Expert Mold Remediation or Removal in Evansville, Owensboro, Henderson and Nearby

Nick C. from Eckerty, IN knew there was something going on in his crawl space. He had purchased the home a year ago, and began to notice an odd smell. As time went on, the smell only got worse, so he did a quick Google search and reached out to us at Healthy Spaces to do a free inspection. 

We send a System Design Specialist to Nick's home to assess the mold situation going on in his crawl space. In order to prevent mold from growing, the basement and crawl space must be kept dry and without humidity. The key to controlling mold in your basement or crawl space is to eliminate the humidity that keeps it thriving. Nick agreed and Steven, the lead of our Mold Crew, came out and started the process. Our remediation process includes removing all mold-damaged materials, drying out the basement or crawl space, and thoroughly cleaning all surfaces.

Nick noticed the smell beginning to go away and was so thankful that he made the call to Healthy Spaces. 

Our client in Huntingburg, IN was in the process of purchasing a new home that got flagged on the inspection report for issues in the crawl space such as the insulation was falling, moisture, and there was mold on the floor joists. 

Let's first talk about the fiberglass insulation between the joists in the crawl space and the problems it can cause. The ground is constantly breathing. It takes in water during rain and evaporates back up into the atmosphere. This is the reason we install a vapor barrier under homes in order to keep the moisture down. However, without a vapor barrier, this condensation then moves up through the dirt floor and into the crawl space. The exposed insulation over time will soak up the moisture, eventually causing it to sag. And the whole point of installing insulation under the floor is to prevent cold air from the crawl space from entering the home. So once the insulation begins to sag, it causes an air break, allowing that cold outside air a direct path up through the floorboards, making the insulation useless. The gaps also allow the moisture to reach organic materials such as the wood subfloor, creating a perfect environment for mold to grow. 

Now let's talk about what our team did to restore peace of mind for our clients by creating a healthier environment for their new home! Sean and his team first needed to remove all the insulation from the crawl space. Next, our team remediated all of the molds and installed a new vapor barrier, along with sealing up the crawl space vents. By installing a new vapor barrier and sealing the crawl space vents, our client now has a crawl space that's safe, clean, and healthy!

Homeowners in Chrisney, IN were purchasing this home. When they had an inspection done, the inspection report flagged the crawl space for having mold. With one of their children having terrible allergies, they knew that something had to be done before moving into this home. Their realtor told them about Healthy Spaces Fix It To List It program which offers priority scheduling and will only perform a full evaluation on what's listed on the inspection report. 

In the before photo, you can still see the mold on the wood. Mold issues can dramatically lower the value of your home, and any house with significant mold problems will be difficult to sell. Additionally, mold can lead to serious structural damage to your home, which can be expensive and unsafe.

In the after photo, you can see that our product has been applied. It foams on contact with the affected area to provide visual identification of the problems & allows us to clean and restore the structural surfaces in the crawl space. Some companies might only clean with disinfectants, addressing only surface soil load. The problem with this is it only cleans the surface soil load, leaving behind dirt, debris, pollen, mold. The product that we use cleans beyond the soil load and accomplishes total source removal leaving behind a contaminate free surface. 

Homeowners in Chrisney, IN, are now protected from regrowth and will have a drier, healthier space in their crawl space. 

Fordsville, KY, like most of the surrounding areas has two struggles to deal with: high groundwater levels and lots of dirt floor crawlspaces.  The combination of the two creates a crawlspace mold epidemic that has largely been ignored by many residents until the mold infestation is quite advanced.  After all, how often do we really inspect our crawlspaces?  As you can see here, the mold situation in this Fordsville crawlspace was advanced and causing issues like musty, damp smells throughout the home, increased indoor allergies, and more frequent sinus related and respiratory illnesses.  When the homeowners went to inspect the crawlspace, they discovered that mold was growing over practically every surface in the crawlspace.  The homeowners immediately contacted Healthy Spaces to get the crawlspace remediated.

Donnie Stutesville, a mold remediation expert with Healthy Spaces, came out and inspected the crawlspace.  He recommended a three pronged approach to resolving the crawlspace mold and moisture issues: 

1. Remediate the mold and fungus

2. Remove standing water, debris, and the like

3. Seal the crawlspace with a vapor barrier

Donnie recommended both a mold/fungus treatment and a preventative coating to stop regrowth.  He explained that the mold and fungus treatment would need to be scrubbed off of all surfaces to remove the dead fungi and spores, then that debris would need to be removed prior to coating the entire crawlspace with a preventative solution.  In addition, the crawlspace needed a water removal system with sump pump and a dehumidifier.  Finally, the entire crawlspace needed a powerful vapor barrier installed to prevent the crawlspace from becoming moldy again.  You can see in the after photo that the mold removal was successful and the wood looks great with it's clear preventative coating in place!

Homeowners in Evansville, IN were looking at purchasing a home with a crawl space that had issues of groundwater intrusion, relative humidity, and was causing mold growth. 

In the before photo, you can clearly see the fungus growing on the wooden subfloor joists of an Evansville, IN crawl space. The fungus is growing and slowly decomposing the subfloor joist. If left alone over time, the problem could compromise the structural integrity of the subfloor joist. Thankfully, the homeowners were able to work out a deal with the seller who elected to completely destroy the fungus and have it properly removed by Healthy Spaces. 

In the second photo, you can see that the fungus removal has been completed on the subfloor joist. Each joist was individually scrubbed and cleaned on all sides in order to kill the fungus. 

In this Evansville, IN home, the source of the moisture took several months to discover and by that time, the mold growth was explosive!  The problem began with a small leak in the line coming out from the washing machine.  It was a dripping that traveled along the pipe and was virtually undetectable because it was happening within the walls.  After time, the surrounding area was so moist that the drywall collapsed upon itself at a touch.  The surrounding carpet and pad, subfloor, and pipes were all covered in a thick layer of mold.  

As you can see in the before picture, the mold was growing all over the area, which was hidden beneath the house and was only visible in the crawlspace.  It wasn't until a design specialist from Healthy Spaces took a look at the crawlspace that the damage was finally revealed.  It's suspected that the leak had been occurring for at least 9 months before it was severe enough to be detected.

The after photo shows the amazing difference that the mold remediation team at Healthy Spaces created.  They treated the affected area with a chemical to kill the mold, then thoroughly scrubbed every surface to remove the spores and dead mold.  After removing the debris, they made sure the leak had been resolved and were able to repair any damage from the mold in the subfloor.

The crawl space in this Evansville, IN home was not a place you wanted to be. It was wet and growing mold, giving the are an overall damp feeling. Since crawl spaces are the lowermost points of a home, the "Stack Effect" explains that air flows in your home from top to bottom, meaning that the mold in the crawl space can be easily breathed in by those upstairs, causing a serious problem. 

Here you can see in the before and after photo that our team worked to remove all the debris and organic material from the crawl space. With that out of the way, they could start the mold removal process. The first step is to seal off openings to prevent cross-contamination. The second step is to remove airborne contaminants by using air scrubbers. Next, we used a HEPA vacuum to remove any loose contaminants. And lastly, we applied a solution that foams on contact, then it penetrates the soil load which will leave a contaminate free surface.

Mold is a serious health concern and many of the homes in the Poseville area suffer from it.  Mold occurs when the indoor humidity levels are high, the area is warm, and there is organic material for the mold to feed on.  This set of criteria describes crawlspaces perfectly.  From the dirt floor to the wooden sub-floor joists, there is a great deal of organic material for mold to feed on.  Here, you can see the mold and fungus growing along the wooden joists in this crawlspace.  The whitish blobs are actually spider sacks (the closer white mark in the upper left) and fungal growth (present on second joist from the front).  In the second picture, you can see the first joist has received a mold treatment and scrub down to remove the fungus.  For contrast, you can still see the Mold-X treatment on the bottom of the joist, which will be scrubbed next.  Mold removal isn't going to fix this crawlspace because the underlying humidity issues are still present.  After the mold has been removed, the entire crawlspace will be encapsulated with CleanSpace, the most technologically advanced vapor barrier on the market.  It's going to reduce water intrusion and allow the crawlspace to be "conditioned space" when a dehumidifier called a SaniDry is installed.

The owners of this home in Sebree, Kentucky came to Healthy Spaces with the complaint that their living room smelled musty, old, and constantly dirty. Clearly, this is not the most pleasant smell to have in your home. The living room was built over a basement used for storing old belongings they no longer used, which was the culprit of the smell. Design Specialist, Damon Cheatham, was sent to perform an inspection and discuss options with the homeowners. 

In the ceiling of this basement, there was mold growth due to moisture in the space. Mold thrives in dark, moist environments where organic materials are present. This is the reason why basements and crawl spaces are perfect places for mold to grow. In this basement, we did a mold remediation treatment so the family had a clean and safe space below them.

Mold is one of a homeowner's worst fears because it damages property, causes illness, makes a basement smell like a basement, and too often makes the whole house smell like the basement. If you have a mold problem caused by water or moisture in your basement or crawl space, Healthy Spaces offers proven waterproofing, moisture control, and mold treatment solutions. Call for your free estimate today.