When moisture builds up in your basement, it causes costly water damage and structural degrading, both expensive repairs. In order to avoid this, there are few simple steps you can follow. First, assure that water flows away from your home, not toward it. This is caused by landscaping that is sloped towards your basement, instead of away from it. Also, every home needs an efficient system which collects rain water and melted snow. This is why downspouts and gutters are important, if you already have them installed, ensure they are always free of clutter and debris. Another easy step is to apply water resistant paint to your basement walls. Moisture and condensation collect on walls, causing water damage. This can be prevented by applying waterproofing paint to all basement walls. Dehumidifiers are another critical tool. Dehumidifiers are extremely valuable tools when you need to get rid of excess moisture in your structure. Laying down rocks or gravel around the outside of your basement will help with moisture, because gravel is effective at reducing moisture accumulation and is cheap. Make sure to also insulate any pipes running through your basement, especially water pipes. Another common culprit of basement moisture are basement windows. To stop this from happening, install basement window wells and fill the bottom of them with gravel and pebbles. If you have a large basement, and you dry clothes in it, you shouldn’t. Drying clothes by hanging causes an area’s humidity and moisture levels to rise, so dry clothing on clotheslines outside or in a dryer. Appliances also cause moisture problems, so make sure your washer and dryer are properly connected, and that your dryer vents to the outside of your home. Finally, install exhaust fans in your basement bathroom will help with humidity, removing excess moisture, and even improves ventilation.