Why a Humid Basement is Bad for You and Your Home

If you were to choose a favorite room in your home, chances are you won’t spring for your basement (unless you’ve had a basement renovation and turned it into a game room or a man cave). Basements not only tend to be dank and dimly-lit, they tend to be humid too.

Having a humid basement is detrimental to yourself and your home, and here’s why:

Having a Humid Basement is Bad For You

You may not realize this, but a lot of the air in your home enters via your basement. As the air hits your basement, if your basement is humid then the air is heated, and heated air rises throughout the rest of your home.

Humid air is damp air, and damp air is perfect for mold, mildew, spores, dust, microbes, microscopic insects and other nasties. The air from your dank basement will circulate throughout your house and it will end up in your lungs, and in the lungs of your family. Poor-quality air can cause all types of respiratory problems, from asthma to allergies.

Having a Humid Basement is Bad for Your Home

As mentioned above, humid air is damp air, and damp air can cause structural problems in your home. Mold and mildew will grow on stone and wood, causing even more dampness. Over time, dampness can eat away at the physical structure of your home, creating weaknesses.

Water can also intrude into your basement from the sides of your home due to external ground pressure. Moisture is forced into your foundation, creating cracks. Once a crack is established, it becomes a weak point where water can easily penetrate, widening cracks and creating even bigger problems.

Fortunately, there is a solution to both these problems – basement waterproofing. With basement waterproofing your basement is dried out, any cracks in your foundation or basement walls filled in and then techniques used and materials added to prevent future water intrusion, and therefore keep humidity levels low.

If you are having basement or foundation issues, then you should get in touch with us here at Tom’s Basement Waterproofing. Not only can we protect your basement with our foundation waterproofing services, we can also offer complete foundation and basement repairs. To learn more about what we are able to do for you, contact us at (586) 949-7826 or (586) 776-7270, or use the online contact form available on our website.