Crawl Space Care for Seniors
Protect your home and livelihood by being proactive in protecting your home against harmful pests like mice and mold.
Your home may be your haven, but did you know that there are pests and small organisms looking to call your house their home? Small creatures like mice, cockroaches, and termites can infest your home, destroying vital pieces of your home’s foundation. Crawl space care and maintenance can help catch these critters before they ruin your home. In addition to ruining your home, pests can also be detrimental to your health, with mold causing flare-ups of allergies and asthma-like symptoms. Symptoms like sneezing, coughing, wheezing, watery eyes, and more can become debilitating, especially if your living environment is what is causing them. Senior crawl space care is especially important, as many older adults suffer from asthma and allergies.
If you’ve been in your home for a while – like many older adults – your home may be more susceptible to outside critters. Your home’s crawl space is a prime entry point for pests to enter and find a place to stay. Crawl space encapsulation and other crawl space solutions protect your home against pests, mold, and other problems that can affect your health. At Groundworks, we’ve helped thousands of homeowners over the years, giving us valuable knowledge that can solve your foundation problems. Our skilled technicians will evaluate your home and its crawl space, taking note of and repairing any signs of damage that may or may not have been caused by annoying pests.
Managing Mold and Mildew
One of the biggest biological hazards that can be found in your home is mold. Found in virtually every environment, mold particles thrive and grow in dark, damp environments. Once it begins to gather, it forms dark patches that are visible to the naked eye. There are many different varieties of mold; however, they all can cause those who suffer from asthma and allergies to experience heightened symptoms. Even those, especially seniors over 65, who suffer from weakened immune systems can begin to experience symptoms of asthma and allergies even if they were not suffering from them prior to exposure. Crawl space maintenance and care are instrumental in preventing a mold infestation. While there are home remedies for mold removal, it is still best to contact a mold remediator to rid your house of the mold. While Groundworks can’t remove the mold, we can put a stop to problems – like damp crawl spaces and basements – that cause mold to form.
Controlling Crawl Space Pests
As previously mentioned, there are a plethora of creatures looking to enter your home. Some pests – like mice – are more common in the cooler seasons, while others – like termites and ants – are more common when it is warmer outside. However, there are some pests that view your crawl space as a second home year-round. Because your crawl space is more likely to have openings than other areas of your home, special attention should be given to this area to help prevent pest infestations. A few of the pests that will attempt to infiltrate your crawl space include:
- Mice: Considered one of the most troublesome household pests, mice can enter through your crawl space where they will eventually gain access to the living areas of your home. Mice are capable of chewing and destroying wood, wiring, and other parts of your house. They also carry diseases that can be harmful to your health.
- Cockroaches: No one wants to find cockroaches in their home. These insects are extremely common in dark, damp places like a crawl space that has not been waterproofed. Cockroaches are fast and can quickly enter your home through small cracks. They are also known to trigger asthma and allergies and even carry bacteria that make you ill if it gets on your food.
- Termites: Harmful to the wooden structures in your home, termites are attracted to moisture, cracked exteriors, and wood that is in contact with your foundation. They can be difficult to find early on in an infestation. However, if you notice holes in your wood structures, sticking windows and doors, and mud veins running along your home.
- Ants: Like termites, ants are small insects that travel in large groups. Because they are so small, ants can easily enter your home through small voids. Ants are more than just a nuisance. They ruin food and have the ability to cause structural damage. Ants are attracted to wet places or places with standing water and can even enter a home by tree or shrubbery placed too close to your home.
To protect yourself and your crawl space against pest infestations, consider crawl space encapsulation, which can be the difference between a pest-free home and an environment that is unsafe. Crawl space encapsulation will help protect your home from structural damage and your wallet against costly pest control bills.
Protecting Your Home and Health
Mold, mice, cockroaches, and many other household pests are harmful to you and your home. Pests like mice and cockroaches carry diseases that can cause illness in humans. Pests can also cause asthma and allergy symptoms to act up. Another harmful home invader, mold, can also heighten asthma and allergy symptoms. If you find yourself coughing, sneezing, and suffering from itchy, watery eyes, you likely have a pest or – more likely – a mold infestation in the dark, damp places of your home like your crawl space. To protect your health, don’t ignore signs of allergies and asthma attacks, especially if they occur more often when you’re away.
Some pests – such as termites – begin to break down the very structure of your home. This is extremely detrimental to your crawl space, as this is the area where many harmful pests enter your home. Mice can also chew through wood and wiring, causing structural and electrical problems in your home. To prevent harm to your home and health, hire a trusted crawl space encapsulation company like us. We provide FREE foundation inspections with no obligation to you. Don’t wait! Contact us – even by phone – and protect your home and health from household pests. Our warranties are fully transferable, so you can keep your home protected even when it gets passed down to the next generation.