1. It's gross and unsightly. This is the simplest reason to get rid of any kind of black moldy like stuff that you find in your basement.



You might find this stuff growing around tiles, behind wallpaper, in crawlspaces, on the back of furniture, under carpets, behind drywall... basically any place dark and moist, and none of it's pretty.

Actually, if you live in a dry area or at a high altitude, you might have a worse basement mold problem than somebody in a humid area. Southern California and Arizona have some of the worst cases of moldy black stuff in basements.

2. It's bad for you. This is probably the BEST reason. Most mold is non-toxic. It causes cold-like symptoms or respiratory trouble. Some people don't even know their house is being attacked by mold, and that's why they have a stuffy nose all the time.

If you have asthma or any other kind of breathing trouble, even non-toxic mold can be fatal. Some studies have shown that kids who grow up in moldy environments end up with asthma later in life. If your kids live in the basement, you should take extra special precaution.

And, some types of mold are toxic. This means bad news for everybody in the house, and it may be hard to detect. A good place to start looking for our moldy friend is in the basement. Look for nasty black stuff!

3. It's bad for your house. When you go to sell your house, moldy black stuff will lower the property value. It costs you money to get that stuff cleaned up at the last minute. The longer you let it go the worse it gets.

Housing inspectors know that the basement is the preferred vacation spot for yucky black moldy stuff, and they go there looking for it. You may not spend much time there, but they WILL, and they have gadgets and tools so they can find all the black stuff growing in the cracks and crevices.

Bad mold and water damage can have a lasting negative impact on the structure of your house as well. If you get rid of that moldy stuff in the basement before it gets bad, you'll save yourself some serious headaches later.

4. Finally, it's contagious. If moldy black stuff would just stay where it was down in the basement, or behind the walls, we'd have no trouble. The problem is that it likes to travel. Any dark, wet place will do!

Mold can creep into your basement from the ground underneath. It's called "wicking," and it happens a lot in basements that are not properly protected from moisture. This is especially the case in dry areas where there isn't much moisture; the house builders probably didn't take mold into account when they poured the foundation.

Once it gets into the concrete, it heads up into the carpet and tiles. From there, the walls, behind wallpaper or furniture; and from there, it jumps off and flies through the air into your lungs. Visit http://www.toxicblackmoldhelp.org to learn more about black mold removal.

You might have somebody living in your basement and, not only freeloading, but sending nasty spores into your respiratory tract and making your life miserable. Go down to your basement right now and look for black mold-like stuff. And if you find it, get rid of it today!