Summertime and Crawl Space Moisture

 

Every year, during the hot summer months, homeowners are faced with questions about how their crawl space will be affected by moisture. The Greenpro Cleaning and Restoration team is here to explore the possible effects of summertime moisture on your crawl space and provide you with some helpful tips to make sure that it is properly maintained to enjoy a dry home all year long.

How Moisture Gets In

Moisture enters your crawl space during summertime due to high humidity levels, which are often accompanied by storms. Moistness in a crawl space comes from many sources, such as:

• Rainfall
• Thunderstorms
• Condensation
• Air conditioners
• Heat pumps pumping water vapor into the area

It is important to know that the type of flooring you have in your crawl space will also determine how much moisture it absorbs or sheds during this time of year. If you have bare concrete floors, expect some condensation due to humidity levels and rising temperatures.

Issues With Too Much Moisture

In a nutshell, crawl spaces have been designed with natural airflow that should be enough to keep them dry in most cases. Unfortunately, there are instances where, as stated above, this moisture can make its way in. Over time, mold can grow under insulation or wood floors, leading to dangerous health hazards and home structural issues!

 

How To Fix Your Moisture Problems

If your crawl space is becoming too moist, then you may want to take some action like increasing ventilation or installing a vapor barrier.

Condensation forms and makes the insulation too heavy for the insulation support to hold. Insulation plays an important part in keeping your crawl space in good condition.

A crawl space vapor barrier is a high-density material that prohibits water vapor from passing through it. Traditionally, a vapor barrier was used to cover only the ground floor. This prevents water vapor from evaporating from the soil and moving up into the crawlspace air.

Contact Us Today For All Your Crawl Space Cleaning Needs

Cleaning and taking care of your home can be a challenge, and it is often best to bring in some professionals to help. Contact GreenPro Cleaning and Restoration to take care of your crawl space damage and cleaning needs.

Most Common Debris Found in Crawl Spaces

 

Crawl spaces are a great place for critters to hide and take residence. This can result from the crawl space being filled with debris or insulation that has fallen off the ceiling, where rodents like to make their homes. We will tell you about some of the most common items found in crawl spaces, what they may indicate about your home's overall health, and how to best address them.

Critters and Droppings

Crawl spaces are often forgotten in the home, but they can be a great place for critters to hide and take up residence. Your crawl space may contain animals such as mice, rats, squirrels, and raccoons. They may not enter your living areas, but they will be chewing on wires, insulation, or other items that you cannot see in the crawl space because it is dark down there.

Mold

Crawl spaces are a great place for mold to form and grow. It is not always visible because it can be hidden in the dirt, insulation, or even between the joists. You might have a mold problem if you notice any of these signs:

• Damp areas that emit an earthy smell.
• Patches of white fuzz on your walls or ceilings.
• A black substance oozing from vents near floor level.
• Dust that looks like it has fuzzy edges.

Insulation or Foundation Issues

Crawl spaces are often the first source of insulation or foundation issues. A crawl space is typically an unfinished area beneath your home with no insulation, and the ground will be damp. Crawl spaces can get wet from leaks in pipes or roofing, condensation from humid air blowing through them, and even rainwater that has come in through small cracks in your house.

That's why proper insulation in your crawl space is essential. Very often, GreenPro Cleaning & Restoration sees sub-floor insulation that is installed incorrectly. The two most common problems that usually need to be corrected are insulation installed upside down and insulation not secured correctly.

Insulation plays an important part in keeping your attic or crawl space in good condition. A key indicator of a substantial moisture problem in the crawl space is when sub-floor insulation is pulled from its supports and starts to separate. Condensation forms and makes the insulation too heavy for the insulation support to hold.

Contact Us Today For All Your Crawl Space Cleaning Needs

Cleaning and taking care of your home can be a challenge, and it is often best to bring in some professionals to help. Contact GreenPro Cleaning and Restoration to take care of your crawl space damage and cleaning needs.

Moisture In Your Attic or Crawlspace Could Mean Trouble

 

Humidity is a significant problem for homeowners, especially during the summer season on Long Island. This has caused a lot of issues for attics and crawl spaces. For those who don't know, attics are where hot air rises and collects while crawl spaces are at ground level, which means they typically collect more moisture than an attic would. So with the increased humidity levels from rainstorms or high temperatures, it can lead to water leaking into your home and other serious issues.

How It Happens

In an attic or crawlspace, the lack of ventilation and insulation means that there are fewer places for water vapor to escape than if it were inside your living space. This excess moisture will eventually seep into your home and cause mold or mildew to grow in areas such as your bathroom or kitchen.

 

Issues Excess Moisture Can Lead To

Some common problems homeowners might run into due to moisture in their house:

• The water can seep through wood, eventually rotting out your home's framing and other structural components over time.
• Standing water, which can lead to mold growth which can cause serious health problems.
• Leaks in your home.
• It could lead to a musty smell or a pest infestation.

How To Fix These Problems

There are some simple steps you can take to keep the moisture from seeping into your home. These steps include:

• Caulking gaps between the walls and roof.
• Using insulation on cold surfaces like pipes.
• Sealing holes in ceilings and floors.
• Checking all vents that go through roofs or walls for proper airflow.
• Installing vapor barriers around bathrooms to avoid mold growths.

And lastly, contacting some professionals to come to give these areas a good cleaning!

Contact Us Today For All Your Attic and Crawl Space Cleaning Needs

Cleaning and taking care of your home can be a challenge, and it is often best to bring in some professionals to help. Contact GreenPro Cleaning and Restoration to take care of your attics, crawl spaces, and water damage needs.

Spring Crawl Space Cleaning Checklist

Now is the time of the year when homeowners everywhere are focused on spring cleaning. While we all know to clean the kitchen and bathroom, one place that many people forget about is their crawl space.

Homes that do not have a basement are generally built on a crawl space - an area of limited height underneath your floor. The main purpose of a crawl space is to promote air circulation throughout your home and grant easy access to plumbing and electrical components.

This area can get very wet and dirty, and keeping up with maintenance is important to prevent mold and the problems associated with it. Here is a crawl space cleaning checklist to help you out:

• Inspect your insulation. It should be dry, undamaged, and show no signs of deterioration. 
• Check for air leaks around the vents and windows. Use a caulking gun to seal any leaks you come across.
• Check for signs of mold along the floor, walls, insulation, and wood. Clean up all mold using a speciality mold killer.
• Check for cracks in the foundation wall and make note of the size. Return in a month to check on them. If they grew bigger, there is a serious problem.

If you run into any problems while cleaning your crawl space, or you simply don’t want to do it, give a call to the experts at GreenPro Cleaning & Restoration. We offer specialty cleaning services to all of Long Island - including air duct cleaning, attic and crawl space cleaning, mold removal, and water damage restoration. If you live in Nassau or Suffolk County, call us for a free quote at (631) 940-8100.

3 Reasons to Have Your Crawl Space Cleaned

When you did your spring cleaning earlier in the year, did you have the guts to venture into your crawl space? If not, you aren't alone. Although the crawl space is actually a very important area in your house, many homeowners often neglect it. If you think the crawl space is too dark, dirty, and scary to clean, here are three reasons you should consider changing your mind. 

To improve your home's air quality.

Did you know most of the air you breathe in on the first floor of your home actually comes from your crawl space? If your crawl space is infested with mold, rodents, and high moisture levels, your air quality – and health – could be suffering.

To save your home from structural damage.

Unless you have a professionally-installed vapor barrier in your crawl space, it probably has a very high moisture level. As you know, mold can grow anywhere moisture is present, which is why crawl spaces are such a common hiding spot for it. If you let this mold spread for too long, it could infect your support beams and weaken the structural integrity of your entire house.

To expand storage space.

Many homeowners use their crawl space as an extra storage room, but this is impossible to do if yours is already jam-packed. Things you don't use very often (such as Christmas decorations) can be stored here instead of taking up valuable space in your garage or closets.

Is your crawl space too dirty, small, or infested with mold or rodents for you to clean yourself? Call in the experts at GreenPro Cleaning &Restoration! We serve all of Nassau County and Suffolk County, and only use environmentally-friendly cleaning products. If you live on Long Island and need your crawl space cleaned, call us for a free quote at (631) 940-8100.