I've never lived up North until now and have no idea how to care for a basement. I'm renting a home with a finished basement, it has an air return down there, but am noticing after a few months some of the stuff I have in storage is smelling a bit musty. My hubby's hockey bag had mold/mildew on and inside it. We sprayed the bag with some lysol and wiped it's contents down with clorox wipes.
My question is how to prevent a musty moldy basement. It has 2 very small windows, with no screens, that have 2 huge bushes next to them so it will not get direct sunlight. I'm clueless on how to care for a basement.
Any suggestions are very much appreciated.
Thank you so much! J.
What Erica said. Also, if you develop a severe problem that builds up anyway, you might rent an ozone generator and really blast the space (while nobody's there breathing it), then air it out before reinhabiting.
I agree that a dehumidifier is the way to go. However, you mention that you're renting, so you need to bring this to your landlord's attention. Maintenance of the house is their responsibility, not yours.
All of the suggestions are great...especially notifying your landlord and having the basement inspected. Mold this quickly is not standard and not healthy. I have to say I had a good laugh at your living "up North". Many people in this area would be very offended to think we live in the North. There is such a combination of people here...those born and raised who definitely identify very strongly with the South, (even more so the more rural you get),those who have come from the real Northern states and feel they now live in the South, those like myself who come from the southwestern states and never really thought about it much and don't particularly care how we're identified, but find the culture very different and need adjustment time and those from the deep south who consider this area the south. Wherever we're from we all seem to melt together well here, so welcome and good luck with your basement.
a musty smell is fairly common, but mold in the hockey bag after only a few months isn't good. i'd get a professional to check it out for cracks or leaks, and then second the many wise suggestions to get a dehumidifier. basements are often problem areas, but don't have to be. if they're so damp that you can't even store stuff in 'em, they're not much use to us, are they?
khairete
S.
Get a dehumidifier. It sucks moisture out of the air.
Try a dehumidifier in the storage area. It's usually worse in the summer too.
We run a dehumidifier in our basement which seems to help.
If you don't have a dehumidifier, that would be a good first step. Sol-U-Mel kills mold, mildew, and its spores - without harmful chemicals. Good luck!
Get a dehumidifier.
Get the adjustable screens for your windows - Home Depot, Lowes, your local hardware store should have them.
In the fall, on a cool non humid day, open the windows and air it out down there. You might consider leaving the windows cracked until it gets really cold out. Then, on the first nice spring day, crack 'em open again and leave them open until it gets humid out... then turn on your dehumidifier.
Good luck.
LBC
It sounds as if your basement is holding moisture in the air as most basements due especially in the Summer months. If possible, get a dehumidifier and keep it running daily. The dehumidifier can be dumped once or twice daily of the water that it has absorbed from the air, preventing the mold and mildew. I also spray my basement with a mixture of original lysol in the brown bottle and a little water. This has helped me greatly over the years. Hope it helps you to.
