There is a lot about a damp and wet basement that you should be worried about. Some people ignore the musty smell and the humidity in the air, when they really should not. Should you do nothing, the walls, floor, foundation, and property will get damaged. You need to be more worried about the mold and mildew growth that will ensue.
When you leave the house in that state, your family shall start showing signs of respiratory issues, headaches, allergic reactions, asthma, and even cancer. If you do not see anything strange in the basement, do not convince yourself it is safe, as long as it is damp. The best way to be certain is to hire a professional mold inspection and removal service.
You can tell of mold presence when you see a green, brown, gray, or white splotches on the surfaces and items in the basement. You can also tell when you detect a musty odor, water damage signs like water stains or peeling wallpapers, water leaks from pipes or the outside, recent flooding in the basement, and an increase in symptoms like coughing, sneezing, and headaches after being in the basement. There is a need to call in the professionals for mold testing. With the test done, they shall advise you on what to do next. You would rather not find any than assume there is none in there.
Mold testing shall let you know if they are present, and go further to tell you how extensive their spread is, the regions it is thriving the most, and the type of mold present. They will look all over the house and take amples They shall proceed to collect air samples for detection of spores. Collection of air samples happens in all the rooms. Those samples shall be taken to the lab for inspection. They shall give you a thorough report indicating what kind of problems you are facing.
You shall get mold removal services once they determine there is mold present in the house. They shall do so quickly, before the mold spreads any further. They shall first of all seal off all contaminated areas. They shall thus proceed to spray the visible mold, vacuum it up, apply antimicrobial and antifungal agents on the surfaces, and purify the air. If there are items in there too contaminated, they shall ask you to have them removed.
You need to find a way to get rid of the mold in the house. You also need to make sure you put preventative measures in place, to avoid another growth. A good measure is to keep the basement moisture free, and the house well ventilated. Should you see any signs of mold in the house, do not hesitate to call in the professionals. You need to do so for the sake of your house.