We should all aspire to have a healthy basement. It the section of your home that is easily impacted by detrimental outside conditions. So, providing your home with a healthy basement will protect you and your family from unsanitary conditions. Ensuring and promoting the health of your basement is imperative. What can one do to make their cellar healthy?
STORE BELONGINGS PROPERLY
Items such as books, papers, rugs, pictures do not belong in your basement. Even with precautions, moisture of any kind or level will turn these items into a breeding site for mold and other pests. And in turn, ruin your valuable possessions. Keep your belongings secure in waterproof and airtight containers.
KEEP YOUR BASEMENT DRY
As a homeowner, your basement must be kept dry. Your basement must handle a heavy rain or else it will pool around the home’s foundation. When water pools around the house it can settle and seep into the ground, creating pressure on your foundation walls. This pressure can cause your wall system to fail and rainwater to enter your basement.
A dry basement will also prevent the growth of mold. Mold flourishes in damp areas so if your basement is prone to leaking you may be putting your health at risk. Securing your basement and preventing moisture or dampness will deprive mold of the damp breeding grounds required for its existence. No moisture equals no mold.
DITCH THE HUMIDIFIER FOR A DEHUMIDIFIER
A humidifier becomes a threat to a healthy basement. Humidifiers help increase the level of humidity for dryness indoors. While we all look forward to spring, it is a known fact that cold air will fall in the rising of hot air. During warmer weather such as spring, hot moist air can seep into your house. When it cools, it falls into your cellar. The cooling of this air causes humidity to rise, and it will continue to rise as the temperature lowers.
It is even possible at that stage for water to condense and form. This is what results in that damp, musty feeling in your basement and turns it into a breeding site for mold. The humidifier would just triple the effect of this, as basements do not have exposure to heat or sunlight. A dehumidifier, then, is your best bet, eliminating additional moisture and keeping your cellar dry.
Insulation also helps with this. Through insulation and the sealing of the crawlspace in your cellar, you are permitting cleaner, more breathable air to permeate your basement.
WATERPROOF YOUR BASEMENT
Waterproofing is the process taken to make your basement water-resistant. Depending on the level of moisture you are experiencing, you can use interior or exterior waterproofing. This adds a protective barrier to secure your walls. This service, however, requires hiring a company for such a vast undertaking.
This is where Toledo Basement Repair comes in. Toledo Basement Repair offers a free estimate on any waterproofing or cellar needs. We can also take 10% off your next service. With the onset of COVID-19, we take extra safety pRecautions with all protocols observed. Toledo Basement Repair put your basement’s health first.