The air quality in my basement is unpleasant. I don't know if I have mold. How to test for it? How is the smell of mold?
I know that we had a water problem in the basement, the walls were cracked so every rainy day, we had humidity and water in the basement. But I have never seen signs of mold. How to check for mold?
If you've had problems with water damage in your basement before, there is a really good chance that you have mold. The downside is, it can be hard to detect mold on your own since it can grown within the walls or under carpet. You can buy a mold test kit from somewhere like Home Depot to check on your own. I would probably start there if I were you and if you see you have a problem, then I would probably call a professional. Especially if you've noticed a decrease in air quality in your basement.
If you can smell an unpleasant/musty odor in a basement, you almost certainly have mold. If you've had past moisture problems, it's even more likely. Mold can grow in or on drywall, carpets, carpet pads, and other places you may not be able to easily see in a finished basement. How to fully eliminate and remove the mold depends heavily on what kinds of surfaces it is living in. Dehumidification is one important step though in preventing mold growth from re-growing.
