Asked by: Aloe Timcke
home and garden indoor environmental quality

Can mold in your basement make you sick?

Last Updated: 8th June, 2020

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In some cases, mold in your home can make you sick, especially if you have allergies or asthma. Whether or not you're allergic to molds, mold exposure can irritate your eyes, skin, nose, throat, and lungs.

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Thereof, how do you know if mold is making you sick?

If your Total Body Burden is high, or you are genetically predisposed to recycling toxins, regular exposure to mold can cause allergy symptoms, such as:

  1. Wheezing/shortness of breath.
  2. Rash.
  3. Watery eyes.
  4. Runny nose.
  5. Itchy eyes.
  6. Coughing.
  7. Redness of the eyes.
  8. Long standing or frequent sinusitis.

One may also ask, how long does it take for mold to affect you? Under ideal conditions (optimal temperature and level of humidity), it takes 24 to 48 hours for mold to germinate and grow. Typically, the spores begin to colonize in 3 to 12 days and become visible in about 18-21 days.

Correspondingly, is the mold in my basement dangerous?

The Dangers of Black Mold in Basements. Any type of mold in a home can cause serious health issues in those who are at risk but one of the most dangerous types is Stachybotrys chartarum. A basement is also often more neglected than other parts of the house, therefore allowing the mold a longer period to grow undetected

What do you do if you have mold in your basement?

After removing any mold-covered debris, such as dry wall, insulation, carpet or sub-flooring, hard surfaces can be treated with commercial products containing ammonia and bleach. Basement mold removal on tile or linoleum can also be performed with vinegar or a borax and water solution.

Related Question Answers

Lene Izurume

Professional

What can Breathing in mold do?

For people sensitive to mold, inhaling or touching mold spores can cause allergic reactions, including sneezing, runny nose, red eyes, and skin rash. People with serious mold allergies may have more severe reactions, including shortness of breath.

Hajnalka Scherfke

Professional

Does mold poisoning go away?

Treating mold illness symptoms with medicine made for other conditions does nothing to rid your body of the illness. Rather, the toxic mold within your home will continue to grow and spread while your condition slowly worsens over time.

Royer Schohn

Professional

Can I sue my landlord for mold?

It means renters can sue their landlords over failing to properly maintain their properties if they are deemed 'unfit' to live in. Landlords can now be taken to court over 29 hazards including inadequate ventilation and light and serious mould and damp caused by structural problems.

Willy Rimmelspacher

Explainer

What type of cancer does mold cause?

Mold spores also produce toxins (mycotoxins) that can affect the lungs, skin, and nervous system. But we have no definitive evidence linking them to specific diseases — and no evidence that mold spores cause lung cancer. Exposure to tobacco smoke is the biggest risk factor for lung cancer.

Fatou Lyskin

Explainer

What is toxic mold syndrome?

Toxic mold based illness is a very prevalent and under diagnosed condition that can manifest in many different ways, including with symptoms that are exclusively psychiatric, such as depression, anxiety, attentional problems, brain fog and insomnia. Mold growth is initiated through water damage.

Ellamae Curia

Pundit

How can I tell if I have mold in my walls?

A mildewed surface is often difficult to distinguish from a dirty one. To test for mold and mildew and how to tell if your house has mold, simply dab a few drops of household bleach on the blackened area. If it lightens after one to two minutes, you have mildew. If the area remains dark, you probably have dirt.

Tulio Gassiy

Pundit

Does mold make you tired?

Symptoms of Mold Exposure. Fatigue and Weakness - On their own, fatigue and weakness aren't enough to be symptoms of mold exposure. Tiredness is often a response to poor sleep habits or simply taking on too many things at once.

Anzhela Maamar

Pundit

Will a dehumidifier kill mold?

So, to answer your question, dehumidifiers do NOT kill mold, but they do prevent it by reducing humidity. If you have a mold problem in your home, don't wait. Mold spreads as long as it has a water source.

Angels Sorazu

Pundit

Can mold in basement affect upstairs?

If I have mold in my basement will it affect my upstairs? I don't have a central heat and air system. Yes, in most scenarios mold issues in the lower portion of a home will affect the areas above it. This is due to the “stack affect” which is the principle of air rising inside of a home.

Orreaga Tzschentke

Pundit

How much does it cost to remove mold from basement?

The black mold removal cost of an unfinished basement can really vary. It could be as little as $500 or as high as $4,000 depending on the scope and size - AKA how much mold is present and how much area it covers. If the attic and ducts are involved, the cost for those generally ranges from $2,000 to $6,000.

Vergil Barañano

Teacher

What kills basement mold?

How to Kill Basement Mold with Vinegar
  1. Remove molded items out of the basement.
  2. Fill a clean spray bottle with white vinegar.
  3. Wipe the mold off the surface with a damp cloth.
  4. Fill a bucket with vinegar.
  5. Place several fans in the basement.
  6. Run a dehumidifier in your basement to remove the moisture from the air and reduce the amount of mold spores.

Diolinda Darisipudi

Teacher

Can I remove black mold myself?

Wear a respirator or a facemask rated for black mold spore protection, and cover arms, legs and hands to avoid contact with mold spores. Use soap and a sponge to remove visible mold. If the moldy area is dry, lightly spray with water, as this will reduce the incidence of airborne mold spores during cleaning.

Thilo Zhigalkin

Teacher

Is it safe to live in a house with black mold?

The Verdict on Black Mold: Best Avoided—But Not Deadly
As for black mold's toxic reputation, those with immune suppression, asthma, or other respiratory problems are most at risk of feeling ill. It's not likely that you'll die from black mold poisoning because it's just not that toxic.

Sofija Blouin

Teacher

Will bleach kill black mold?

Bleach can only kill mold on non-porous surfaces, as it does not penetrate porous surfaces; so mold roots are left to grow again. To kill mold spores and their roots, pour straight 3 percent peroxide (H2O2), undiluted, into a spray bottle and saturate the blocks with it.

Jacob Feldpusch

Reviewer

What is the difference between mold and black mold?

Mildew usually turns black or brown over time; Mold is usually fuzzy or slimy in appearance. It appears as irregularly shaped spots that can have different colors – blue, green, yellow, brown, gray, black, or white. Oftentimes, surfaces that are covered in mold begin to rot.

Olimpia Kuiper

Reviewer

How do you remove mold from basement drywall?

Mix one part bleach with three parts water in a bucket. Using a scrub brush or heavy-duty sponge, vigorously scrub the mold-affected wall with the bleach/water solution until the mold spots have disappeared.

Travis De Olano

Reviewer

What happens when you are exposed to mold?

If you have a mold allergy, your immune system overreacts when you breathe in mold spores. A mold allergy can make you cough, make your eyes itch and cause other symptoms that make you miserable. In some people, mold allergy is linked to asthma and exposure causes restricted breathing and other airway symptoms.

Hacomar Steenstra

Supporter

How do you get rid of mold?

Scrub the surface mold stains from walls and wood trim with a mixture of 1 qt. water and 1/2 cup bleach mold cleaner to kill the mold. Use a soft brush and work until signs of the mold disappear. After scrubbing the surfaces, simply allow the bleach solution to continue to penetrate the surfaces and dry.

Lucita Zimbalist

Supporter

What does black mold smell like?

Most often, the first sign of black mold is to see or smell it. Mold will give off a musty smell or a smell associated with rotting vegetables, depending on the type of mold and what the mold is consuming. Preventing the occurrence of black mold is as cut-and-dry as eliminating water or high-moisture in your home.

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