A damp basement is more than an everyday annoyance. It’s a serious problem. Read ahead to find out why that is and what you can do to get rid of the dampness for good.
Why Is a Damp Basement a Problem?
Mould:
One thing that tends to come hand-in-hand with a damp basement is mould. Mould thrives in moist environments. You may notice this when you spot black patches growing on your basement walls or smell mildew on your hands after wiping them dry with a towel.
Unpleasant growths on your walls and smells on your fabrics are just the half of it. The worst thing about mould is that it can affect your health. Look at the symptoms of mould exposure to see if your basement is making you sick.
Pests:
A basement with a lot of moisture can attract pests, like house centipedes, cockroaches, mice and rats. House centipedes are more unsightly than dangerous. At most, the larger ones can give you small painful bites. However, cockroaches, mice and rats can cause bigger problems. They can infiltrate your food sources, leave droppings and spread harmful diseases.
Structural Damage:
Most importantly, too much moisture can cause serious structural damage. It can rot wood, rust metal and crack your home’s foundation. It can affect the integrity of your walls, the strength of your flooring and the structure of your doorways. And the more water damage that your home endures, the worse it will be at keeping water and moisture outside where it belongs.
If this issue goes unchecked, your home will need a lot of expensive repairs to make sure that it’s safe and functional again.
What Can You Do about It?
Now you know why your damp basement is a problem. The next step is figuring out how to fix it. Take a look at these solutions:
Waterproof Your Basement:
So, what’s the first thing that you can do? You can start by hiring professionals that offer basement waterproofing in Toronto and look into the services that apply to your home. You might need to seal cracks in your foundation, install vapour barriers and repair plumbing leaks. A combination of these services will make your basement water-tight, which means no lingering dampness.
Check Outside:
A good waterproofing company will suggest that you look outside of your house to check if it’s influencing the moisture levels in your basement. A poorly graded yard can send water directly to your foundation. Clogged or broken gutters and downspouts can do the same.
Improve Ventilation:
Activities like doing laundry, air-drying wet clothes or taking showers create humidity. If you’re doing any of these in your basement, and you don’t have effective ventilation, all of that humidity is going to get trapped inside and contribute to your basement’s moisture levels.
Here are some ways that you can improve the ventilation:
- Run exhaust fans when you’re showering, bathing or cooking
- Clean out bathroom fans whenever they’re not working very well
- Open windows every day to circulate fresh air
- In moments when you can’t open windows, use a dehumidifier to reduce excessive moisture
You don’t have to deal with basement dampness anymore. You can take steps to make sure that it’s nice and dry all year round.
