Why Homeowners Overlook Water Absorbent Materials At Their Peril

Have you noticed how water has an uncanny ability to permeate through almost any surface? if you are a homeowner and have not noticed this condition, it’s only a matter of time before you will. As the rainy season approaches, the ground around your house will become more and more saturated and the water table underneath will rise. Don’t be surprised if, when you go down to the basement next, you begin to smell that musty odor of dampness.

When water is moving along nicely, we find it very pleasant to look at and interact with. Think how much time we spend on the beach, on the river or on the lake. However, we don’t want to see standing water inside our homes and this problem can lead almost immediately to the formation of mildew and mold.

What can you do about water that permeates into your basement when the weather conditions are ripe? Very little in truth, but you can certainly use water absorbent materials to help you get rid of it once it’s inside. As the basement is so badly ventilated and humidity is always high, this is a ripe breeding ground for mold unless you’re careful.

Products made with water absorbent materials are ideal for use in the most vulnerable areas of your basement, to soak up the water that infiltrates over time. This is something that you have to keep an eye on, of course, and periodically you will need to wring out these products, ideally allow them to air dry before you replace them to continue their good work.

You can leave yourself with a very serious problem if you leave mold and mildew to grow unchecked. The room itself will be unusable for any other purpose and if the issue is particularly bad it can spread to other areas of your home. Expect health issues before you know it.

Not only can water absorbent materials be great at keeping moisture in your basement at bay, but they can also be used elsewhere in other circumstances. Sometimes, condensation builds up on the inside of our windows to such a degree, that it runs everywhere and causes damage to your carpets, furniture and fittings. Use the specialized products to contain this runoff.

Every now and again, we are threatened by a major rainstorm of some kind. This is when the wind driven rain gets beneath the garage door, or comes in around windows. Be very defensive when this happens and use products that keep the moisture where it should be. Those in Florida call these products “hurricane socks,” due to their ability to absorb all this water during storms.

Polypropylene is the product of choice for water absorbent materials, as the synthetic is known as one of the most absorbent solutions today. Most of the better products have this built in, so look for it when you shop.