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Is your home dirty and you don't even know it?
Your kitchen is spotless, the bathroom is immaculate. Your floors? You could eat off them!
If that's all been taken care of, what could you be missing?
It's often said that the things we neglect the most are those we don't see every day. Ask yourself: when is the last time you looked in your crawl space?
The area under your floors or roof could be the dirtiest place in your house. It's dark and damp, which is a breeding ground for molds and bacteria. This is a danger to your home and family.
Cleaning up mold isn't a DIY project. You need to hire someone who knows what they're doing. Unfortunately, that's going to cost you.
Issues with mold, odors, and water need a professional crawl space cleaning. Read on to learn when to do it and how to budget for it.
The insulation in your crawl space maybe worn down over time or was never adequately installed in the first place. Visually, you can determine any problems with your insulation by seeing if there are any cracks or defects in it.
Another way to check on this? Go over your electric bill! One clue is if there's a spike in your heating and cooling utilities that doesn't make sense.
Faulty insulation in your crawl space can be driving up your electrical bill. That's because the heating system has to work harder to keep your home warm.
With sufficient insulation, your crawl space will be sealed tightly, just like your wallet.
The air you let out of your crawl space is just as important as the air you let in. Poor ventilation in the wintertime can result in frozen pipes. In the summer, the trapped humidity can make those pipes rusty.
Make sure to look for pools of moisture or possible blockages around all external vents. The last thing you want to invest in is new pipes!
Bats, rodents, and pests love to settle down in a dark, undisturbed area. That's why crawl spaces are ideal homes for them. But, you don't want uninvited guests in your home, do you?
Signs of rodents, bats, or insects can include noises in the walls, foul odors, and excrement piles. While none of those things are pleasant, the damage these pests can do to your insulation and walls is what you want to avoid the most.
Call a professional to evict these unwanted guests ASAP.
Mold is the biggest threat that a dirty crawl space poses to your home. Some molds can lead to dangerous health issues in people and pets. To determine if you have any mold, look for visible patches and smell for musty odors.
If mold is spotted, it's better to be safe than sorry and assume that it can cause you harm. You must get professionals to remove these hazards.
Though it may be a large financial cost, it pales in comparison to the value of you or your family's health.
Maybe you haven't noticed any problems with rodents or an unusually high heating bill. But, just because a dirty crawl space hasn't caused problems yet, doesn't mean you have to wait until something happens.
If you've never gotten your crawl space cleaned or it's been years, it's time to schedule one!
It's always easier to prevent a mold or rodent problem than to fix it later. Catching it early is also helpful. With homeowner problems like those, it's likely that it's been going on for a while before you noticed.
Keeping up with annual cleanings will allow you to find issues before they do real damage.
For just a cleaning, professionals will charge you based on the size of your space. The condition it's in will also be a factor.
A straightforward job won't cost too much. But, if the pros find a lot of problems that need to be fixed, that's when it starts adding up.
If it's a rodent problem, that's one of the easier issues to deal with. That will be on the low end price-wise.
When it comes to mold, that will charge you a little extra. It's hard to deal with mold and it's more dangerous. If that's your problem, you'll get another estimate for that cost depending on how much there is.
Water damage can be the most expensive issue to fix. That can run you in the thousands. Additionally, if there's water damage, there's probably mold and ruined insulation as well.
Budget for a cleaning as you would any other home costs like the electric bill and seasonal landscaping. Commit to it as being a necessary annual expense that you plan ahead for.
It's a lot easier to find the money for maintenance cleaning. You can be in control over when to do it. For example, if you know you're getting a bonus at work in a month, you can wait until then to schedule.
When you let it go until there's a big problem, that's when you get in trouble.
Find extreme mold in December? It won't matter that money is tight from buying holiday gifts. It has to get fixed right away.
Keep up with maintenance now, and your future self will thank you.
Nobody wants to spend money on something they hardly ever even see. But, putting off a crawl space cleaning isn't the answer. When it gets out of hand, you'll just end up spending more money later.
Is it time for your crawl space to get some attention? Then contact us to get a free service cleaning estimate.