Moisture/Mold in the basement

Hello everyone,

about a week ago, during the big heatwave, the hose connected to our water tap on the outside wall came off. Unfortunately, the tap was not closed and the water ran directly into the soil underneath. However, we only noticed this when we came back home from our trip. The water ran for a maximum of 5 hours (that’s how long we were away), but it could have been shorter.

Of course, we immediately checked the house and found that the stone floor in the basement (open floor) was mostly damp. In the meantime, it has also started to mold (including in the cracks between). No other damage was noticed. The walls in the affected room also feel dry.

The question now is what should we do? Can a dehumidifier help here? Or is this perhaps even a case for the building insurance? What can be done about the mold?

A friend who is an architect advised us to simply leave the window open and wait until the moisture is gone. But I’m no longer sure if that is the right solution, especially since the mold is already beginning.

I would really appreciate your help!

Best regards

Good evening,

A friend who is an architect advised us to simply leave the window open and wait until the moisture is gone again. However, I am no longer sure if that is the right solution, especially since it is already starting to mold.

I would also consider that the most practical solution.

If the moisture can escape through ventilation, the mold will also come to an end and you can remove its traces from the walls with products from specialized stores.

Rhenish regards

Get rid of moisture in summer by leaving windows open? Bad idea...

I would put a dehumidifier or something like that in.

Moisture in summer

Summer ...?

Rhenish greetings

Yes, well - this strange time is called summer. It’s supposed to come back briefly on Friday anyway ;)

By now, summer is back and, at least in the south, is supposed to stay for about a week. I have rented a dehumidifier and placed it in the basement. The device extracts about one bucket (household size) of water from the ground per day. I hope the stones will be dry soon. Thank you very much for the tips from you!