Mold In Your Basement Is Extremely Dangerous for Your Family’s Health
You’ve probably seen on the news that mold growth in homes, schools and office buildings is on the rise and is very serious business. Mold can cause a slew of health problems, and, worse yet, it hits the elderly, children and pets the hardest. Many feel that simply spraying some cleaning solution on the mold in your basement or crawlspace is the solution, but, as you’ll see, that is, at best, a stop-gap solution that is quite short lived.
How is Mold Dangerous?
Mold is a fungus which grows in damp, dark environments. It literally lives off of water as its source of food and life. It then reproduces with spores that fill the air. These spores, when breathed in, can cause serious health problems such as:
– Asthma
– Sinus Allergies
– Sinus Infections
– Respiratory Problems
– Cancer
– Even death
The longer mold is left alone, the more it reproduces. Cleaning solutions wipe away the mold, and it will be gone for a few days, but it WILL come back as long as water or moisture is present.You can wipe away mold until your arm falls off, but, if you don’t get to the root of the problem, it’ll just keep coming back again and again.
How Does Basement Waterproofing Help?
As we discussed earlier, as long as moisture or water is present, no matter how small of an amount, mold will flourish. Waterproofing acts like a shield. It dries up the moisture, seals it out and keeps it from returning. Think of it as drying your basement walls then sealing them with a thick layer of Saran Wrap.
– The same goes for crawlspace waterproofing. If you have moisture in your crawl space, you’ll have mold grow. And, yes, it will get into the air of your home. When it rains a lot or snows too much, the water gets into the ground around your home. Because many times contractors use dirt that tends to retain water, the soil around your basement/foundation can literally grow. It swells with water and pushes a ton of pressure on your foundation walls.
– This causes water to be pushed inside, thorough the porous concrete. It also leads to cracks in the walls, which allow more water in and can lead to big-time foundation issues!