete slabs in the form of water vapor transmission. To prevent water seepage in the basement, you need to use a concrete sealer to seal the concrete slabs. Some concrete sealers can also seal your basement from radon gas. It is better to use a concrete sealer to seal your basement slab compared to using waterproofing paints because waterproofing paints can easily peel off. Another method to prevent water seepage in basement floor is to install an interior drainage system underneath the basement floor. The interior drainage system will pump out the water that it has collected so that the water won’t rise to the level that will overflow onto the surface of the basement floor.

2. Repair Cracks in Basement
You must go through your entire basement to look for cracks and repair them as cracks can lead to water seepage problem. A hairline crack may be small but it can lead to flood in the basement when the water level in the ground underneath rises to a high level. Therefore, it is necessary to repair every single crack in the basement. The crack injection kit offers the best way for you to repair cracks manually. It is better than filling the gaps in the cracks with cement as there will be holes in the cements after some time. Cracks can be found in several places in the basement including foundation wall, basement floor, control joints, sump pits and crawlspace.

3. Remove Wet Items from Basement
Mold growth can take place quickly when your basement has become wet due to problems like damaged water pipes. You can speed up the drying process of your basement by opening the door and windows. You can also use a stand fan to dry up the water in the basement. You should remove anything that is wet in the basement as they can increase the moisture level in the basement. Examples of wet items in basement are wet carpet, sponges soak in water and wet clothes. Pipes and windows in the basement should be covered with insulation materials to prevent condensed water from appearing on them.

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