Want to Remove the Upleasant Odor From Your Basement?
July 24th, 2009. Published under Home. No Comments.
I was called in to a home to do a repair job last week, the client had asked me to do several small repairs for her, including hanging a curtain rod, fixing a lock, and several other small jobs. While I was working, I accidentally flipped the circuit breaker and had to go down to the basement to fix it.
While I was down there, I noticed that the basement smelled positively awful, damp and moldy. I looked around, and as I looked for the source, the smell became even worse. I wondered where the smell was coming from and then I noticed that there was mold on the inside of the closet that housed the circuit breaker panel.
A lot of basements have this exact problem. They have a bad odor that’s caused by dampness. You’d think the cause is mold and mildew, but the real problem is that basements themselves are an excellent environment for mold and mildew to grow.
In order to grow mold and mildew, you need a damp, dark area, which most basements certainly are. You can’t do a lot about the fact that they are dark, but you can take care of the dampness, which in most situations will fix the problem.
Water Can Come From Two Places
It can come from an outside source, or can simply come from condensation caused by warm, moist, air coming in contact with the cold foundation of your basement or even simply cold water pipes.
If your basement smells damp it’s unpleasant. Would you like to get rid of the odor once and for all? Here are some ideas that can help you do just that.
Open up the windows! By opening up the windows and airing things out, it will give you the ability to dry things out. This is called “an open drying system.” You can also use a fan to speed up the process.
Waterproof your walls. Doing so will not allow water to penetrate through them.
Turn up the heat. Especially in the winter, this is a great way to help dry out damp conditions.
What you want to do is control the humidity level, which may even include things like not hanging wet laundry in the basement, or covering up cold water pipes with insulation so that condensation on the pipes can’t meet damp, warm air.
If you’ve tried these things and you still have a problem, you’re probably dealing with more than a condensation issue. In fact, you’re probably dealing with something more serious, like runoff from the roof, or high ground water.
If you want to speed up the process and keep things dry, you can buy a dehumidifier, Make sure that you get a heavy-duty dehumidifier that can process 50 pints of water in 24 hours. It’s not cheap, costing between $200 and $300, but it’s well worth the investment for the mold and mildew you’ll avoid.
Scott Becker is an expert in organizing a better you, for a better life. He currently writes a blog http://youronlinehandyman.com along with numerous other articles to show you how how to eliminate stress by organizing your home.