Mold can be a serious problem depending on if anyone in your home is sensitive or allergic to it.
Mold grows both indoors and outdoors, because of this it is almost impossible to have an environment that is mold free.
The reason for this is that mold grows and the spores are released into the air where they can easily be inhaled.
If you have a person living in your home that is sensitive to mold they could have a reaction to the mold.
Some signs might be as mild as you would see with the common cold such as sneezing, running nose, watering eyes, nasal decongestion, itching and even a skin rash.
There can be more severe reactions to people if they have asthma or are allergic to mold.
It could cause shortness of breath, chest tightness, or even cause wheezing.
Even though you cannot get rid of mold all together you can at least try to reduce the growing of it as much as possible.
The best way to prevent mold is to make sure that you don't have any leaks in your foundation.
If you find any cracks or holes in your foundation make sure to get them fixed right away.
The best way to do this is to seal them with a caulking compound that is designed for the type of foundation you have.
The next thing is to check all of your rain gutters, soffit, fascia, and flashing.
You want to make sure that they are all in good repair and don't have any gaps where water can get down behind the bricks or under the shingles.
You will also want to make sure that your rain gutters are working correctly and are free of any debris.
Also check your downspout to make sure that it is open and clear of debris.
The reason for this is when either one of these gets clogged the water starts to pool and will start to overflow and may start leaking into the foundation or through windows and doors causing flooding in your basement.
You also want to make sure that if your downspout is too short and it is causing dirt to wash out from underneath your sidewalk, driveways, or foundation that you get a downspout extension.
This way you will be able to carry the rain water far, far away from your foundation, which will help in preventing flooding.
If your basement does flood make sure that you take care of it immediately.
You will want to get the carpet up and the water out of the padding or any other area.
The reason for this is the longer the water sits the more mold starts to grow.
You may want to hire a professional who can come in and get all the water out.
They also use big fans to air out the area to help prevent carpet and padding from mildew and mold.
The most important thing to do is to take every precaution you can to prevent water from infiltrating in the first place.
You can do this by making sure that you slope the ground around your foundation.
This will help the water to drain away from your foundation.
You may also think about laying a rock bed down all the way around your foundation and then put your dirt on top of it.
This will help the water that does get down by your foundation have to go through a few more layers before it gets to the foundation.
You may also want to install a sump pump.
These come in handy when ground water comes up.
Sump pumps help pump the water out before it can get up high enough to start causing damage.
These are just some of the things that you can do to help prevent from getting a damp basement which can untimely lead to mold.
If you don't know much about the sloping of the ground around your foundation or just don't have the time, you could get a home inspection.
This way you will know what is in need of repair and if there is any mold growing, or where there maybe excess moisture in your home.
There are a lot of other precautions you can take.