You Breathe Your Basement Air

Do you or someone in your family suffer from asthma or allergies?  Your basement could be contributing to allergy symptoms or even causing asthma in some cases. A “stack effect” exchange of air occurs in your home. This means that new air replaces the warm air that rises and escapes out of the upper levels by a process of suction. Air from your basement is drawn up into the first floor, then to the second. Scientists say that up to 50% of the air you breathe on the first floor comes from the basement. This means that whatever is in your basement air – this includes mold, rot, dust mites – you and your family are breathing it. The damp odors in your basement will rise up into the 1st floor and so on.

Effects of a Wet or Damp Basement: Dust Mites, Sticking doors and windows, smelly damp carpets, buckling hardwood floors, condensation/rotting/mold in attic, frost or condensation and mold on inside of windows in cool weather, increased cooling bills (damp air takes more energy to cool), increased heating bills (damp air takes more energy to heat), mold upstairs, decreased life of roof or sheathing and shingles, decreased life of the paint on the outside of your house, aggravated asthma and allergies, #1 Home Allergen: dust mite droppings floating in the air. Dust mites are parasites that live in your carpeting, bedding, and furniture. Dust mites absorb water out of the air, so with high humidity levels (especially in the basement) they thrive. If humidity levels drop below 50%, they will dry up and die, but leave their larvae behind to hatch when it gets damp again. Combat this dangerous life cycle by keeping your basement at a humidity level under 50% with a quality dehumidifier.