You may be aware of some of the potential dangers of a wet basement. But if those alone do not convince you to immediately call a basement water removal professional to solve the issue, perhaps the health hazards and issues listed below will.
Can a Wet Basement Make You Sick?
A wet basement will not only damage your belongings and home’s structure, it may actually be dangerous for your health. Your wet basement can bring in a variety of health hazards into your home and can potentially cause some serious health issues.
Health Hazards
Mold
Mold is likely the most well known health hazard caused by a wet basement. It grows rapidly on damp surfaces, and releases spores into the air that can bring about an array of serious health issues to all those around.
Bacteria
If anyone in your family is ever sick, even if it’s just a cold, they will transmit bacteria into the air. While this alone is not extremely dangerous, a wet basement exponentially increases the risk of sickness within your home.
A wet, moist and humid basement is a breeding ground for bacteria. Since bacteria travels through the air, even if you avoid your basement, the bacteria will eventually reach your basement.
Once the airborne bacteria reaches the moist surfaces, they will grow and spread throughout the house, getting you sick and then making their way back to the basement to continue growing.
A wet basement will create a harmful cycle that can at best lead to a cold that never goes away. At worst, it could be life threatening.
Dust Mites
Similar to bacteria, a wet, moist and humid basement is essentially a breeding ground for dust mites. While this poses obvious threats to those with allergies, a large concentration of dust mites in your home can cause cold-like symptoms to all members of your family, even those without allergies.
Rodents and Other Pests
If you have been lucky enough to never see any rats or bugs in your home, a wet basement is a surefire way to reverse your good fortune. Moisture not only attracts bacteria and dust mites, but can also attract mice, rats, snakes, cockroaches and a variety of other creepy crawlers.
These uninvited guests will not only cause destruction to your home but will also leave droppings that contain germs. They can be extremely harmful when breathed in.
Respiratory Issues
Mold, bacteria, dust mites and creature’s droppings can take as little as 24 hours to start having serious effects on your respiratory and overall health. This will irritate allergies, worsen or even cause asthma and cause cold like symptoms to all those in your home.
For those who already experience respiratory issues, a wet basement will severely worsen their condition. These airborne health hazards will target everyone in your home, but be worse for those who have a weakened immune system, mainly putting those who are sick as well as the elderly and babies at risk.
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Conclusion
A wet basement will not only harm your belongings as well as your home’s foundation and structure, it is also a breeding ground to a variety of harmful health hazards. From being mold, bacteria and dust mites natural habitat to attracting rodents and other pests, a wet basement is not an issue that should be ignored.
To avoid worsening allergies, asthma or already existing health concerns, along with the development of respiratory issues, do not neglect moisture in your basement. Call us today to help you assess the water condition in your basement.