Basement Mold

If you have noticed a pervasive bad odor in your home and you can’t quite place the source, there are a few possible causes that you should consider. There is also the chance that more than one factor is at work.

Pests, Mold, and Mildew

Generally speaking, the most common causes of bad odors in any property are some form of infestation or fungal growth. Pest infestations can vary in the amount of damage that they do and the strength of the smell that they produce. The infestations most likely to cause a strong and unpleasant smell are cockroach and rodent infestations.

Mold, mildew, and fungal growth can create a strong smell over time, especially when they go hand in hand with rotting organic material. Wood rot, for example, is notoriously inviting for both pests and certain species of mold. This not only weakens the wood but can lead to a strong musty odor and even some health issues for those living on the property.

Structural Damage and Dampness

Both of these issues require some degree of dampness and structural damage to really take root. Floor and wall cracks commonly act as an entry point for smaller pests and will also allow water to seep into a property from the soil around it. This can create a perfect environment for mold, mildew, fungal growth, and pests inside a property’s basement or crawl space.

In most cases, there is no single underlying cause. The formation of a very strong and unpleasant smell takes time and is often connected to secondary and tertiary issues that increase the smell and add their own complications to the situation. As such, bad smells are surprisingly hard to diagnose. Nonetheless, if you see floor cracks in a basement with bad odors, it is time to worry. 

Mold in your foundation is more than just an ugly stain. Even Cleveland homeowners with an unfinished basement who don’t use it for anything other than storage should preoccupy themselves with removing the mold from their foundation. Mold is a microorganism that is capable of triggering allergies in the best-case scenario and mold poisoning in the worst of cases. Long-term exposure to mold damages your respiratory system, so a moldy basement or crawl space is a health hazard. Even if you don’t spend much time don’t in your basement, you’re still at risk of having respiratory problems.

Because of the stack effect, the air in your basement or crawl space rises into your home and pollutes the air. Mold often releases spores into the air, which are the tiny reproductive cells of the mold. The air that rises into your home contains those spores plus all the moisture and dust that is in the crawl space. Breathing that in for months on end can lead to health issues. If you want to get rid of it permanently, there are a few things you need to do.

Mold is so persistent that you need to get remediation specialists to remove it. If you try to remove it yourself and you miss some, it will grow back. Professional mold removal is guaranteed to remove all mold from your basement or crawl space, even the mold in places you never considered. Next, you’ll want to waterproof your basement with the help of the experts at Ohio Basement Systems. As long as there is some sort of dampness in the air, mold will always find a way to grow.

DIY approaches only address visible issues and neglect underlying problems, making professional assistance imperative. Ohio Basement Systems offers free inspections and utilizes a holistic approach to your basement’s moisture and mold problems.