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Water damage Mold
Mold in the Basement
Mold grows naturally in the environment; its role is to break down dead organic matter – leaves, dead trees. Yet it becomes a worry when we find it in our homes. Mold reproduces by spores, which are invisible to the naked eye and which float through air. When the spores land on wet/humid surfaces, mold begins to grow indoors. Usually, basements tend to be places with higher levels of humidity. Thus, we often find mold in the basement, accumulating on anything organic, including cloth, walls, paper, wood, carpeting etc.
If no measures are taken, mold would spread little by little to other areas in your home, conditions being favorable. Beside the heavy, musty odor that spreads everywhere, making it impossible to breathe, mold not only endangers your health at a great extent, causing congestions, headache, difficulty breathing and allergies but it destroys and rots everything, causes damage to the wood and even the walls. If the contamination is extensive, mold would cause structural damage to your home.
Mold control
Trying to remove the mold and clean the affected surfaces with various cleaning substances, even using special mold killing solutions will not solve the problem. If the causes that create a favorable environment for its growth are not removed, mold would not disappear. Its stubbornness and tendency to re-appear even if it’s removed had a dramatic effect on people in ancient times. They used to believe that mold is some sort of a supernatural being with a will of its own. Back then, when this “black shadow” appeared on a wall in a house, a priest was called and his solution usually was: clean it up, remove all contaminated material and if it returned, destroy the house. Thus, houses were burnt down because of black mold. How ridiculous is that?
Now we know that mold thrives in wet and cool areas and it keeps reappearing if the conditions remain favorable. In order to get rid of mold we should have under control all sources of moisture and keep air humidity under 60%. Good insulation, good plumbing and drainage systems, enough ventilation, good control of kitchen and bathroom steam are the first, basic measures to be taken.
How to detect mold?
Mold spores are impossible to be 100% eliminated. Even in a clean, dry house there are mold spores but in insignificant amounts. In most cases, if you have a problem with the mold in the basement, you should be able to see or smell mold. If you smell it and cannot see it, mold might be hidden behind wallpapers, in the ceiling, or in the walls or under the carpet.
Review the list below. If you tick one or more of these items, there is a chance you might have a mold problem:
- Living in an area with high humidity
- Pipe leaks
- Leaky roof
- Recent flooding
- Use of humidifiers without humidity control
- Discoloration of walls
- Lots of house plants
- Peeling paint
- Poor ventilation
So, is your basement a perfect place for you or your mold? | 
