mold and mildrew

[Byron Rounds]

I’Ve had this mildrew problm in the basement for about four years. i’ve gutted most of the house the the smell continue to invade my clothes and other stuff. Could you recommend somethings. Tks

[grasshopper]

To eliminate mold/mildew growth, stop water leaks, keep the relative humidity below 50%RH. Get a %RH meter from a hardware store, or wal-mart $15. In green grass climates, you need a adequately sized dehumidifier, 1 pint capacity per 20sq.ft. of floor space. Most basement with dehumidifiers are not adequately sized. In real humided climates or very wet houses, check for the larger whole house dehumidifiers. EPA’s “Energy Star” web site for efficiency and capacity.

http://yosemite.epa.gov/estar/consumers.nsf/attachments/dehumid_prod.pdf/$File/dehumid_prod.pdf?OpenElement

[Sandra]

you did not specify whether your basement was finished in any way – or even if it was a full basement or a crawl space with a dirt floor. I am guessing must be somewhat finished or the dehumidifier idea in a bare basement will work fine.

1. You might have mold in the panelling or flooring in the basement. EVERYTHING with mold must be removed and destroyed. I believe in stripping down to the studs. The drywall, paneling and carpeting probably have mold within. Get it out. NO other way to fix long term. Studs should be replace if they too show black mold.

2. See if you have a water problem. Home repair books discuss taping a sheet of plastic on bare walls and floor to see if condesate forms. Given no water problems then we paint walls with a product like drylock just in case, then rebuild walls out from foundation for air circulation. This is code in our town in NJ.

3. Always run the dehumidifier. I run it into the sump pump or french drain.

4. Keep the basement as uniform temperature as possible to prevent further condensation. This is not the place to heat during the day and turn off heat at night.

5. I now hesitate to put wall to wall carpet in the basement – it seems to be the first to pick up the mildew smell. Recent Consumers magazine had a good article on basements you might want to check out at library.

[Maria]

We just finished our basement and we have never had a problem with water. However I have since noticed a smell like dirty socks. Is the the start of mold?

[Author]

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