How to Maintain a Crawl Space

Your home's crawl space may have problems such as mold, water or bad odors. It is important to maintain your crawl space before any of these become bigger issues. Examine your crawl space to take precautionary measures to keep your crawl space clean and problem free.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Identify and eliminate mold in your crawl space. Mold is one of the most common problems found in crawl spaces. Following mold comes horrible odors. The most common source of mold and odors is damp crawlspace air. Mold can be found growing on floor joists, uncovered sub-flooring and many times on debris that is left behind. Properly removing the mold and developing a solution that will dry out the crawlspace and prevent additional moisture is extremely important. Depending on the severity of your mold issue, you may need to hire professionals to eliminate your mold.

2. Check for moisture levels in your crawl space. There are many sources of moisture that can affect your crawlspace. Ground water, open vents, lack of a vapor barrier, un-vented appliances, and foundation side wall infiltration can all allow enough moisture to keep the humidity levels exceptionally high. Installing an effective ground covering vapor barrier will eliminate moisture from entering into your crawl space. Also, closing off vents to reduce outside moistures and an effective dehumidification strategy may also be necessary to decrease and eliminate moisture.

3. Smell that smell. Odors are also caused by damp crawlspace air. Molds produce a byproduct called a VOC (volatile organic compound) that causes foul smells. Removing the mold and properly cleaning your crawlspace will help get rid of foul odors. You may also choose to Kilz your wood beams. Kilz eliminates odors and creates an easy surface to clean in your crawl space maintenance.

4. Check out local services to maintain your crawl space. If any of these procedures appear too big of a job for you, call around to local restoration companies or a home repair service. Ask for a free estimate by at least two companies.

5. Maintain your crawl space every six months. To ensure a clean crawl space, check for future occurrences on a bi-annual basis.