It isn’t necessarily pleasant to spend time in the crawl space under your home. This is an area that you (or professional workers) might have to access now and then.
Sometimes you’ll need to check the crawl space to fix plumbing issues. You might have noticed the presence of mold in your crawl space.
You know that mold has the potential to be dangerous. But is some mold in the crawl space acceptable? How much is fine to ignore?
Read on to learn about mold and crawl spaces. You’ll have a better idea of what to do once you have all of the information.
Is Mold in Crawl Space Dangerous?
Mold is certainly dangerous. It’s not unusual to find mold growing in a crawl space, but that doesn’t mean that it’s something you can ignore.
If you see mold in your crawl space, it’s best to take things seriously. You want to do what you can to get rid of the mold as soon as possible.
Otherwise, you could wind up dealing with serious complications. You see, mold is going to cause damage in the crawl space.
Your crawl space is underneath your home, and the mold that you found growing there will spread. Eventually, that mold is going to harm the foundation of your home, and it can also negatively impact the flooring.
It could wind up being very expensive for you to fix the problem. If you ignore the issue, the damage to your home could wind up being severe.
Since this is so dangerous, it’s not something you’ll want to put off. If you see mold in the crawl space today, you’re going to want to start making calls to handle the problem right away.
The mold that’s growing in the crawl space could be very dangerous. There are different types, and some are more harmful to humans than others.
For example, black mold is very harmful and can make you sick. White mold isn’t as harmful, but it’s still not good for you.
Over time, the mold spores will start reaching your home through the vents. This can cause you to have respiratory issues.
Have you been experiencing allergy symptoms as of late? There’s a chance that breathing in mold spores is to blame for all of that sneezing and coughing you’ve been doing.
Failure to solve this issue will only make things worse. Mold is indeed dangerous, and you’ll want to get rid of it as soon as you can.
How Common is Mold in a Crawl Space?
Crawl spaces are a very common location where you’ll find mold. Mold often grows in crawl spaces and basements.
The conditions in the crawl space are perfect for mold growth. It’s a damp, dark area where mold can thrive.
Often, crawl spaces have earthen floors. In other words, it’s just dirt.
Sometimes the ground will become moist, and this will allow mold to grow underneath your home. This can easily cause small amounts of mold to grow in particular spots.
Mold issues will become worse if your crawl space floods. Sometimes standing water will be found in crawl spaces when there’s a leak in your home or when your gutters aren’t directing water away from the house properly.
Even under normal circumstances, it’s not surprising to find mold in a crawl space. Regardless, this isn’t something you should ignore.
How Fast Can Mold Grow in a Crawl Space?
Mold has the potential to grow really fast in a crawl space. It can grow in just one or two days when the right conditions have been met.
For mold to grow, there must be some type of moisture present. Mold grows best in warm humid areas with minimal sunlight exposure.
So a dark area like the crawl space is going to be perfect. It’ll be able to grow on wooden surfaces in the crawl space area with ease.
If it’s humid and there’s water present in the crawl space, you might see mold growing in one or two days. Open and unfinished crawl spaces are locations where mold can thrive.
Can You Sell a House with Mold in Crawl Space?
Yes, you can sell a house that has mold issues. Mold could be present in the crawl space when you sell your home.
There aren’t any specific laws that prevent people from selling homes that have mold issues. However, there could be laws in some areas that require people to let buyers know about mold issues or past problems with mold.
Also, most home buyers will have an inspection done before agreeing to buy a house. The inspector will surely discover the mold issues.
It’s certainly best to solve any mold problems before putting your house on the market. It’ll make it easier to get as much as possible for your home.
If you don’t do anything to get rid of the mold, it’ll be tough to market the house. Still, there isn’t anything that prevents you from selling it to someone if they’re interested.
What Should You Do?
What should you do to solve mold issues? There are a few things that you can do to make things better.
You will need to get rid of the mold because no amount of mold is truly acceptable. Mold is dangerous.
Once you get rid of the mold, you’ll need to prevent mold from growing again. How can you do this?
Below, you’ll read about getting rid of the mold. Later, you’ll learn about preventing mold growth in crawl spaces.
Getting Rid of Mold in Crawl Spaces
Getting rid of the mold that’s in your crawl space will take some effort. You can kill the mold using special mold-killing cleaning solutions.
However, mold removal can be a dangerous job. Some types of mold are more dangerous than others, but you shouldn’t breathe in mold spores at all.
So if you’re doing the job yourself, you should be wearing a mask, gloves, and coveralls to protect yourself. You’ll spray the moldy areas with the mold-killing cleaner and then allow it to dry.
Once the area is dry, you can use a scrub brush to get rid of the rest of the mold. It’ll take a bit of elbow grease to get the mold off in some cases.
If you want to do things easier, it’s better to call a mold removal company. Professionals can get the job done right, and it won’t take them too long either.
Of course, this option is going to be more costly. For most people, it’s much better to hire someone to handle mold removal.
This is especially true if you’re dealing with black mold. Amateurs shouldn’t be going near black mold.
No matter what you decide to do, it’s important to act fast. Don’t wait around and allow issues with mold to get worse.
Preventing Mold Issues
Preventing mold issues involves doing many things to make it less likely that mold will have an opportunity to grow. To start, it’s wise to fix any issues with your gutters and downspouts.
You want to make sure that everything is working to guide water away from your home. Don’t allow water to pool underneath the house.
Fix any issues with cracks in your walls. Some of the walls could be cracked, and that might be allowing moisture to seep into the crawl space.
You’ll also need to fix any leaks that you can find in your vents and ducts. Fix plumbing issues and problems with your HVAC system.
Insulating the subfloor in the crawl space can help, too. Plastic sheeting should keep moisture from coming up from the ground.
Lastly, use a dehumidifier if your area has humidity levels that are higher than 60%. It’ll make a real difference.
If you use all of these methods, it should be possible to prevent mold issues in your crawl space. You won’t have to worry so much any longer, but it’s still wise to check the crawl space every so often to ensure that all is well.
Final Thoughts
Now you know that mold can be extremely problematic. When you find mold in your crawl space, it isn’t something that you should simply ignore.
No amount of mold is acceptable. Mold is dangerous and it can make you and your family sick.
The mold that you found in the crawl space is eventually going to seep into your home. Mold spores will get through to your home, and you’ll wind up getting sick.
You might even be experiencing coughing and sneezing issues right now. If you’re not, it’s important to know that issues like this will occur if things progress.
Mold spreads and a small patch of mold can turn into a larger one over a period of time. You’ll even find that mold can grow fast when the conditions are right.
As mold issues get worse, your home will become damaged. Mold could damage the foundation of your home as well as your flooring.
It’ll cause some parts of your home to smell bad, and that might be how you’ll first notice the mold. As soon as you notice mold, it’s best to get rid of it.
You can call experts to get rid of mold for you. If you’d rather handle things yourself, it’s best to be careful and use protective gear due to the dangerous nature of the mold.
Make good choices and solve your problems with mold in the crawl space. Take steps to prevent mold from growing down there in the future so you won’t continually have to deal with issues like this.
Ben has a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies, you can find him at home with wife and two daughters. Outside of family, He loves grilling and barbequing on his Big Green Egg and Blackstone Griddle, as well as working on projects around the house.
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