Anyone ever had mold in their basement?

**cyfan964** · 03-15-2009, 10:50 AM

I've been living in my current home for about 2 years. I bought it because I loved the fact that it was built in the 20's and every room has it's original hardwood floors which I have just had refinished.

My problem: The basement is a tile foundation. With all the wet weather last year and the snow this year now melting I have had a few leaks in the foundation which has caused some mold and musty conditions. I obviously spend very little time down there, but the furnace spreads all of that around my house.

Has anyone dealt with this before? Anyone have any remedies? I've had a sinus infection for about a month now and I'm starting to worry that this may be the reason.

Thanks for the help...

**Cyclonepride** · 03-15-2009, 10:53 AM

Mold remediation contractors. Mold is the new asbestos. Perhaps because it is overblown, but certain people can have real issues with it. I think a home can be condemned for it.

**Bobber** · 03-15-2009, 10:56 AM

Mold is present everywhere and I think the issue get's overblown. I've got a house the same age and with some mold. The thing about our old houses is they're leaky enough, it usually doesn't turn into a problem. The newer homes that are built super tight and have hard times breathing tend to be the ones with the mold problems you hear about in the news.

Buy a dehumidifier for the basement if you don't have one.

**Jeremy** · 03-15-2009, 12:46 PM

We dealt with almost the exact scenario you mentioned. We bought our house 1 1/2 yrs ago, it was built in 1924 and has a tile foundation. The previous owner hadn't done any proper grading around the house so we had some issues with a little water in the basement last year and some mold started to form. While it wasn't black mold and wasn't toxic, we still had a mold remediation company take care of it rather than doing it ourselves because I have terrible allergies and just being in the basement was causing me lots of problems, let alone disturbing the area.

We used "STOP" which stands for Service Team of Professionals... their website is stopiowa.com. Considering the type of work, we had a good experience and the price wasn't too bad considering what all they did.

I doubt they have a referral program or anything like that so I'm just giving you the name since it's who we found to be the best when we got quotes.

I agree with those that say mold exists to some degree in every house, but it is still a problem for a couple reasons...

1 - It shows that there is a bigger problem that needs to be remedied (i.e. leaky pipes, bad grading, etc.

2 - While there are lots of harmless molds, there are some that will do severe and long-term damage to those near it.

3 - Anybody with kids, elderly people or allergies can be extremely sensitive to mold spores.

4 - Simply using chemicals will usually not completely solve the mold problem... Spores can go dormant and appear to be "dead" by all measurements until something reactivates them down the road. Especially with wood or tile, or anything porous for that matter, using chemicals or bleach will only remove topical or shallow spores, not the actual "dug in" areas.

**alaskaguy** · 03-15-2009, 12:53 PM

Originally Posted by Bobber

Mold is present everywhere and I think the issue get's overblown.

IMO the issue is not overblown.

Mold and specifically black mold is a big problem in cold weather climates where buildings are constructed without proper ventilation. The mold causes significant respiratory problems, especially with small children. I have witnessed many homes and even large apartment buildings with mold problems in Alaska.

**Bobber** · 03-15-2009, 01:02 PM

All I'm saying, is I've seen it all my life and my family and extended family has not had trouble dealing with it. This stuff has been around well before man walked the earth.

**kingcy** · 03-15-2009, 01:03 PM

If your walls are exposed clean them with bleach and paint them with paint that is suppose to stop mold growth. Also get a air purifor and put it in your basement. They make a huge difference on air quality.

**PolkCityClone** · 03-15-2009, 01:28 PM

Originally Posted by cyfan964

I've been living in my current home for about 2 years. I bought it because I loved the fact that it was built in the 20's and every room has it's original hardwood floors which I have just had refinished.

My problem: The basement is a tile foundation. With all the wet weather last year and the snow this year now melting I have had a few leaks in the foundation which has caused some mold and musty conditions. I obviously spend very little time down there, but the furnace spreads all of that around my house.

Has anyone dealt with this before? Anyone have any remedies? I've had a sinus infection for about a month now and I'm starting to worry that this may be the reason.

Thanks for the help...

I ate a sandswich with blue cheese dressing in my basement yesterday. Does that count? For clean up, I ate it.

**Cydkar** · 03-15-2009, 02:17 PM

I know I have some mold and probably have all 10 years I've been there. No problems with anybody in the house. If it kills the cats I'll be happy.

It's older and not so damn air tight which probably helps.