Basement Waterproofing Case Studies: Mold in connection with COVID-19

Challenge

As the COVID-19 Pandemic spreads across the nation, the most asked question is, “how can we protect ourselves from the virus?”. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released information on protecting you from the virus. This information includes but is not limited to, social distancing, washing your hands, and keeping space between yourself and others when you are in public. The CDC has also recommended that people wear cloth medical mask and gloves to reduce the spread of the virus in public places. As people rush to disinfect their homes they typically tend to forget about their crawlspace area. If the crawlspace has moisture that isn’t taken care of, it can counteract against the disinfecting that is happening inside the home. When moisture enters the crawlspace it can cause mold to grow and infect the house. The air that is breathed in the home comes from under the home itself, so like it or not you will be breathing in that mold. The best way to protect yourself and your home from this issue is to waterproof the space.

            Mold can lead to musty odors, structure integrity, and health issues. Although most people might not think much of it, even a small amount of mold can affect the human body including allergies and infections. Lisa Petrison Ph.D is the founder and executive director of Paradigm Change, a blog that provides information on the role of microbial toxins in chronic illnesses. Petrison has researched the effect of mold in connection with ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. According the Petrison’s researcher, there has been a correlation of data connecting those infected COVID-19 with living and/or being in areas with high moisture and mold.

            The risk of getting COVID-19 is 79% higher in people who are already suffering from an onset illness such as asthma, diabetes, and heart disease. Those with asthma or other breathing issues are more susceptible to becoming worse when introduced to an environment with mold in the air. Those without a preexisting condition can develop one when around moldy air. This unnecessary health risk that is caused by moisture under your home can be solved easily by installing a CleanSpace Moisture Barrier or other water proofing products.

Solution

Our All-Dry of the Carolinas team offers several products to resolve a damp crawlspace. In areas with preexisting mold, Mold-X Cleaner is used on the contaminated mold surfaces to remove and reduce staining from the mold or mildew. CleanSpace Liner is placed throughout the crawlspace, wrapping the floor, walls, and piers. CleanSpace is a 20 mil thick liner that is laid across the floor and works as a barrier to keep the moister from the ground out of the air space. But that isn’t all that our All-Dry team can do to protect you from the porous of mold! Once a CleanSpace liner is installed it can be accompanied with a sump pump to flush excess water from your crawlspace. Here at All-Dry of the Carolinas we offer several different designs of sump pumps to fit specific crawlspace needs! The sump pump is usually added to the crawlspace in addition with a dehumidifier. The dehumidifier works to collect the extra moister that is produced from the pipes under your home, draining the water into either the existing sump pump or a smaller condensate pump, to flush the water from the crawlspace.

            Taking these steps to protect your home will help protect yourself from the spread of the COVID-19 virus. All preventative measures are necessary time such as this, one can never be too careful when taking care of their personal health. Make sure that your home isn’t making you more susceptible to COVID-19 and take the steps to encapsulate your crawlspace today! Give us a call at All-Dry of the Carolinas at 1-864-619-3885 to schedule a free estimate appointment today! Visit our website at www.basementsystemscarolinas.com or check out our Facebook page for more information!