# Preparation for Healthy Living in a Basement **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 6, 2014, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preparation-for-healthy-living-in-a-basement/678025 "2014-01-06T14:34:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JohnnyBGoode](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/65b543/32.png) [@JohnnyBGoode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnnyBGoode)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preparation-for-healthy-living-in-a-basement/678025/1 "2014-01-06T14:34:52Z")
I have a terrible inflammatory chest infection at the moment, which could just be a result of cold season – however – I’ve recently just moved into a basement and I’m beginning to wonder if the conditions down here could be the cause. I go to sleep with a space heater on every night in a 6 ft X 8 ft room. My questions are 1. is that harmful for the healing process? and 2. is there any kind of preparation I can take to make it better for living down here/prevent it from happening again? (if it is the cause) – thanks in advance ---
**Author:** ![gtirloni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7feea3/32.png) [@gtirloni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gtirloni)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preparation-for-healthy-living-in-a-basement/678025/2 "2014-01-06T14:41:22Z")
I am no doctor but you probably need to double check if you are getting enough ventilation down there. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preparation-for-healthy-living-in-a-basement/678025/3 "2014-01-06T15:30:08Z")
you want a healthy level of humidity, near 50% is good. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preparation-for-healthy-living-in-a-basement/678025/4 "2014-01-06T15:32:59Z")
Is there any mold or mildew in the basement? I lived in a basement apartment for a few years and it was miserable in winter, with very cold floors. ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preparation-for-healthy-living-in-a-basement/678025/5 "2014-01-06T16:15:32Z")
I lived in a basement as a child and it was very damp. About 2 inches worth of damp if it rained heavily! I’m sure there was mold and other issues. If it is damp, you might want to consider getting a dehumidifier to dry out the air some. As another bonus, a dehumidifier creates a lot of heat. You might not even need the space heater as much. ---
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preparation-for-healthy-living-in-a-basement/678025/6 "2014-01-06T17:34:54Z")
Be sure to get a radon test, if you’re living in an area that has any radon issues. If you don’t know and can’t figure it out, then get a test kit; they’re a lot cheaper than cancer. This is unlikely to be related to your chest infection, though. See a doctor. You may need to be treated for asthma (even if you’re not typically asthmatic.) I do have asthma, but didn’t find out about it for the longest time. I kept getting chest infections that wouldn’t go away. Different doctors kept giving me antibiotics. Finally a PA guessed I might have asthma and bingo: simple treatment and problem solved, not just once but over and over. The US is slow in this regard, but medical practice worldwide is finding out that treating many chest infections with asthma medicines helps recovery dramatically: the infection is causing asthma, which exacerbates the infection. Once the infection is cleared up, no more asthma, no need to stay on meds. All the issues mentioned above are good ones, too, especially mold or mildew. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preparation-for-healthy-living-in-a-basement/678025/7 "2014-01-06T17:41:32Z")
**Moderator Action** Since this is more of a health related and advice question than a factual question, let’s move it over to IMHO. Moving thread from General Questions to In My Humble Opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preparation-for-healthy-living-in-a-basement/678025/8 "2014-01-06T18:55:15Z")
Might be worth checking whether you’re actually allergic to mold. I am, and apparently mold is worse in the autumn and winter because of dampness. It makes my asthma flare up.