Mold and mildew can cause serious problems in your home and adversely affect your family’s health. The best defense is a good offense, so use these strategies to prevent mold and mildew in your home.
Direct Water Away From Your House
Ideally, your home should sit slightly higher than the surrounding soil, so water does not pool around the foundation. If your home sits flush with the surrounding land, invest in grading to create a natural pitch.
Make sure that gutters extend far enough to direct water away from the home. Add downspout extenders, which carry water 6 to 8 feet from the foundation, if your gutters don’t project water away from the home.
Remove Snow
You might think of spring rain as more dangerous, but winter snows can lead to moisture problems in the basement. Remove snow from the foundation line to prevent snow melt from seeping in through cracks.
Regular snow removal throughout the winter protects your home from dampness, mildew, and mold. If you don’t want to remove the snow yourself, hire a snow removal company.
Clean Gutters
Your gutters play a role in protecting foundations by capturing rain water and melting snow and directing the water away from the home systems. When your gutters are clogged, they cannot do their jobs and water is likely to pool around the roof or the foundation. Most gutters should be cleaned twice per year, in the spring and fall. However, your gutters may need more frequent cleaning if they become clogged with leaves, moss, branches, or other debris.
Check Your Pipes
When water freezes inside pipes, it bursts.
Use pipe insulation to protect your pipes in winter. Seal any cracks where air could enter the basement. Put away garden hoses for the season, since leaving them outside could cause a pipe to burst. Since the hose is outside, any water in the hose will freeze; this could adversely affect your interior pipes.
Inspect Your Roof
If your walls travel through the house, water leaks from the roof to inside walls can cause a damp basement. Have your roof checked out by us!
