That "Musty" Smell In Your Home And What It Means
Got a weird musty smell in your home?
Is it coming from your crawl space?
Are you scared to find out because it's particularly nasty down there?
It's probably because of water. Specifically, water vapor rising into your home, and creating high humidity, condensation, and mold in your crawl space.
What Causes That 'Musty' Smell Exactly? Are You Breathing Mold?
Our sense of smell benefits our survival. We can smell all kinds of threats to our health, sometimes including the presence of bacteria. We can do this not due to smelling the bacteria themselves, but because of the gaseous waste that bacteria release as they metabolize and grow.
That same science applies to mold.
The smell of mold in a wet basement is often described as musty or earthy. This is because that mold is growing rapidly enough to produce excessive amounts of microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOCs), or gaseous waste that we can detect with our noses.
So, no, you're probably not breathing mold directly, but instead the gaseous waste it produces. That might seem slightly better than breathing mold, but these organic compounds in the air can affect your health (especially with allergies and asthma), and quality of life in your own home. Too much mold exposure is dangerous, and requires fast action when you notice the problem developing.
Why Mold Can Grow In Your Crawl Space
Many homes have vents, dirt floors, or even both in their crawl space. But, no matter what region you live in, or what season it is, these tend to be a long-term disaster for the home.
Vents are good for more than letting in hot, wet or cold air—they can let in water too. High humidity in a crawl space causes all porous materials to soak up moisture from the air like a sponge. Wood in a damp environment will become damp itself. Damp wood rots, and mold grows on it.
With dirt crawl spaces, remember that dirt can accumulate a lot of moisture and much more. A dirt crawl space invites any natural occurring gasses (like radon) or water vapor to rise and freely accumulate in the crawl space.
Stop Mold Growth With A CleanSpace© Crawl Space Encapsulation System
An encapsulation is crucial to protecting your home from moisture and mold growth. However, you don't want a liner that easily tears and rips whenever the crawl space is accessed.
Our CleanSpace© encapsulation system has a heavy 20 mil thick liner which is manufactured in 7 layers—a blend of high density polyethylene for puncture resistance, low density polyethylene for flexibility, and polyester cord reinforcement for brute tear resistance. Our encapsulation system is intended to be a permanent improvement to your home, and its bright white finish allows you to easily see that your crawl space is free of mold, insects, and dirt. Best of all, the liner is also manufactured with an antimicrobial additive called "UltraFresh," molded right into the material.
With CleanSpace©, you can effectively lower the humidity in your crawl space and even make it accessible for storage, utilizing more space in your home than ever before! Depending on your home, we can provide customizable solutions to suit your needs. Don't hesitate to call us today and get a FREE estimate HERE!
