What's under your house could be potentially hazardous

By Ian Parker, KATU News Published: Jun 13, 2014

BEAVERTON, Ore. – When’s the last time you thought about what’s under your home?

Robin Ekloff with John’s Waterproofing wants you to start now.

“Forty percent of the air you breathe in your home that has a crawl space comes from that crawl space,” Ekloff said.

Ekloff, who said he sees around 300 crawl spaces every year, told KATU he hardly ever finds a home with a healthy crawl space.

“Most of the crawl spaces we go into have a real estate sign parked in the front yard because nobody goes in their crawl space until the home inspector gets there and they’re trying to sell their home and there’s a problem down there,” Ekloff said.

Those problems? Mold from water leaking under the home and destroyed insulation from pesky pests.

Ekloff said mold especially can be dangerous, as air from the crawl space can carry mold spores into your home.

Here are some tips from Ekloff to keep your crawl space healthy:

Get into your crawl space at least once a year.

Crawl around the perimeter and look for ways water or small animals can get in.

Check your pipes for leaks and check all surfaces for mold.

If there is standing water, call a professional.

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