Dehumidifier for Your Crawl Space Mold

Even in dry crawl spaces without standing water, a large amount of moisture is collected due to high humidity. The wood industry has undergone changes in the past few decades, so houses are no longer built as before. For example, a 100 year old farmhouse is built using better construction techniques, materials, and wood, rather than a new 5-year-old house. Compared to the drywall used in newer houses made of paper products, older houses are more resistant to mold growth because they have gypsum walls. Older houses are also built from dense heartwood of mature trees, which have natural resistance to fungal growth. Newer houses are usually built with wood made from young trees grown on tree farms. These have not yet undergone a complete maturation process. This type of sapwood is more prone to mold growth.

Surface mold growth often occurs on wooden components in damp crawl spaces and attic spaces throughout the year. This is the root cause of indoor air quality issues, and if not controlled, it can also lead to wood decay and become a structural problem.

 

Mold problem in crawl space

In a severely moldy attic, homeowners sometimes mistakenly believe that their roof is leaking and call the rooftop workers.

When rooftop workers see mold on the attic, they often suggest that the only way to save the floor is to replace it. In other words, they must tear off the mycelium, remove the pavement, and install new wooden boards. This may lead to excessively high costs.

It has been proven difficult to clean mold growth from the protective cover on the underside of the attic roof, and the cover usually retains some fungal pigmentation, causing the wood to discolor and stain. Cleaning workers also find it difficult to enter the crawling space and tight recesses of the attic, with many uneven surfaces and areas pierced by fungal spikes. Therefore, cleaning these areas may be challenging.

The traditional method of removing mold from wood in attic and crawl spaces is through time-consuming polishing or the use of wire brushes, during which disinfectants and cleaning solutions can also be used. However, this method is very chaotic, and the effectiveness of the operation can only rely on the abilities of the workers. In addition, chemicals can introduce odors into homes, making people living there feel unhappy. Disinfection chemicals also add moisture back to the wood, making it difficult to use anti-mold sealants in the future. Finally, if the area is not properly disinfected, mold usually continues to survive and erupt, and there is still a high possibility of causing problems in the future.

 

Solutions for crawling space mold

Using dry ice cleaning solutions, a professional sterilization team can completely remove mold from attic and crawling spaces. The dry ice cleaning system uses non-abrasive media in the form of recycled CO₂ particles, which will not damage the surface. Dry ice medium is blasted using pressurized air at a user-controlled speed, sublimating under the impact of a clean surface, safely removing mold and pollutants without leaving any secondary waste.

For example, cleaning a 1620 square foot attic with very heavy mold growth on 80% of the protective cover. Using dry ice in a cold jet for cleaning, the applicator can remove 100% of mold growth with just one application.

If chemical methods are used to remove bacteria, cleaning will require two times, or even a third time, to remove stubborn stains. Cleaning with chemicals will increase the overall cleaning time by one day and leave stains on the cleaned area.

Dry ice cleaning can easily enter narrow areas and thoroughly clean mold growth sites and their surroundings. A huge advantage of dry ice cleaning is that it does not increase the moisture content of wood components, and dry ice sandblasting provides better surface protection for future application of anti-mold coatings. This operation can eliminate the worries of residents.

 

Methods to prevent mold growth

1. Maintain moderate humidity: Use a professional crawl space dehumidifier to control indoor humidity between 40%-60%. The dehumidifier is designed to control humidity indoors scientifically and efficiently. Professional dehumidifiers can be remotely and intelligently controlled, such as controlling power on/off, running time, automatic defrosting, and power-off protection. Preair is a renowned dehumidifier manufacturer that offers a range of dehumidifiers for commercial and industrial applications. High end whole house dehumidifier is good for ordinary houses that have a damp problem or owners want to keep good indoor air quality.

2. Ventilation: It is necessary to maintain indoor ventilation every day, especially in the morning and evening. Opening windows for ventilation can reduce indoor humidity and decrease the possibility of mold growth.

3. Cleaning and hygiene: Regularly clean the crawling space and pay attention to cleaning dead corners. Especially for damp walls, floors, beams, etc., it is important to ensure that they are dry and clean.

4. Promptly deal with water leakage issues: If water leakage is found in the crawling space, it should be dealt with as soon as possible to avoid long-term accumulation of water leading to mold growth.

5. Prevention of outdoor mold entry: During the rainy season or humid weather, close doors and windows to prevent humid outdoor air from entering the room.

In short, understanding the growth conditions of mold and taking effective preventive measures are key to ensuring a healthy and comfortable home environment. Through the above dry advice, I believe you have mastered how to prevent the growth of mold in your home environment. In daily life, we should closely monitor the humidity, ventilation, and cleanliness of our homes to create a healthy and comfortable living environment for our family.