Believe it or not, healthy indoor air quality is important, even in your crawl space. 

Even though you don’t enter your crawl space very frequently, air quality problems that start there can spread to other areas of your house. One of the most common problems in basements and crawl spaces is excess moisture. 

Crawl spaces are utility areas that are primarily used for accessing household plumbing or electrical wiring. Generally your crawl space is underground, has soil as a floor, and is constructed of concrete. This combination makes crawl spaces vulnerable to moisture build up.

Concrete, because it is porous, draws moisture in from the outside. And, it is crawl spaces and basements that are most vulnerable to flooding when there are heavy rains or irrigation leaks. If the ground and walls are moist, and the ventilation is limited, your crawl space is susceptible to problems caused by excess moisture. 

How to Prevent Crawl Space Moisture:

It is much easier to prevent a moisture problem than to remove it once it has developed. So, you are fortunate if your task is merely to prevent excess moisture in your home. Understanding the basics of moisture prevention for high-risk areas, such as crawl spaces, basements, bathrooms, and attics is important. 

Preventing excess moisture in your crawl space is fairly simple.

• Identify and fix any water problems from flooding or leaks.
• Use an inexpensive humidity monitor in your crawl space and make sure it reads below 50%.
• Check the venting in your crawl space, and see that air moves through freely.
• Inspect your crawl space regularly for signs of high humidity, such as musty odors.
• Use DampRid moisture absorbers, to keep humidity levels low (ideally 30-50%).

DampRid Hi-Capacity Moisture Absorber was developed specifically to remove excess moisture from the air in areas like your crawl space.