wayyyy too much fantastic advice here... lol.

So my house is 5 years old. I have always had efflorescence on the floors, in the center of the basement. The walls were always very dry. 2 winters ago, I cleaned the whole basement with muriatic acid, and after it dried out I painted the walls and the floor. Hoping to keep it a comfy storage and utility area.

The end of that winter my pretty, clean basement was all yucked up due to a thaw and frozen sump pump drain tile (my fault) that flooded my basement. Since then, I have been fighting water and stink.

The efflorescence returned, everything in my basement has a film of ick on it, or a strong musty smell. I don't keep anything on the floor except plastic bins. Everything else is on bricks or on plastic shelving racks.

At this point I suppose I am concerned about how to get rid of the efflorescence now, is it still just from the new construction? And also, how big is my water damage problem? I keep a dehumidifier on 35% year round, I have four of those DampRid thingys set up. But I still have mold growing on old furniture and excercise equipment. I have cleaned down there (wiping off mold, moping, etc) several times and everytime, the problem just seems to get worse!

I am going to start doing the obvious, just toss the stuff I dont need, and limit what I keep down there, but it seems like there has to be a solution so I can keep this valuable space healthy and stink free! Any thoughts would be soooo appreciated!

First off its a new home. Do you have a warranty on the basement for water?

Its way to wet which is a sign that there is more expensive issues in your future.

Efflorescence is a sign of water intrusion. regardless of where you find it. On real new homes its often found on the walls for a short period because the blocks fill with water while waiting for the contractor to frame and seal it from the elements. After a period of about a year this should stop.

In your case it has not. This is a sign that the water or I should say the De-water system has failed. Doing all the things your attempting to do is not going to change the fact that some part of the sub-slab and exterior drain system has failed. First thing is to contact your attorney and have him/her check your warranty on the house. Many states have conditions that the builder must meet when selling new homes. The states that I work in all have these warranties which cover up to periods of 10 years against water intrusion.
Do not wait get this done soon, the longer you wait the less coverage you may have.

I do not like using lawyers myself, but the house warranty program is designed to protect the builder as well as the owner of the home. If you attempt to file a complaint to get this fixed you may end up not getting it done. A lawyer who understands warranties on homes is the person you should speak with.

Also check with your insurance company. Most now do not cover mold but may cover the damage caused by the failed water proofing system in your home.

You have an unhealthy basement. Get everything out of there. I suggest you keep your basement windows open to ventilate as much as possible.

If the heating and cooling system is located down there as well. I would expect if tested the rest of the home is getting contaminated with mold spores as well. The return ducts located in the basement are pulling them into the air stream and bringing them all over the house. I would not be surprised that folks in the home are suffering from runny noses and the like. Not good.

thanks for the information. I will dig up my warranty today. I know I had a one year warranty on the house, but I didn't think something may be extended... Esp cus I have no water coming into the home. By draining system do you mean the drain tile? or could it be the way I ran my gutters out?

As for the mold, I think I found the source. I posted it on another thread in HVAC cus i believe the source is the dryer duct in the basement. There is an area where it is run between the joists that is almost black... I am about to go down there now and take it apart...

Thankfully it is just me in the house and I have no sensitivity to mold. Probably why I have lived with it this long.

thanks again. I will definitely be looking into taking action against my builder.

I don't have an opinion about the efflorescence in the center of your basement floor. Usually efflorescence is caused by moisture penetrating a wall or floor from the other side, bringing the salts out with it to be seen on the inside. Is the spot where the efflorescence was seen directly under the dryer duct, by any chance?

nopers... its in the center. Its a rather large basement, 1700 sq feet, roughly. So there are two sets of I-beams... its kinda in between them. It has been there since the day I moved in, and after I painted it seemed to come thru the same spot. Kinda odd... esp cus I did scrub it with the acid. I thought I used too much. Maybe not enough?

Thanks so much for answers!

sorry forgot to add... the dryer duct is not near the center.

You have a issue with the drainage system which is why the efflorescence is coming up from the floor. It should not do this.

And no this would not be the major cause of the high humidity you have in the basement. It would need to be real bad for that.

I think your right about finding the source. A dryer vent that is not propely vented can put several gallons of water into a closed space rather quickly. Get that fixed and see what happens.

You will find that all cooler surfaces in the basement will drip water if the humidity is to high. This may explain why you have issues with the stains on the floor. It may be the result of dripping of water off cooler objects above.

thanks a ton for your help too... Yep, my first plan of attack is the dryer vent, and then clean all the items down there. Then at least I know my end is fixed. Then I will address the floor. I doubt one has anything to do with the other, but one step at a time. At least as I am cleaning the mold out it is becoming more healthy.