Crawl Space Mold 101: What You Can Do
As many Washingtonians know, with the wet climate comes the mold. You may have seen mold visibly upstairs in window sills, bathrooms, and sliding glass doors. These are places that very susceptible to moisture, but the crawl space is one area many people do not always think about when it comes to mold. Your crawl space can be a dark, damp, and humid space, the perfect environment for mold to grow.
Did you know? Up to 60% of the air you breathe comes from the crawlspace.
Have you ever noticed a musty smell in the main levels of your home? This is a strong indicator of a moldy crawl space.
How can it affect you? Mold growth in your crawl space can negatively impact your health, often causing problems with asthma, fatigue, coughing, and wheezing from the allergens in mold spores.
What is mold? Mold is a fungus that feeds on organic materials such as wood, dust, and dirt. If you have high humidity under your home, usually it is due to moisture accumulating and evaporating from the ground in your crawl space. The outside air flowing in from a typical vented crawl space which can also increase the humidity under your home. Mold cannot reproduce spores without moisture, so controlling humidity and water in the crawl space is essential to protecting you and your home from its damage.
3 Ways to Help Prevent Mold:
1. Dehumidifiers can help control humidity and moisture, filtering out the air and maintaining low humidity to prevent mold growth.
2. Crawl space encapsulation seals the home from the earth like another level of the home and makes it safe. Covering the walls and damp ground with a vapor barrier and sealing the vents helps stop the outside air from coming in and blocks out moisture and mold. It also effectively keeps insects, rodents, and pests out.
3. An interior drainage and waterproofing system under your home can help address water concerns, especially if you ever get standing water in your crawl space or notice damp soil under your home. A safe way to discharge water is using a drainage channel with perforated piping and a sump pump system to control water under your home and discharge it.
When you are looking for ways to improve the air quality in the living space and protect your home and family’s health, take your crawl space into consideration, especially if you are unsure if there is mold growing.
If you are interested in protecting your home from mold permanently, get a free inspection and estimate by calling today at 1-800-835-7915.