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Crawl Space Clean-up

Almost all crawl spaces are the perfect environment for mold growth.  Mold can then spread throughout your home.  Therefore, cleaning up and properly maintaining crawl spaces is very important. 

Mold:  If you suspect you have a possible mold infestation, we can provide a mold screening.  Our contact information and service areas are included at the bottom of this page.

Dirt Crawl Spaces

Dirt crawl spaces are usually damp from water evaporating from the ground below and from water flowing into the crawl space.  Ground soil has a very high humidity level.  In a dirt crawl space or dirt floor basement, water vapor is constantly leaving the ground and entering your home. 

Typical homeowner mistakes are:

  • Using these spaces for storage
  • Venting the clothes dryer into the crawl space
  • Installing heating and ventilation equipment which draws air from the crawl space
  • Lack of an effective moisture barrier
  • Improper installation of insulation 
  • High humidity levels
  • Allowing uncontrolled mold growth

The following photograph illustrates how you could improve a dirt crawl space by cleaning it, laying down a moisture barrier, and correctly installing insulation. 

There are professionals who can provide this type of service for you.

Basements and crawl spaces are more prone to fostering mold growth than any other level in the home.

In basements and crawl spaces, periodically examine these areas for any evidence of dampness and mold growth that might be taking place in the building materials.  A mold infestation in the framing can spread to other parts of the home, or lead to the weakening of beams and other bearing walls that are crucial in the stability of the structure.

Airborne mold spores from the crawl space can travel in air currents or in heating and cooling ventilation systems (or air ducts) and cross-contaminate your entire home.

A concrete floor, with an intact and functioning moisture barrier beneath the concrete AND plenty of waterproofing compound, helps to prevent crawl space mold.

However, even concrete basements with concrete floors are spaces that typically have very high humidity levels which should be reduced to prevent damage and mold growth. 

Purchase an inexpensive humidity sensor or weather station for your basement or crawl space.  Then, reduce humidity to acceptable levels with dehumidification equipment which discharges into a sump pump or away from the home.

Disclaimer:  The information contained in this area of our website is not intended to replace an inspection by a licensed professional inspector, or a repair by a licensed  contractor, or professional service provider.  Nor should you attempt procedures that are beyond the scope of your ability.    Always contact a professional.   The information provided is not technically exhaustive, and therefore, should not be solely relied upon.  
 

We perform Mold Testing and Home Inspection Services in North Eastern Massachusetts, Southern NH and the Seacoast, and Southern Maine.  Please call our office for further details and pricing (1-800-669-3809)

 

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Towns we serve in New Hampshire (NH):

Atkinson, Amherst, Auburn, Barrington, Bedford, Brentwood, Candia, Chester, Danville, Deerfield, Derry, Dover, Durham, East Candia, East Derry, East Hampstead, East Kingston, East Rochester, Epping, Exeter, Farmington, Fremont, Goffstown, Greenland, Hampstead, Hampton, Hampton Beach, Hampton Falls, Hollis, Hudson, Kensington, Kingston, Litchfield, Londonderry, Manchester, Merrimack, Milford, Nashua, Newfields, Newington, Newmarket, Newton, North Hampton, Pelham, Plaistow, Portsmouth, Raymond, Rochester, Rye, Rye Beach, Salem, Sandown, Seabrook, Seabrook Beach, Somersworth, South Hampton, Stratham, Windham, Atkinson, Hampstead, Derry, Nashua, Kingston.

 

Towns we serve in Massachusetts (MA):

Acton, Amesbury, Andover, Arlington,  Auburn, Bedford, Belmont, Berlin, Beverly, Billerica, Bolton Boston, Boxborough, Boxford, Brighton, Brookline, Burlington, Cambridge, Carlisle, Charlestown, Chelmsford, Chelsea ,Chestnut Hill, Concord, Danvers, Dracut, Dunstable, Essex, Everett, Framingham, Georgetown, Gloucester, Groton, Groveland, Hamilton, Harvard, Haverhill, Hingham, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hudson, Hyde Park, Ipswich, Jamaica Plain, Lancaster, Lawrence, Leominster, Lexington, Lincoln, Littleton, Lowell, Lunenberg, Lynn, Lynnfield, Malden, Manchester, Marblehead, Marlborough, Maynard, Medford, Melrose, Merrimac, Methuen, Middleton, Needham, Newbury, Newburyport, Newton, North, Andover, North, Reading, Northborough, Peabody, Pepperell, Reading,  Revere, Rockport, Rowley, Salem, Salisbury, Saugus, Shirley, Somerville, Stow, Sudbury, Tewksbury, Topsfield, Townsend, Tyngsboro, Wakefield, West Boxford, West Newbury, Westford, Wilmington, Winchester, Woburn, Haverhill, Methuen, Lowell

 

 

 

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Last modified: June 25, 2007