Mold In My Basement

biffup

Our house is approximately 200 hundred years old. Our cellar is just a hole with walls made of huge granite boulders. It constantly takes on water, and we have a sump pump, but recently I noticed mold on the back of the basement door which opens into our living room. Should I be concerned? I feel like a dehumidifier is pointless since the basement will take on feet of water during or good storm or when the snow melts.

itsreallyconc

had 1 of those at 1 time OY ! ! ! we reframed the rough opening w/press-trtd 2x6's & hung a knockedtogether redwood door,,, worked fine & its still there after 40yrs.

wipe your down w/chlorox/wtr solution & get some air movement - fresh air exchanger would be a decent idea & fairly inexpensive, too

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if you hear it from a guy in the apron store, be VERY suspicious the mtl/method will work,,, when it time to build something together, they won't answer phones NOR help
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Maintenance 6

You really don't need any testing. It's obvious that you have mold. If it's on the door, it's on other things in the basement too. Here's the problem; in order to be damp enough to support mold growth, the materials are damp enough that they are degrading. It may be a slow process, but it's happening. The mold is helping the destruction along by consuming the organic materials. You really need to correct the water issue and establish some ventilation to dry things out. The average person is not particularly affected by mold, but to some who already have a health issue, mold can be a serious problem.

MsFinnegan

If smell is an issue, go to the store & buy yourself the most inexpensive bags of charcoal you can find (NOT IMPREGNATED WITH LIGHTER FLUID) Lay the bags flat on the floor in each corner and slice a big 'H' on the bag. Open the paper & spread it out. This type of charcoal absorbs odor like crazy! I have a 1,800 sq ft basement and 4 bags (one in each corner) makes a world of difference! I change them once a year or so (around the fall when it's on sale).
Also, I do run a dehumidifier, which seems to run less since I've been doing this.
I know this doesn't solve the mold issue but hope it makes it more bearable...

jaydb2783

If you figure out how to get rid of the source of the mold, then you'll need to take care of the smell after. Charcoal is ok, but if you really want to destroy the odor you need to get an ozone machine-it shocks the room with ozone gas ( you def shouldn't be in the same room when you're treating it) but it gets rid of the smell completely. We are a rental business and rent them out consistently to contractors.

We get some of our Rainbowair ozone generator units from http://www.ozoneexperts.com/. They are a little pricey, but well worth it, especially if you have a refinished basement.