The Alternative Press

A healthy home needs a healthy basement. You can't have one without the other. The main house is above ground and has plenty of air circulation from the windows and doors being opened and closed each day. Also, because most of the living takes place in the main living areas, the main house is probably cleaned more often.

The basement is subterranean, below ground where the bugs and insects and creepy crawley things live. Because the basement is underground it has a different environment than the rest of the house.

There are a lot of things that are in the basement that are not conducive to having a healthy house. Your plumbing and sanitary system is in the basement. Your heating plant and hot water heater are in the basement. These things produce a lot of moisture. As I write this in January I can promise you that your dehumidifier is not in operation. As we discussed in an earlier blog the dehumidifier only works in the warmer months because of relative humidity. January is typically not one of those so the dehumidifier is not working. What do you do about the moisture that comes through your concrete foundation, most of which is below the frost line, and brings dampness and moisture into your basement in the non-Summer months?

When you have moisture in the basement you get other things in the basement associated with that moisture, bad smells, mold, mildew, insects of all kinds, dry rot, rust and rodents.

Bad smells are nature's way of telling us something's wrong. If your basement smells bad something is wrong with the basement and you need to have it checked out by a professional.

Next we will talk about mold. Everybody knows mold is not good for you. Just the same, don't panic if you see mold. Mold is part of nature and mold spores are everywhere. When mold spores land on something that's damp with an organic matter it can start to grow. Call a professional for a mold test.

Third we come to mildew. Mildew is the smell you smell when you have mold.

Insects like dark moist places. We're not just talking about spiders and ants but also wood destroying insects like termites and carpenter ants. I really can't think of anything good to say about having insects in your home especially the ones that can eat your home.

Dry rot is a term associated with wood rot. The way it sounds is somewhat of misleading because you need moisture to have dry rot. The term dry rot refers to would that has already been dried such as lumber. When this dried wood, such as your basement stairs, gets wet a certain fungi can grow in the wood. This fungus grows roots which go into the wood and started breaking apart. Dry rot is bad.

Rust is also called iron oxide and happens over time when metal gets damp or wet. Your major appliances are located in the basement and are subject to rusting when moisture is present. Just think for a moment about how much it would cost to replace your furnace, hot water heater, HVAC, or washer and dryer. I am not trying to tell you that moisture is going to instantly kill your appliances. Appliances that are rusted will typically have a shorter life than those which are not rusty.

Okay we saved the best for last, rodents. Mice and rats just say it all. Unless your kids have a hamster cage we really don't want rodents in the house.

It is important that you understand your basement has to be healthy in order for your home to be healthy. Bad smells, mold, mildew and insects can easily come upstairs. Moisture doesn't mean that you need basement waterproofing or a sump pump. It just means you need to call a professional for a free inspection.