If you’ve ever dealt with a damp/wet basement, a very musty aroma, or a mold issue that just keeps coming back then you know how frustrating it can be to correct. And if you have ever dealt with the issue successfully realize that you have to address all three issues (the moisture, the Odor, and the Mold) independently to ensure any long-term degree of success. Otherwise, it all just keeps coming back.
GreenWorks Environmental, LLC (GWE) has a great track record addressing the three most common issues affecting today’s homeowners (Moisture, Odor, & Mold), but gives this note of caution; what at first may appear to be a series of seeming insignificant events, ultimately will hit a tipping point and become an explosive problem very quickly thereafter. It may take decades to hit that point or it can take a few days. One thing is for certain, you can’t deal with one of these items and ignore the rest. Here are some tips to keep in mind:
Moisture
Weep holes – contractors often suggest drilling “weep holes” into your foundation to let the water in as a solution to your wet foundation wall. Now does that really make any sense? Most of the time, that water just sits behind your finished wall or drips into an expansion joint and just creates an ideal environment for molds to grow. You will start to smell it before you see it.
Elevated humidity in your home helps create a cave-like environment. It is commonly found in basements and crawl spaces, but can also lurk inside wall cavities, closets, and places with poor ventilation. Moisture is one of the essential building blocks of life. Without it, we can’t survive. Too much of it and we get all sorts of problems from flooding and structural issues to long-term biodeterioration. There is one rule we adhere to with regards to water and moisture issues: “Water Always Wins!”
Note: GWE endeavors to address pertinent water / moisture-related issues through the development of a comprehensive “Water Management Strategy”. The client is aware of and recognizes that water is the only element that comes in three forms (liquid, solid, and gas) and can impact a home environment in many unanticipated ways through no fault of GWE. If you ignore the moisture, your Odor and Mold problem will just keep coming back.
Odor
The nuisance aroma associated with Moisture and Mold related projects is complex and subjective issues that are often difficult to address. Building materials absorb and re-release odors differently; Soil gases and vapors come and go; ambient impacts (from pets, occupants, lifestyles, etc) impact odors and we all just smell things differently. Nuisance odors of this nature are often a byproduct of metabolic processes and in themselves do not pose a human health risk. But a person’s perception of odor is related to their olfactory system which can vary widely from person to person; what smells bad to one person may have no odor at all to someone else.
Note: GWE endeavors to return the environment to a pleasant / non-odorous state. But the Client recognizes that this just might not be practical (or achievable) based on the type and location of the odor or the budget needed.
Mold
Hidden molds – just because you took care of the moisture issue doesn’t mean you can just leave that mold alone. It has to be professionally remediated. Otherwise, it may become a “powder-keg” of dormant mold spores that explodes into a bigger moldy-mess later on.
Addressing moisture and/or odor issues in themselves does not also address the underlying mold problem. Mold needs moisture to complete its life cycle. But when moisture issues are resolved, molds don’t just “go away” on their own, they go dormant. So not addressing the mold could wind up coming back to haunt you at a later date.
Note: GWE endeavors to address mold at the same time moisture and odor issues are resolved. But GWE can’t be held responsible if the Client elects to not address the mold at the same time the moisture and odor issue is resolved.
