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How can dehumidification of your basement help your health?

Image for How can dehumidification of your basement help your health?

Does your home typically feel damp?  Do you smell a musty smell in your basement or elsewhere in your home?  If you answered “yes” to these questions, you probably have a moisture problem in your basement.  Luckily, dehumidification services can help solve the problem.

You may be thinking, “I have an air conditioner, isn’t that enough?”  And although an air conditioner does lower the humidity in the air somewhat as it cools things down, it doesn’t really reduce the humidity in the air enough to truly remove all of the dampness and musty smell that can permeate a humid house.  Moreover, what happens if you have to deal with the effects of humidity in the winter?  Your air conditioning won’t help in that situation.  You’ll need to find another way to remove the humidity from the air.  Dehumidifiers are just the thing for that.

Like air conditioners, dehumidifiers range in size from small units designed to remove humidity from one room to larger systems that are designed to remove the humidity for an entire home all at once.  This works in much the way that central air cools an entire home versus a window air conditioner which only cools one or two rooms at a time.

Dehumidifiers work by pulling in damp air, filtering out the moisture from the air, and then redistributing the dried-out air back into the room. The water that is removed from the air is collected in a reservoir which can then be dumped out when it gets full and replaced. 

There are many different reasons to have a dehumidifier installed in your home.  They include:

Prevention of mold growth

Mold spores love to live in an environment that is damp and dark, and a wet basement meets both of those criteria beautifully.  Once mold starts to grow, it spreads rapidly and can become airborne.  When that occurs, serious health risks can result.  A dehumidifier can make the air in your home dry and inhospitable to mold.

Improved health

A whole host of health problems can result from a mold infestation.  These include allergies, chronic cough, asthma, and allergic skin reactions are just a few of the body’s potential responses to coming in contact with mold.  A dehumidifier can help to keep mold and dust mites at bay, reducing the likelihood of these reactions.

Protection of your home

Excessive humidity and moisture can lead to a weakening of your home’s foundation and structural supports.  Over time, repeated and prolonged exposure to moisture can cause serious threat to your home’s structure.  That can eventually lead to rotting and possible collapse of your home’s structures, which can pose a serious safety threat to your family.

You can see, then, why having a dehumidifier in your home is so important.  If you know that your home is damp or wet in the basement, or if you start to get a musty smell wafting up through your vents, it might be time to look into getting a dehumidifier installed in your house.

Contact www.affordablewaterproofingllc.com for information on your dehumidification options.