MoldStar Remediation handles mold remediation and inspection, emergency water damage cleanup, crawl space encapsulation and basement waterproofing. Its website lists service in Cobb, DeKalb and Fulton counties, including Marietta, Decatur and Roswell. The site says founder Jeremy Shelton holds IICRC certifications and lists equipment such as HEPA filtration, air scrubbers and commercial dehumidifiers.

Listed since 09/27/2021

Mold in Atlanta crawl spaces and basements

Mold in metro Atlanta is less about one dramatic flood than about air that never dries out. Summer dew points stay above 70 degrees Fahrenheit for weeks from June through September, and the dense red clay under most of the region holds water long after it rains. That moisture evaporates upward into crawl spaces, which is why an open, vented crawl space in a rainy July can sit far above the 60 percent indoor humidity level the EPA recommends staying under.

Add tree canopy that shades walls and roofs, downspouts that discharge beside the foundation, and summer storms that drop two inches in ninety minutes, and hidden growth under floors, in basements and behind finished walls is common well before anyone smells it.

What a mold remediation job involves

The work starts with finding and fixing the moisture source, because removing mold without stopping the water only resets the clock. The crew then isolates the area with containment and negative air, removes or cleans affected materials, and uses HEPA vacuums and air scrubbers to capture spores. Crawl space jobs may also involve drainage, vapor barriers or dehumidification afterward. Ask what clearance testing, if any, is planned and who performs it, since an independent tester avoids a conflict of interest. Our guide to mold after water damage, testing and remediation explains those questions in more detail.