What Should Basement Mold Remediation Look Like?

Keeping your basement dry is a key element to keeping your home free of mold. We’re frequently asked what should basement mold remediation look like? Let’s break down what causes mold in your basement and how to properly remediate mold in your basement.

Proper basement mold remediation starts by following our 3 fundamentals of successful remediation:

1. Eliminating the sources of mold that of colonized in your basement. 
2. Correcting the conditions of water and moisture intrusions allowing the opportunity for mold to grow in the first place
3. Removing the contamination created by these sources of mold over time (spores and mycotoxins) 

Your basement has a high opportunity for mold growth due to hydrostatic pressure. Hydrostatic pressure is pressure exerted by a fluid at equilibrium at a given point within the fluid, due to the force of gravity. Hydrostatic pressure increases in proportion to depth measured from the surface because of the increasing weight of fluid exerting downward force from above. This pressure allows water and moisture to enter into the semi-porous foundation causing your humidity levels to raise.  Mold can start to grow once it reaches 60% humidity inside your living space.

Sources of mold in your basement could be cause by any of the following:

– Active leaks through the foundation (hydrostatic pressure, cracks, missing mortar, etc)

– A hidden pipe leaking in your basement

– Sump pump failure

– An HVAC unit housed in the basement (this can cause a transference of mold from the basement into the HVAC unit and circulate around the house through the HVAC supply ducts)

– Sewer back ups, which are quite common

– Clogged gutters causing rainfall spillover along the foundation (adding to the hydrostatic pressure)

THE HomeCleanse WAY:

Our basement mold remediation projects don’t just include removing the mold but they also include the other 2 pillars of remediation as mentioned above.  Here’s what you can expect when you hire us:

1. Mold removed as evident on air and swab samples showing there is no longer active growth.
2. Our proposals always include a dehumidification system (and sump pump, if necessary) to control the humidity in the environment.
3. Our proposals always include a white water blocking primer on the walls that help slow the diffusion of vapor from the foundation into the living space.  We carefully selected a semi-permeable product that allows the dehumidifier to do its job removing the excess vapor from the environment.
4. Our proposals always include at minimum a vapor barrier (open soil conditions) but we highly recommend a cementitious slab on top of the vapor barrier for an additional capillary break. If you already have a cementitious slab, we will include an epoxy based coating to further ensure additional layers of vapor barrier for the absolute best solution. We believe in having as many fail safes as humanly possible when it comes to preventing moisture into a basement.
5. Finally, our proposal always includes an antimicrobial based paint to all the semi-porous wood substrates throughout the space.  It provides for an added protection against humidity as another fail safe and turns the semi-porous surfaces into a non-porous surface.  This type of finish not only protects against mold growth but provides a nice clean white finish.

Our basements look so good after, with no organic materials for mold to feed on, that most people don’t even go through the expense of building back. As a matter of fact, people pay top dollar for industrially finished looking spaces as we speak.

BELOW ARE BEFORE AND AFTER IMAGES OF WHAT BASEMENT MOLD REMEDIATION SHOULD LOOK LIKE WHEN COMPLETED.

BELOW IS WHAT A COMPLETED BASEMENT MOLD REMEDIATION JOB SHOULD LOOK LIKE. NOTICE THE SEALED FLOOR, ENCAPSULATED CEILING AND DEHUMIDIFICATION SYSTEM.

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