I just found mold. What should I do right now?

First, leave it alone. Don't scrub it, spray it, or pull anything up, because disturbing mold sends a burst of spores into the air and can spread a one-room problem through the whole house. Turn off any fans, and switch your HVAC off rather than auto, so the air system doesn't carry spores into other rooms and the ductwork. If there's an obvious leak you can safely shut off, do that, since mold can't grow without moisture. Keep kids, pets and anyone with breathing issues out of the area, take a few photos for your records, and give us a call.

Can I just clean up the mold myself, or use bleach?

For a small patch on a hard surface like tile or glass, you often can. Where it goes wrong is that bleach and store-bought sprays mostly treat the surface and do nothing about the moisture feeding the mold, so it comes back. On porous materials like drywall or wood the roots run deeper than bleach reaches, which is why the EPA no longer recommends bleach for mold. Plenty of DIY jobs fail because the growth behind the surface was never touched. If it's bigger than a couple of square feet, or you don't know where the moisture is coming from, that's the point to call.

Do I even need a mold test if I can already see it?

Usually not. The EPA's own guidance is that if you can see mold, you don't need a test to confirm what's already in front of you, and the cleanup is the same either way. We'd rather put your money toward removing it than toward a test that tells you what you already know. Testing does earn its keep in a few cases: when insurance is disputing the scope, when it may have spread through the HVAC, when someone in the home has a serious health condition, or as a final clearance test to confirm the air is back to normal after the work.

How do you find mold you can't see?

Mold follows moisture, so we follow the moisture. We use moisture meters and infrared cameras to find damp spots behind walls and under floors where nothing looks wrong on the surface, and air sampling to pick up elevated spore counts even with no visible growth. If we think something's inside a wall, we can sample the cavity directly. A musty smell is a good early clue too, it almost always has a hidden source.

Is the mold in my house dangerous?

It depends on how much there is and who's breathing it. Some people barely notice it. Others get asthma flare-ups, sinus trouble or allergy symptoms that only ease up when they leave the house. The very young, the elderly, pregnant women and anyone with asthma or a weakened immune system are most affected. We don't diagnose health problems, but we can tell you what's growing, how much, and get it out safely. If someone at home is having symptoms, don't wait on it.

Will the mold just come back after you remove it?

Not if the moisture is dealt with, and that's the part that matters most. If whatever was feeding it, a leak, high humidity or poor ventilation, isn't fixed, it grows right back. That's why every job starts with finding the moisture source, not the mold.

How long does mold remediation take?

A small, contained job like a single bathroom usually takes one to three days. Bigger jobs that involve demolition and drying can run one to three weeks. The drying alone is often three to seven days, because the structure behind the walls has to come back to a normal moisture level before anything gets closed up. After we inspect, we'll give you a real timeline for your situation.

Will I have to move out during the work?

Usually not for a small, well-contained job, where staying in the unaffected part of the home is fine. For larger jobs, especially with demolition, we'll often recommend that anyone vulnerable stay elsewhere while we work. If your home is judged unlivable during the project, your policy's Additional Living Expenses coverage may pay for a hotel or rental, and we'll help you make that case to your adjuster.

Does insurance cover mold?

Sometimes, and it depends on the cause and your policy. Most policies that cover mold only cover it when it comes from a sudden, covered event like a burst pipe or a storm. Mold from a slow leak you didn't know about, or from ongoing humidity, is usually treated as a maintenance issue and excluded. A lot of policies also cap mold payouts, often between $1,000 and $10,000, so it's worth checking your declarations page. We document everything from the first inspection so your claim has the best shot.

Can you make my home completely mold-free?

No, and it's worth being wary of anyone who promises that. Mold spores exist naturally in the air everywhere, indoors and out. The goal isn't zero, it's getting levels back to what you'd see in a normal, healthy home. When we want to prove we've hit that mark, we bring in an independent company to test the air, so the all-clear comes from someone with no stake in the result.

Mold Remediation, Inspections and Testing

Under the right conditions mold can grow within 48 hours. We can assist in cleaning up mold growth as well as locating and addressing the root cause.

Same-day response
MICRO & IICRC certified
Inspection through full remediation

Heavy black mold spread across an interior wall

Mold takes hold wherever moisture lingers long enough, behind a wall, under a floor, around an AC vent, or in a damp crawlspace, and the patch you can see is usually smaller than what's behind it. We start by finding what's feeding it and making sure that gets handled, then contain and remove the growth properly so it can't spread. Our IICRC-certified crew can help with inspections, lab testing and full remediation across metro Atlanta.

How we handle a mold problem

Start with the source. We inspect with moisture meters and infrared cameras to trace the moisture behind walls, under floors, around vents or in the crawlspace. That has to be dealt with before any remediation, because cleaning up while the cause is still active just means it grows back. Some of it we can help with, like a crawlspace vapor barrier or recent water damage that never fully dried out; a plumbing leak or an HVAC problem needs the right specialist, and we'll help you line that up. And if the source can't be fixed and the mold would just come back, we'll tell you straight rather than take the job.
Seal the area off. Before anything is disturbed, we wall off the work area and run a HEPA air scrubber on negative pressure, so spores can't drift into the rest of the house.
Remove it and clean to sound structure. Affected drywall, insulation and cabinets come out and get bagged, with flood cuts where moisture climbed the wall. We open up what the readings point to, since the growth usually reaches past the visible edge, and if we find more, we stop and check with you first. Then we HEPA-vacuum the framing, scrub it by hand, and treat it with antimicrobial, because the point is to take the mold out, not just paint over it.
Dry it to standard. We set dehumidifiers and air movers and take moisture readings every day until the framing is back to a documented dry level. Where it helps, we seal the cleaned structure with a mold-resistant coating before it's closed up.
Confirm it's clean. We finish with a walkthrough, and if you want independent proof, a separate company can test the air to confirm it's back to normal before any rebuild.

Inspections and testing

Sometimes you want answers before a cleanup, whether you're buying or selling, chasing down a musty smell, or settling a question with insurance. We're MICRO-certified for mold inspections and can have lab testing done on samples taken from the air, surfaces and from inside wall cavities, with a report you can keep or hand your insurer. And if the mold is already staring at you, we'll say so: you don't need a test to prove it's there, you need it gone.

Our Work

Recent jobs, start to finish

Black mold across the kitchen wall, with the laundry area visible through the opening beyond

Lindbergh, Atlanta, GA

Mold from an upstairs leak in a Lindbergh condo

A failed supply line in the unit above sent water down into the kitchen and laundry of this Lindbergh condo, and by the time we were called it had become a Category 3 mold loss. Here's how we contained it, worked the added scope with the HOA, and dried it back to standard.

Mold staining a ceiling air vent and the drywall around it

Senoia, GA

Mold in four rooms of a Senoia home

Mold had taken hold in four separate areas of this Senoia home, much of it around the ceiling AC vents. Here's how we contained each area, traced the moisture behind it, and left the structure clean and dry.

See all our work →

When should you call us?

After water damage

Mold can begin growing within 48 hours of any water intrusion. If you've had a leak, flood, or burst pipe, testing is a smart next step.

Persistent musty smell

If you can smell mold, there's almost always a hidden source. Following the smell to its origin is what we do.

Buying or selling a home

Mold issues affect property value and can derail a sale. Better to know before listing or before closing day.

Unexplained respiratory issues

Mold exposure can cause asthma flare-ups, sinus problems, and chronic allergies. If symptoms only happen at home, mold is worth ruling out.

Visible mold growth

What you can see is often a fraction of what's there. Hidden growth in walls, HVAC, or behind finishes is common.

High indoor humidity

Persistent humidity above 60% creates conditions for mold to grow even without an obvious water event.

Frequently Asked Questions

I just found mold. What should I do right now?: First, leave it alone. Don't scrub it, spray it, or pull anything up, because disturbing mold sends a burst of spores into the air and can spread a one-room problem through the whole house. Turn off any fans, and switch your HVAC off rather than auto, so the air system doesn't carry spores into other rooms and the ductwork. If there's an obvious leak you can safely shut off, do that, since mold can't grow without moisture. Keep kids, pets and anyone with breathing issues out of the area, take a few photos for your records, and give us a call.
Can I just clean up the mold myself, or use bleach?: For a small patch on a hard surface like tile or glass, you often can. Where it goes wrong is that bleach and store-bought sprays mostly treat the surface and do nothing about the moisture feeding the mold, so it comes back. On porous materials like drywall or wood the roots run deeper than bleach reaches, which is why the EPA no longer recommends bleach for mold. Plenty of DIY jobs fail because the growth behind the surface was never touched. If it's bigger than a couple of square feet, or you don't know where the moisture is coming from, that's the point to call.
Do I even need a mold test if I can already see it?: Usually not. The EPA's own guidance is that if you can see mold, you don't need a test to confirm what's already in front of you, and the cleanup is the same either way. We'd rather put your money toward removing it than toward a test that tells you what you already know. Testing does earn its keep in a few cases: when insurance is disputing the scope, when it may have spread through the HVAC, when someone in the home has a serious health condition, or as a final clearance test to confirm the air is back to normal after the work.
How do you find mold you can't see?: Mold follows moisture, so we follow the moisture. We use moisture meters and infrared cameras to find damp spots behind walls and under floors where nothing looks wrong on the surface, and air sampling to pick up elevated spore counts even with no visible growth. If we think something's inside a wall, we can sample the cavity directly. A musty smell is a good early clue too, it almost always has a hidden source.
Is the mold in my house dangerous?: It depends on how much there is and who's breathing it. Some people barely notice it. Others get asthma flare-ups, sinus trouble or allergy symptoms that only ease up when they leave the house. The very young, the elderly, pregnant women and anyone with asthma or a weakened immune system are most affected. We don't diagnose health problems, but we can tell you what's growing, how much, and get it out safely. If someone at home is having symptoms, don't wait on it.
Will the mold just come back after you remove it?: Not if the moisture is dealt with, and that's the part that matters most. If whatever was feeding it, a leak, high humidity or poor ventilation, isn't fixed, it grows right back. That's why every job starts with finding the moisture source, not the mold.
How long does mold remediation take?: A small, contained job like a single bathroom usually takes one to three days. Bigger jobs that involve demolition and drying can run one to three weeks. The drying alone is often three to seven days, because the structure behind the walls has to come back to a normal moisture level before anything gets closed up. After we inspect, we'll give you a real timeline for your situation.
Will I have to move out during the work?: Usually not for a small, well-contained job, where staying in the unaffected part of the home is fine. For larger jobs, especially with demolition, we'll often recommend that anyone vulnerable stay elsewhere while we work. If your home is judged unlivable during the project, your policy's Additional Living Expenses coverage may pay for a hotel or rental, and we'll help you make that case to your adjuster.
Does insurance cover mold?: Sometimes, and it depends on the cause and your policy. Most policies that cover mold only cover it when it comes from a sudden, covered event like a burst pipe or a storm. Mold from a slow leak you didn't know about, or from ongoing humidity, is usually treated as a maintenance issue and excluded. A lot of policies also cap mold payouts, often between $1,000 and $10,000, so it's worth checking your declarations page. We document everything from the first inspection so your claim has the best shot.
Can you make my home completely mold-free?: No, and it's worth being wary of anyone who promises that. Mold spores exist naturally in the air everywhere, indoors and out. The goal isn't zero, it's getting levels back to what you'd see in a normal, healthy home. When we want to prove we've hit that mark, we bring in an independent company to test the air, so the all-clear comes from someone with no stake in the result.

Testimonials

What our customers say about us

“They were prompt, professional and more than fair. So fair that they billed me less than the initial estimate because Giovani was so efficient and took less time than anticipated to remediate the issue.”

Josh S.

“Paula, Andrew and their entire team were professional, prompt, and they went above and beyond to handle the mold issues. I can't recommend them enough!”

Kenitra H.

“They were wonderful to work with, explained everything in detail and in a manner that was easy for this senior citizen to understand. They have my complete confidence...and business.”

Jeff J.

Get help now

Mold spreads quickly and the cost of removal goes up with it. If you suspect a problem, the right move is to test before it gets worse.