Removal, then moisture control
Crawl Space Mold Removal Memphis, TN
Mold on the joists, a home inspection flag or a musty smell coming up through the floor? We remove the mold under your house and stop the moisture feeding it.
- Serving Memphis since 1989
- IICRC certified technicians
- Dehumidifiers and encapsulation
Crawl space mold
Why Crawl Spaces Under Memphis Homes Grow Mold
A crawl space is dark, closed in and right on top of the dirt. Add a Memphis summer and a little water, and the wood under your floors stays damp long enough for mold to grow.
Removing that mold is only half the job. The other half is stopping the water that fed it, and that is where our water damage background since 1989 comes in.
Humid air through the vents
On a muggy summer day, air coming in through foundation vents hits the cooler ducts, pipes and joists and turns to water on them.
Rain that runs the wrong way
Short downspouts, clogged gutters and soil that slopes toward the house send storm water under it.
Drips nobody sees
A slow plumbing leak or an AC condensate line draining under the house can wet one corner for months.
Bare dirt and old barriers
Ground moisture rises all the time. A torn or missing vapor barrier lets it reach the wood.
Layer by layer
Mold Under Your House, From the Floor Down to the Dirt
A crawl space is six layers stacked on top of each other. Mold looks different on each one, and each one gets handled differently.
Your floor is up here
- 01
Subfloor
What mold looks like here
White or black spots and dark stains on the underside of the plywood, often under bathrooms and the kitchen.
What we do
Cleaned with HEPA vacuums and scrubbing or sanding, then treated with a mold inhibitor.
- 02
Floor joists and beams
What mold looks like here
Fuzzy growth or black staining along the wood, worst near the outside walls and vents.
What we do
Wire brushing, sanding or blasting, depending on how heavy it is, then a mold inhibitor. We check soft spots for rot.
- 03
Insulation
What mold looks like here
Batts sagging or falling down, dark and damp, with a strong musty smell.
What we do
Wet or moldy insulation comes out. It holds water and spores and cannot be cleaned.
- 04
Ductwork
What mold looks like here
Ducts dripping in summer and mold on the outer duct wrap.
What we do
We clean the outside surfaces in the crawl space. Inside the ducts is a job for a duct cleaning company.
- 05
Vapor barrier
What mold looks like here
Torn, missing in spots, or water pooled on top of it.
What we do
The torn barrier comes out so the space can be dried, and a new one goes down once the mold work is done.
- 06
Soil
What mold looks like here
Wet dirt, puddles after rain or a white crust where water keeps drying.
What we do
Standing water is pumped out and the space is dried. The water source gets found and fixed.
The ground is down here
Our process
How We Remove Mold From a Crawl Space
1
Inspect and Measure
We go under the house with moisture meters and a thermal camera and map the mold and the wet wood. Our mold inspection report shows what we found.
2
Dry It Out First
Standing water comes out and the space gets dried. Cleaning mold off wet wood does not last, so drying the crawl space comes before the cleaning.
3
Contain and Filter the Air
The access and any openings into the house are sealed off, and HEPA air scrubbers run so spores stirred up below do not drift into your rooms.
4
Remove and Clean
Moldy insulation and torn barrier come out. Joists and subfloor are cleaned with HEPA vacuums, scrubbing, wire brushing, sanding or blasting, whichever the wood and the growth need.
5
Treat the Wood
Cleaned wood gets a mold inhibitor to help keep new growth from starting while the moisture problem is fixed for good.
6
Check and Report
We look the space over and take moisture readings again, then hand you photos and readings from before and after.
After removal
Stop the Moisture, and the Mold Stays Gone
If the moisture stays, the mold comes back. These are the fixes, and who usually handles each one.
We install
A crawl space dehumidifier
Keeps the air under the house dry through a Memphis summer, so the wood stays below the level mold needs.
We install
A new vapor barrier
A heavy plastic barrier over the dirt stops most of the ground moisture from reaching the wood.
We install
Full encapsulation
The barrier runs up the walls and the vents are sealed, so the crawl space stays closed off from humid outside air. A dehumidifier keeps it dry.
Your plumber or HVAC tech
Leaks and condensate lines
Any drip under the house gets fixed, and the AC condensate line is routed outside, not into the crawl space.
Your gutter or yard contractor
Gutters, downspouts and grading
Water from the roof and the yard should run away from the foundation, not toward it.
Clues from above
Signs in Your Memphis Home That Point to the Crawl Space
Most people never look under the house. These are the clues you notice from the rooms above.
- A musty smell strongest near the floor
- Often worse in the morning or when the AC kicks on.
- Wood floors cupping or gapping
- Boards take on moisture from below and the edges rise.
- Soft or bouncy spots underfoot
- Damp subfloor or joists losing strength.
- Cold floors and sticky air in summer
- Damp air under the house rises into the rooms.
- Allergies that ease when you leave
- Air from the crawl space mixes with the air you breathe.
- A home inspection report says "microbial growth"
- The most common way buyers and sellers find out.
Cost
The Price Range for Mold Under the House
Typical crawl space mold removal
$500 to $2,000
The same range in both This Old House (2026) and Bob Vila (2024). These are national estimates, not our prices. Your free quote gives the real number.
Goes up when there is
- A tight crawl space with low clearance
- Mold across most of the joists
- A lot of insulation to remove
- Standing water to pump out first
Usually not in that range
- Fixing the leak, gutters or grading
- A dehumidifier, priced separately
- A new vapor barrier or encapsulation
- Replacing rotted wood
Why choose us
One Memphis Crew From the Mold to the Moisture
Crawl space work is often split between a mold company, a drying company and an encapsulation company. If the smell comes back, it is hard to tell whose part failed. We do all five jobs ourselves.
Our crew
- 1
Inspection with meters and a thermal camera
- 2
Water pumped out and the space dried
- 3
Mold removed and the wood treated
- 4
Dehumidifier installed
- 5
New vapor barrier or full encapsulation
- Serving Memphis since 1989
- IICRC certified technicians
- Photos and readings before and after
- Free quotes
Service area
Crawl Space Mold Removal Areas We Serve
Our crews cover 29 ZIP codes across Memphis, from Downtown to Hickory Hill and the Bartlett side. Not sure if you are in our area? Give us a call and we will tell you right away.
- Hickory Hill
- Bartlett
- Whitehaven
- Raleigh
- East Memphis
- Southeast Memphis
- University District
- Frayser
- Midtown
- North Memphis
- South Memphis
- Downtown
FAQ
Crawl Space Mold FAQs
Have a question that is not listed here? Call us and talk to a real person on our Memphis team.
Can crawl space mold get into the house?
Yes. Air from the crawl space moves up into the rooms above through gaps in the floor, plumbing holes and ducts. That is why a crawl space problem often shows up as a musty smell in the living room.
Should I encapsulate my crawl space?
Encapsulation makes sense when the crawl space keeps getting damp, especially with a lot of exposed dirt or a history of mold. It comes after the mold is removed and the water sources are fixed, not instead of it.
Can I just spray bleach on the joists?
It may lighten the stain, but bleach does not soak into wood, and the water in it feeds the next round of growth. The mold has to be removed and the moisture fixed.
Will a home inspector flag crawl space mold?
Often, yes. Many reports note "possible microbial growth" on joists or subfloor. We can inspect it, give you a report with photos and quote the removal while you still have time in the deal.
How long does crawl space mold removal take?
Many crawl spaces take one to a few days, after the space is dry. Drying first, a large or tight crawl space, or encapsulation afterward add time.
Do I need to leave the house during the work?
Usually not. The crawl space is sealed off from the rooms above and HEPA air scrubbers run while we work. People with asthma or allergies may want to be out during the loudest days.
Related services
Other Mold Services
Find Out What Is Under Your Floors
Call ServiceMaster by Riverside to have your crawl space checked. We will tell you what is there, what it will take and how to keep it dry.
Call now: (901) 459-6610