Humid basement: What can you do?

Every day at MyAsthmaCentral.com we get lots of asthma related questions. Below are some questions I thought my readers at the RT Cave would enjoy.Your Question: I have asthma/copd,and basement 60%musty humidity. i want to move out of this house, but husband won't, what do i do about musty humidity?

Your Question: I have asthma/copd,and basement at 60%musty humidity. I want to move out of this house, but husband won't, what do i do about musty humidity?

My humble answer: Here's a good post you can read about high and low humidity. Have your husband read this and he'll know there is fact backing up your desire to move due to musty, humid basement.

Basically what you'll want to do is get a dehumidifier and set the humidity control for less than 50%. Another option is to have your house set up for air conditioning. However, a humidifier costs about $100-200 as compared to over $1,000 for air conditioning. Since all basements tend to have higher humidities, you'll want to run the dehumidifier 24-7 365 days a year. I have a dehumidifier in my basement and it works great. My old one broke down a few days ago, and my wife just bought a new one at Walmart.

While easier said than done, you'll also want to fix leaks and get rid of moldy areas. One way to do this is by painting moldy walls, or repairing them as needed.

Of course I don't know how bad your basement is, but moving to a new home can solve this problem, although it doesn't always work. You'll also want to make sure you're compliant with your asthma controller meds, and work with your doctor to keep your asthma under good control. Good luck.
If you have any further questions email me, or Visit MyAsthmaCentral.com's" Q&A section.