Generally, the lowest part of your home is the wettest. In order for mold or mildew to form in needs lack of ventilation, moisture, and darkness. You may notice that in your basement or crawlspace you have a musty odor. This is mold spore activity it does not necessarily mean you have mold. However, if you do not address that odor it may very well turn into toxic mold.
The 1st thing I would address in getting rid of mold is ventilation make sure the air is moving around or else the air will become stagnant. If you do have mold there are various types, some are toxic molds others are harmless. If you think you have mold and can not see it i would recommend having a mold remediation company come look at your situation. If the mold problem is not taken care of this can cause serious health problems for someone with mold allergies or asthma. (It happened to my wife)
The moist damp air generally gravitates to the basement or crawlspace thus making the the air in the basement/crawlspace cooler than the rest of the home. A lot of the times this causes condensation because warmer air is hitting cooler air. For example, on a 90 degree day if you place a cold beer outside the outside of the bottle begins to sweat, that's condensation. Now when this happens in the basement or crawlspace it causes metal to rust, pipes sweating, carpets or furniture feel moist, and could cause structural damage. The basement is cooler because it is underground and warmer air rises. If you have any type of water damage that has occurred you can rest assured if its not taken care of mold and mildew will not be far behind.
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Lots of homeowners find out they have an uninvited guest shacking up in their basement. Ever seen little white fuzzy stuff on your concrete basement floor?
Mold on concrete can take many forms. Concrete is a porous substance, and your basement floor gets a lot of moisture from the ground underneath it.
Usually, concrete foundations have a moisture barrier. But, in some cases the moisture barrier is old or damaged, or it may not have been properly installed.
In arid places like Southern California, Arizona and high altitudes, you may not have a moisture barrier built into your home. You usually don't need it, but if you have a heavy rain or a spell of humid weather, you're likely to get that nasty mold growing on your concrete floors.
If you have mold growing on basement tiles or under basement carpeting, the cause may be the concrete underneath. No matter what your mold problem, you have to remove it from your concrete.
A Little Bleach And Elbow Grease
If you've got a little mold growing on your concrete surfaces, it's easy enough to clean up. For little bits of mold here on there, use a solution of water and bleach. 4 parts water to 1 part bleach is usually the recommended formula. You can also find cleaning products designed specifically for mold removal.
Scrub at the moldy spots with your bleach and water until it's gone. Be careful - that bleach is dangerous stuff. Make sure you have some good rubber gloves and be careful that the bleach doesn't come into contact with anything else.
Seal It Up
If you have more serious mold problems and a good scrubbing won't get rid of it, you might try sealing the cracks. Chances are, the appearance of mold on your concrete surfaces is a symptom of a bigger structural problem in your home. There may be cracks in the concrete or walls that allow moisture to come into the house.
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