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Moldman Lake and McHenry County

Mold Removal, Mold Inspections, Mold Testing & Water Damage Cleanup in Lake and McHenry Counties, IL and Surrounding Areas

No scare tactics. Dependable. Easy to work with.

CALL (847) 780-2844

Schedule an Appointment Online
FREE ESTIMATES
LICENSED & INSURED
OVER 17 YEARS IN BUSINESS

We offer FREE ESTIMATES for visible mold, as well as inspections and testing services. 

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Our Quick & Simple Process

Schedule

a Free Estimate

We assess the mold issue 

Approve your quote & schedule

the job

We complete the job & provide a 10-year warranty

You live mold free & happy 😀

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Hi, I'm Ralph Zaremba , Owner & Operator of Moldman Lake and McHenry County and I'm responsible for making sure you have a great experience with Moldman. I'm a Chicagoland native and take great pride in serving my neighbors and the community. In my spare time I enjoy golfing and spending time with family. I look forward to helping you with your next project!

CALL (847) 780-2844

Covering the following, and surrounding areas:

Antioch, IL  

Barrington, IL  

Buffalo Grove, IL  

Crystal Lake, IL  

Deerfield, IL  

Elgin, IL  

Hawthorn Woods, IL  

Highland Park, IL 

Lake Bluff, IL  

Lake County, IL  

Lake Forest, IL  

Lake Zurich, IL  

Lakewood, IL  

Libertyville, IL 

Round Lake Beach, IL  

Schaumburg, IL  

Streamwood, IL  

Vernon Hills, IL 

Waukegan, IL  

Woodstock, IL

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Industries

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Asset Management and Hedge Funds

Bank-Owned Properties

Commercial Properties

Public and Government

Real estate

Residential

We're here to help! Call or text (847) 780-2844 today.

Mold Removal and Inspections in Lake and McHenry Counties, Illinois


Our approach to mold removal.

This might surprise you but we believe that, in most cases, mold testing is a waste of money. Also, we believe that you can fix many mold problems without a professional and we will tell you upfront when this is the case.


If you do need a professional, you can have peace of mind knowing that we have completed thousands of jobs with our core team, made up of highly experienced professionals whose average tenure is ten years.


Attic mold

Basement mold

Bathroom mold & Kitchen Mold


Mold Remediation

We provide honest mold removal without all the hype, overblown prices and scare tactics. Most information on mold  is dead wrong. Mold problems are common but can be fixed safely, quickly, and at a reasonable cost—sometimes without a professional.


When a professional is needed, we provide Free Quotes and can usually be at your home or business within 1-2 business days.


Our Remediation Process:

  1. Containment of Mold Area

  2. HEPA Air Scrubbing

  3. Selective Demolition of Affected Area

  4. HEPA Vacuum

  5. Antimicrobial Cleaning

  6. Final HEPA Vacuuming & Cleanup of Work Area


Mold Inspections & Testing


If you are unsure if you have a mold problem in your home, we can perform a mold test and inspection to determine if you indeed have a mold problem. Please note though that most of the time a mold test is unnecessary and a waste of money if you already see mold.



Black Mold Removal

So what are the real health effects of black mold? All molds, be it black, green, yellow, etc can cause an allergic reaction in some people.


Just because it’s black does not mean it can potentially impact your health any more or less than any other color of mold. The color of the mold is irrelevant because the proper way to remove mold is the exact same regardless of the color or species.

Contact us today to schedule a free estimate or mold inspection with testing.

CALL (847) 780-2844

More About Moldman Services

  • Mold Testing, Mold Inspections & Mold Detection Service
    Moldman has been doing mold inspections, testing and detection since 2006 when we opened. Our standard mold inspection includes mold testing either in the form of air samples and/or direct swab samples. But before we conduct testing though, we first start with doing a full assessment of your home. We will do a visual inspection to determine if we see any visible mold or any signs of hidden mold (e.g. water damage may be a sign of mold behind walls). After our thorough walkthrough of your home or business, we will then take air and/or direct samples and send off to a 3rd party lab to determine the types of mold you have and whether there are abnormally high amounts of mold in your residence or business. After we receive the lab report back, we will then write up a report for you that will explain the lab results and our own findings. If you do have a mold issue, we will also write up a scope of work for fixing the problem. Can’t I just buy an at-home mold test and detection kit and do it myself? In most cases, at-home mold test and detection kits are frankly a waste of money because you can generally stick a petri dish in any room and it will come back with some mold (small amounts of mold are part of the natural environment and in every home). Further, even if your test comes back with mold, then what? You need to interpret the results and what to do. Do you actually have a mold problem with abnormal amounts of mold in your home based on the results? If so, what is causing it and how do you fix it? Mold test kits cannot generally answer these questions and if they do provide any guidance, you are generally going to get a better assessment if someone sees your problem in person. But wait … Save money, skip the inspection! Although mold test kits are generally a waste of money, you can also save money and just skip a professional mold inspection and test in many cases if you already see visible mold. Yes, you read that right. If you see visible mold already, professional mold testing is generally a waste of money because all mold (regardless of color or type) should be removed, following the same process. If you see obvious visible mold, in most cases you can save your money and just use it to fix the problem. Mold Inspection Cost In situations, however, where a mold inspection is actually needed (e.g. you suspect there is mold but cannot see any obvious problem or you need written proof of a mold problem), our typical charge is $300 to $350 for a mold inspection for 2 indoor samples and 1 outdoor control sample, with each additional sample costing $25-$50. Most of the time though extra samples are not needed, and when they are it is rare that you need more than 1-2 extra. Please note, each of our locations has slightly different prices based on the market and cost but this cost range is accurate most of the time. You can also call us and get a firm mold inspection price for your situation.
  • Mold Removal, Mold Remediation & Mold Abatement Service
    Moldman provides Free quotes for mold removal when obvious visible mold is present. We also back our work with a 10-Year Transferable Warranty. Having successfully completed thousands of mold jobs since we opened as a company in 2006, we are experts in mold removal, remediation and abatement. For our purposes, mold removal, mold remediation, and mold abatement all mean the same thing: Getting rid of your mold problem by following industry accepted practices. Specifically, our professional mold removal process is as follows: Containment. This just means sealing off and containing the work area where the mold problem is located to prevent or limit the mold from spreading to other areas of your home or business where there is not a mold problem. HEPA Air Scrubbing. Here, we use industrial-strength air movers with HEPA air filters to clean the air and capture the mold spores in the air. HEPA filters can capture 99.97% of all airborne and microscopic mold spores which pass through the filters. Selective Demo. Not all mold problems require demolition. But when it is required, we focus only on removing impacted materials such as drywall that cannot be salvaged. HEPA Vacuum. Here, we use vacuums with HEPA filters to vacuum the work area to capture the mold spores on the visible surfaces. Antimicrobial Cleaning. This step involves detailed cleaning of the contaminated area with hospital-grade antimicrobial cleaning agents to kill mold growth. Final HEPA Vacuuming & Clean-Up of Work Area. We once again do HEPA vacuuming and perform an antimicrobial wipe-down on surfaces where mold spores may have settled within the work area. QC Check & Customer Sign-Off. In the final step, we do a detailed quality control check and do a walk through with the customer (when they are available) to go over the completed job. Once the customer signs off, we take down containment and clean up the work area. What is the cause of my mold problem? All mold problems are caused by a water or moisture problem. The key to mold control is moisture control. Moldman will help identify the source of the water or moisture problem. In some cases, it is fairly obvious - e.g. a plumbing leak, a basement flood, etc. In other cases, it might be harder to identify the source of water such as a water issue behind a wall or high humidity due to poor ventilation. But regardless, the water source must be fixed to ensure the mold does not return. How long does mold remediation take? Every job is different, but generally speaking most jobs can be done in 1-3 days. Some larger jobs of course can take longer. But regardless, in most cases, you can remain in your house but it’s best you stay away from the actual work area. How do I make sure the mold does not return? All mold problems are caused by a water problem or high humidity. To ensure the mold problem does not return after mold remediation is completed, the underlying water issue (e.g. plumbing leak) must be permanently fixed. What does professional mold remediation and removal cost? In our industry, you can sometimes get a very wide range of quotes. This can happen for any number of reasons - for example, someone is not a mold professional and does not have the proper mold insurance (which is an expensive specialty insurance that is harder to obtain and must be added to a general liability policy). In other cases, some companies are used to charging insurance rates but in many cases mold might not be covered by your insurance policy. But as far as what Moldman charges, we are typically in the middle of the pack when compared to other mold companies with the proper insurance and similar level of expertise and experience (we’ve been doing this since 2006). Most jobs we do cost between $500-$2,000 with some jobs being much more when, for example, there has been significant flooding. Our prices are almost always in the middle of the pack for the industry and local market (not the lowest nor the highest). But we always provide a no-obligation quote, free of charge if you've got an obvious, visible mold problem. Please note that Moldman is a company with over 15 years of experience and a proven track record of thousands of mold jobs finished successfully. We are fully certified and insured. There are many companies in this business that may offer slightly lower prices but they don’t have the experience, track record, certifications, 5 star reviews and proper insurance to cover your property. This last point about insurance is very important. If you hire a contractor that does not have mold coverage insurance, which is not an everyday insurance that most contractors carry, and one of their workers gets hurt, you potentially could be liable. Further, if they cause damage to your home, their claim may be denied by their insurance since they did not have mold coverage. If you have questions about mold removal, please contact us. We provide Free Quotes and our work is backed by a 10-year transferable warranty.
  • Black Mold Testing, Black Mold Inspections & Black Mold Removal Service
    We do offer mold testing, mold inspections and mold removal for black mold. But we want to clarify a very important point about black mold: the color of the mold is irrelevant in terms of how you professionally test for it or remove it. All professional mold testing and mold removal should be done the exact same way, regardless of the color or type of mold. But wait: Isn’t black mold dangerous or toxic? There are thousands of molds that exist and not just one “black” mold. In other words, there are many different types of mold that are black. But having said that, “black” mold is certainly the most talked about mold. But most of what is said about black mold is unproven or overhyped information, designed to scare people. The truth about all molds, including those that are black in color, is that they can, per the EPA, cause “allergic reactions in sensitive individuals.” The CDC states: For some people, mold can cause a stuffy nose, sore throat, coughing or wheezing, burning eyes, or skin rash. Notice the word “some” and not all. Some people are very sensitive to mold, others less so or not at all. But mold can definitely be a very uncomfortable irritant for those who suffer allergies or asthma. Further, if you are immuno-compromised or have other serious health issues, molds may cause further health issues. But linking mold exposure to more serious health effects like cancer is generally not proven. We should also point out we are referring to exposure to mold spores through the air. Ingesting mold (e.g. through contaminated food) is a different story but not something we deal with as mold professionals (this is more for a doctor to diagnose and evaluate). Disclaimer: we are not doctors and are not diagnosing your mold issue or your health situation. Every mold situation and person is different. If you are not feeling well or concerned about health issues, please see a doctor or health professional. Further, research on the health effects of mold is ongoing and can change at any time and thus we cannot guarantee that there is not new, reliable health information that may present something different than what we stated above. When in doubt, please see a doctor or health professional to assess your own health concerns. So how do you do a black mold test? Yes, we do test for black mold. But as noted above, testing for black mold is done the same way that you test for any color or type of mold. See our service section above, “Mold Testing, Mold Inspections & Mold Detection” for the details of how we perform mold testing. Can you get rid of my black mold? If so, What is your process? How long does it take? And what needs to be done to ensure it does not return? Yes, we offer black mold removal services. But please note that when it comes to proper mold remediation, following industry accepted practices, the process we follow is the same regardless of the color or type of mold. We discuss this process in detail above in our service section, Mold Removal, Mold Remediation & Mold Abatement” [make anchor link]. There you can also find answers to other related questions like how long does it take to finish a project and what steps are needed to ensure the mold does not return. If you have questions about black mold testing or removal, please contact us. We provide Free Quotes and our work is backed by a 10-year transferable warranty.
  • White Mold, Green Mold, Orange Mold, Pink Mold Mold Removal & Testing Service
    We can get rid of all molds, regardless of the color. This includes white mold, green mold, orange mold, pink mold, black mold and any other color of mold. So what is the process for getting rid of my color of mold? How long does it take? And How do I make sure it does not return? The proper way to remove all mold is the same, regardless of the color or type. We discuss this process in detail above in our service section, Mold Removal, Mold Remediation & Mold Abatement”. There you can also find answers to other related questions like how long does it take to finish a project and what steps are needed to ensure the mold does not return.
  • Attic Mold Removal & Testing Service
    We are experts at attic mold removal and testing. Having completed thousands of attic mold jobs, we understand what typically causes attic mold, how to get rid of it and what it takes to ensure it does not return. Note: in most cases, when you have obvious visible attic mold, testing is totally unnecessary because the proper way to remove attic mold is the same regardless of the type of attic mold. How can I tell if I have attic mold? What does attic mold look like? Here are the main signs of attic mold: Dark stains on plywood Mildew smell in your attic Hot and stuffy attic air Frost buildup on roof sheathing Water dripping from smoke detectors and ceiling fans What are the causes of attic mold? Attic mold is almost always caused by either one of the following two things or both: Roof leak Poor ventilation in the attic All mold problems, including those in the attic, are caused by a water problem. Roof leaks are a direct source of water and a great source for mold growth. Poor ventilation in the attic means moisture is getting trapped in your attic because it is not properly being vented out of the attic. A roof leak or poor ventilation must be fixed or the mold will very likely return even after mold remediation of the attic is completed. Challenges of Attic Mold Removal Removing attic mold can often be tricky and dangerous for many reasons: Limited Space: Attics are typically cramped and have limited headroom, making it challenging to move around freely. This restricted space can increase the risk of tripping, or falling through the ceiling and causing serious injury and damage to the home. Heat and Poor Ventilation: Attics can become extremely hot, especially during warmer months or in climates with high temperatures. The combination of limited airflow and high temperatures can lead to heat exhaustion or heat stroke if proper precautions are not taken. Poor Visibility: Attics often have inadequate lighting, making it difficult to see clearly. This lack of visibility can lead to accidents, such as stepping on unstable surfaces or missing potential hazards like nails, exposed wires, or damaged insulation. Electrical Hazards: Attics are commonly filled with electrical wires, junction boxes, and other electrical components. Working around these can pose a risk of electric shock or fire if proper safety measures are not followed. Structural Instability: Attics may have weak or damaged flooring, especially if mold or moisture issues have been present. Walking on weakened or unstable surfaces can result in falls or structural collapses. Pests and Wildlife: Attics are susceptible to pests and wildlife infestations, including rodents, insects, birds or bats. Coming into contact with these creatures can lead to bites, scratches, or exposure to diseases. Let Moldman handle these challenges and keep you and your family safe from potential attic dangers. Moldman’s process for attic mold removal It typically takes Moldman 1-2 days to successfully do attic mold remediation. Our attic mold removal process is as follows: Contain the work area Set HEPA air scrubber(s) Treat all mold-impacted surfaces with hospital-grade antimicrobial cleaning agent Stain-removal OR encapsulation with tinted antifungal stain-blocker Final cleanup of work area How much does attic mold removal cost? We typically charge $1,000-$2,500 for attic mold removal. Our attic mold removal prices are typically in the middle of the pack for our industry and local market. Some contractors might charge way more, others might charge less, but typically they are not going to have the experience (we have done thousands of attic mold jobs as a company), the certifications, the 5-star reviews and proper insurance. This last point about insurance is very important. Working in attics can be very dangerous. If you hire a contractor that does not have mold coverage insurance, which is not an everyday insurance that most contractors carry, and one of their workers gets hurt, you potentially could be liable. Further, if they cause damage to your home, their claim may be denied by their insurance since they did not have mold coverage. If you have questions about attic mold removal or testing, please contact us. We provide Free Quotes and our work is backed by a 10-year transferable warranty.
  • Crawl Space Mold Removal & Testing Service
    Moldman offers crawl space mold removal and testing. We are experts at crawl space mold, having done countless mold jobs in these tough areas since we were founded in 2006. Note: in most cases, when you have obvious visible crawl space mold, testing is totally unnecessary because the proper way to remove crawl space mold is the same regardless of the type of mold. Also, Crawl space mold is very common and often overlooked because often we spend very little time in a crawl space. Read below to learn more about what causes crawl space mold and how Moldman gets rid of your crawl space mold problem for good. What causes crawl space mold? Most crawl space mold is caused by high humidity and moisture. The high humidity and moisture is often the result of poor ventilation, though sometimes there can be other factors like flooding or a plumbing leak. But all mold problems, including those in the crawl space, are caused by some sort of water or moisture issue. Our Crawl Space Mold Removal Process Mold in crawl spaces is usually very challenging and potentially dangerous to remediate because you are often working in extremely tight spaces, with little air flow, and with very little height clearance. There’s no demo to be done, but Moldman’s professional crawl space mold removal includes painstaking spraying and scrubbing of the wood in a very tight and confined space. Moldman also takes extra precaution when working in crawl spaces since we are typically working in hot confined spaces with not much air flow. This can lead to heat exhaustion fairly quickly if regular breaks and other safety precautions are not taken. In addition, it is not uncommon for us to find other hazards like exposed electrical components or animal feces. How much does crawl space mold removal cost? Moldman typically charges $1,000-$2,500 for crawl space mold removal. Our pricing is typically in the middle of the pack for our industry and local market. Others might charge less but typically they are not going to have the experience (we have been doing this since 2006), the certifications, the 5-star reviews and proper insurance. This last point about insurance is very important. Working in crawl spaces can be very dangerous. If you hire a contractor that does not have proper insurance for mold work, which is not an everyday insurance that most contractors carry, and one of their workers gets hurt, you potentially could be liable. Further, if they cause damage to your home, their claim may be denied by their insurance since they did not have mold coverage. If you have questions about crawl space mold removal or testing, please contact us. We provide Free Quotes and our work is backed by a 10-year transferable warranty.
  • Basement Mold Removal & Testing Service
    Moldman offers professional basement mold removal. We are experts at basement mold remediation, having completed countless basement jobs since we opened in 2006. Note: in most cases, when you have obvious visible basement mold, testing is totally unnecessary because the proper way to remove basement mold is the same regardless of the type of basement mold. But whether you have black mold or white mold in your basement, or any other color of mold, we have seen just about all types of basement mold and fixed these mold problems for good. Read below to learn more about what causes basement mold and our professional basement mold removal process. What causes basement mold? Most basement mold can be caused by 3 factors: Basement flooding Crack in basement foundation, allowing water penetration A plumbing leak in the basement High humidity in the basement All 3 problems allow water and/or moisture to enter your basement. And all mold problems, including those in the basement, are caused by a water issue. Our Basement Mold Remediation Process The size and scope of a mold remediation job in a basement can vary considerably. A flooded basement, for example, is obviously going to be a lot more work than say a small plumbing leak confined to one single closet in the basement. But regardless of the size or scope of the basement mold problem, we always follow the same industry process, as follows: Containment. This just means sealing off and containing the work area where the mold problem is located to prevent or limit the mold from spreading to other areas of your home or business where there is not a mold problem. HEPA Air Scrubbing. Here, we use industrial-strength air mover machines with HEPA air filters to clean the air and capture the mold spores in the air. HEPA filters can capture 99.97% of all airborne and microscopic mold spores which pass through the filters. Selective Demo. Not all mold problems require demo. But when it is required, we focus only on removing impacted materials such as drywall that cannot be salvaged. HEPA Vacuum. Here, we use vacuums with HEPA filters to vacuum the work area to capture the mold spores on the visible surfaces. Antimicrobial Cleaning. This step involves detailed cleaning of the contaminated area with hospital-grade antimicrobial cleaning agents to kill mold growth. Final HEPA Vacuuming & Clean-Up of Work Area. We once again do HEPA vacuuming and perform an antimicrobial wipe-down on surfaces where mold spores may have settled within the work area. QC Check & Customer Sign-Off. In the final step, we do a detailed quality control check and do a walk through with the customer (when they are available) to go over the completed job. Once the customer signs off, we take down containment and clean up the work area. Can mold in the basement affect upstairs? Yes, mold spores can travel from the basement and settle on surfaces in the floors above. The good news though is the upstairs work is almost always far less involved than the steps just described for remediation of the actual basement. The upstairs portion typically involves a wipe down of surfaces with antimicrobials, HEPA vacuuming and the use of HEPA air scrubbers. But there is no need to do demo or extensive work upstairs unless the source of the water problem is actually coming from upstairs (e.g. a bathroom on the first floor that leaks to the basement). How much does basement mold removal cost? Our prices for basement mold removal can be as low as $500 and as high as $5k+. Why the huge range? Because the size and scope of basement jobs can vary considerably. If you have a very small mold problem in just one corner of your basement (and no major water intrusion), this is going to cost considerably less than say a basement with standing water. Please keep in mind that Moldman is typically in the middle of the pack in terms of our pricing. Some contractors might charge way more. Others might charge less but typically they are not going to have the experience (we have been doing this since 2006), the certifications, the 5-star reviews and proper insurance. This last point about insurance is very important. If you hire a contractor that does not have proper insurance for mold work, which is not an everyday insurance that most contractors carry, and one of their workers gets hurt, you potentially could be liable. Further, if they cause damage to your home, their claim may be denied by their insurance since they did not have mold coverage. If you have questions about basement mold remediation or testing, please contact us. We provide Free Quotes and our work is backed by a 10-year transferable warranty.
  • Bathroom Mold Removal & Testing Service
    Moldman provides professional bathroom mold removal and testing. But please note: in most cases, when you have obvious visible bathroom mold, testing is totally unnecessary because the proper way to remove bathroom mold is the same regardless of the type of mold. Further note that in some cases, bathroom mold is not something you need to hire a mold professional to fix. Ok, so when do I need a professional to fix my bathroom mold problem vs when can I fix it myself? First understand that bathroom mold - including black bathroom mold - is probably the most common mold issue in the home because all mold requires water or moisture to form and the bathroom is obviously a great source of water. Take for example, your shower or bath. You often see mold (often black in color but not always) form on the bathtub or shower on the walls and ceiling. Why? Because there is water in plain sight that is not being dried well enough after a bath or shower. If you want to prevent everyday mold you see directly in a shower or bath or in the walls or ceilings (that is NOT caused by a leak) then you must dry out your bathroom very well after using a shower or bath. In other words, you need to make sure your bathroom is well ventilated. Bathroom mold will keep coming back if you clean it but the ventilation remains poor. You need to make sure you have a good working bathroom ceiling vent and/or the ability to open a bathroom window so the water can dry out after using the shower or bath. Along with good ventilation, you also need a product to kill the mold on the tub or shower surface. But the good news is that simple surface mold in the bathroom can be easily treated with over-the-counter mold killers and mold stain removers that you buy at any drug or hardware store. However, if you have a leak behind the wall, it is a different story. Moldman Fixes Mold Problems Caused By Bathroom leaks. Leaks behind bathroom walls typically require a mold professional to fix because you almost always need to open walls to fix the leak and remove mold behind the bathroom walls. Moldman has successfully completed countless bathroom mold jobs caused by leaks since we started in 2006. Our bathroom mold removal process is based on industry accepted practices and is as follows: Containment. This just means sealing off the bathroom and containing the work area. We do this to prevent or limit the mold problem from spreading from the bathroom to other areas of your home or business. HEPA Air Scrubbing. Here, we use air mover machines with HEPA air filters to clean the air and capture the mold spores in the air. HEPA filters can capture 99.97% of all airborne and microscopic mold spores which pass through the filters. Selective Demo. Not all mold problems require demo. But if you have a bathroom leak behind a wall, we will need to open up the walls to not only clean the mold behind the walls, but also ensure that the water problem is fixed. HEPA Vacuum. Here, we use vacuums with HEPA filters to vacuum the work area to capture the mold spores on the visible surfaces. Antimicrobial Cleaning. This step involves detailed cleaning of the contaminated area with hospital-grade antimicrobial cleaning agents all around your bathroom to kill mold growth. Final HEPA Vacuuming & Clean-Up of Work Area. We once again do HEPA vacuuming and perform an antimicrobial wipe-down on surfaces where mold spores may have settled within the work area. QC Check & Customer Sign-Off In the final step, we do a detailed quality control check and do a walk through with the customer (when they are available) to go over the completed job. Once the customer signs off, we take down containment and clean up the work area. Note: Our bathroom mold removal process here is the same, regardless of the type or color of mold you have (e.g. black bathroom mold, white bathroom mold, etc). If you have questions about our process or anything else related to your bathroom mold issue, please contact us. We provide Free Quotes for obvious visible mold and our work is backed by a 10-year transferable warranty.
  • Mold on Walls Removal & Testing Service
    Mold on walls is a common mold issue but we can get rid of it for you. Note: In most cases, when you have obvious visible mold on walls, testing is totally unnecessary because the proper way to remove mold on walls is the same regardless of the type of mold. Learn more below about what causes mold on walls and behind them and our process for fixing your problem. What causes mold on walls or inside of walls? All mold problems, including those on walls and behind them, are caused by a water or moisture issue. Mold can form on walls or anywhere else in as little as 24-48 hours after water or moisture appears. It does not matter if it’s black mold on walls or some other color or type of mold. All mold needs water or moisture form. Thus, the key to mold control is moisture control. In addition, black mold loves growing on drywall because drywall is basically a giant food source. Made up of gypsum (a white, powdery mineral) encased in two layers of soft paper, black mold feeds on the paper as a food source. Drywall also soaks up water like a sponge, stays wet for long periods of time, and is difficult to properly dry. When drywall gets wet, mold usually grows on both sides of the drywall – the side you can see, and the backside that’s behind the wall that you can’t see. Signs of mold in walls Mold on walls is usually pretty easy to spot. But what about behind walls? How can you tell if you have mold behind your walls if you cannot see behind them? What are the signs of mold in or behind walls? Here are some signs that you may have mold behind your walls (some or all may apply to your situation): You see mold on the exterior wall. Mold on exterior walls does not always mean there is mold behind the wall too. But often it is the case, if, for example, there was a plumbing leak or flooding behind the wall where the exterior mold appears. Your basement flooded. Even if you do not see mold on the exterior walls, if you had a flooded basement and you did not completely dry it out very fast (within 24 hours or so), there is a good chance you have mold behind the walls because the water likely got behind the walls. Quick tip: If you have baseboards in your basement, you can gently pull back one of them where there was flooding and see if the back of the baseboards have mold. If they do, there is a good chance (but not always) that there is also mold on the back side of the wall (behind the walls). You have a foundation leak or crack behind the walls. This is ideal for mold behind walls, as the water or moisture collects in a dark damp area behind the walls, creating a great environment for mold to grow. You smell a musty odor but do not see visible mold on exterior walls. Often this is the result of high humidity in say a basement. It is not a guarantee that there is mold inside or behind the walls but often it is a sign that it might be the case. What do you do if none of these scenarios apply to you, but you still suspect mold inside or behind your walls? Moldman Mold Testing for Behind Walls Moldman can test for mold behind your walls if none of the scenarios above apply to your situation. We can do various things to check for mold behind your walls, like make a very tiny hole in your drywall (with your permission) and insert a camera to check for mold behind the walls. We can also use other tools like moisture meters, infrared (available in certain markets) to check for mold behind your walls. Regardless of the techniques we use to check for mold behind your walls, we will also typically take air or direct samples of the livable space (i.e. not behind the walls) to determine if the livable space has abnormal amounts of mold. One final point: Detecting mold behind walls can be tricky and tools are just tools. Ultimately, Moldman’s experience (in business since 2006) and having completed thousands of jobs as a company will allow us a much better chance to detect if you do have mold behind your walls. What is Moldman’s process for removing mold on or behind walls? Our process will vary slightly depending if we are dealing with painted walls vs concrete walls vs mold behind your walls or some combination of the three. But in all cases, we follow industry accepted practices, which generally includes the following steps in most cases: Containment. This just means sealing off and containing the work area where the mold problem is located to prevent or limit the mold from spreading to other areas of your home or business where there is not a mold problem. If it's just a wall or two in say a corner of a closet, we would seal off just this area. But if it's say an entire basement flooded, the entire basement itself may be sealed off from the rest of the house. HEPA Air Scrubbing. Here, we use air mover machines with HEPA air filters to clean the air and capture the mold spores in the air. HEPA filters can capture 99.97% of all airborne and microscopic mold spores which pass through the filters. Selective Demo. Not all mold problems require demo. For example: if we are talking about concrete walls, no demo would be required. But if we are talking about painted walls or drywall that has been impacted by water, typically we need to remove at least the bottom 2-4 feet but only the impacted area (no need to take a wrecking ball to the rest of the room or house). We only remove impacted materials such as drywall that cannot be salvaged. HEPA Vacuum. Here, we use vacuums with HEPA filters to vacuum the work area to capture the mold spores on the visible surfaces. Antimicrobial Cleaning. This step involves detailed cleaning of the contaminated area with hospital-grade antimicrobial cleaning agents to kill mold growth. Final HEPA Vacuuming & Clean-Up of Work Area. We once again do HEPA vacuuming and perform an antimicrobial wipe-down on surfaces where mold spores may have settled within the work area. QC Check & Customer Sign-Off. In the final step, we do a detailed quality control check and do a walk through with the customer (when they are available) to go over the completed job. Once the customer signs off, we take down containment and clean up the work area. If you have questions about our mold on walls removal process here, please contact us. We also provide Free Quotes for obvious visible mold and our work is backed by a 10-Year Warranty.
  • Mold on Wood Removal & Testing Service
    Moldman has years of experience removing mold, including black mold, from wood. Note: In most cases, when you have obvious visible mold on wood, testing is totally unnecessary because the proper way to remove mold on wood is the same regardless of the type of mold. Read below about what causes mold on wood and our process for removing it. What causes mold on wood? Mold on wood is caused by a water or moisture issue. All mold problems in fact, not just mold on wood, are caused by water or moisture issues. Mold can form in as little as 24-48 hours after a water event. Thus the key to mold control is moisture or water control. Moldman’s process for removing mold on wood. Removing mold on wood can be tricky. Most wood in a house is part of the structural framing and is thus a permanent part of the house. Unless the wood has rotted, you almost never need to remove the entire piece of wood itself. So what is our process for removing mold from your wood? Every situation is unique, but generally speaking, our mold remediation process for wood is as follows: Containment. This just means sealing off and containing the work area where the mold problem is located to prevent or limit the mold from spreading to other areas of your home or business where there is not a mold problem. HEPA Air Scrubbing. Here, we use air mover machines with HEPA air filters to clean the air and capture the mold spores in the air. HEPA filters can capture 99.97% of all airborne and microscopic mold spores which pass through the filters. Selective Demo. This is where we’d pull up the carpet to expose the pad that’s underneath. We’d then bag and remove that nasty carpet pad. It’s almost always the source of a “mold on carpet” problem. HEPA Vacuum. Here, we use vacuums with HEPA filters to vacuum the work area to capture the mold spores on the visible surfaces. Antimicrobial Cleaning. This step involves detailed cleaning of the contaminated area with hospital-grade antimicrobial cleaning agents to kill mold growth. Final HEPA Vacuuming & Clean-Up of Work Area. We once again do HEPA vacuuming and perform an antimicrobial wipe-down on surfaces where mold spores may have settled within the work area. QC Check & Customer Sign-Off In the final step, we do a detailed quality control check and do a walk through with the customer (when they are available) to go over the completed job. Once the customer signs off, we take down containment and clean up the work area. Please note: there are various types of wood. Certain woods are easier to remove mold from than others. Further, sometimes mold will stain wood and no amount of remediation or professional heavy duty stain remover (which we use) can remove the stains entirely. But the stain is just a stain after our mold remediation is complete and not actual mold growth. If you have questions about our mold remediation process here, please contact us. We always provide Free Quotes for mold removal and our work is backed by our 10-Year Transferable Warranty.
  • Carpet Mold Removal & Testing Service
    Moldman has years of experience dealing with mold on carpet, including carpet black mold. If your carpet has a funky, musty smell, there’s a good chance that mold or water damage is to blame. There’s also a good chance that there’s a bigger issue to investigate (such as water damage and possible mold behind the walls in that area). Moldman can perform a professional mold inspection with testing to determine the size and scope of the problem and to see if the carpet can be cleaned and saved, or if it should be totally removed. Read below about what causes mold on carpet, including black mold on carpet, and our process for removing it. What causes mold on carpet? Mold on carpet, including black mold on carpet, is caused by a water or moisture issue. All mold problems in fact, not just mold on wood, are caused by water or moisture issues. Mold can form in as little as 24-48 hours after a water event. Thus the key to mold control is moisture or water control. Moldman’s process for removing mold in carpet. Removing mold in carpet can be tricky. The main problem here is the pad that’s underneath the carpet. The pad underneath is basically a giant sponge that absorbs moisture and is usually the source of the mold and odor problem. Carpet pads can almost never be cleaned and saved. They should almost always be removed. But once that’s done, it’s often possible to save the carpet itself through professional carpet cleaning. So what is our process for removing mold in carpet? Every situation is unique, but generally speaking, our mold remediation process for carpet is as follows: Containment. This just means sealing off and containing the work area where the mold problem is located to prevent or limit the mold from spreading to other areas of your home or business where there is not a mold problem. HEPA Air Scrubbing. Here, we use air mover machines with HEPA air filters to clean the air and capture the mold spores in the air. HEPA filters can capture 99.97% of all airborne and microscopic mold spores which pass through the filters. Selective Demo. This is where we’d pull up the carpet to expose the pad that’s underneath. We’d then bag and remove that nasty carpet pad. It’s almost always the source of a “mold on carpet” problem. HEPA Vacuum. Here, we use vacuums with HEPA filters to vacuum the carpet that we’ve saved, as well as the rest of the work area, to capture the mold spores on the visible surfaces. Antimicrobial Cleaning. This step involves detailed cleaning of the contaminated area with hospital-grade antimicrobial cleaning agents to kill mold growth. Final HEPA Vacuuming & Clean-Up of Work Area. We once again do HEPA vacuuming and perform an antimicrobial wipe-down on surfaces where mold spores may have settled within the work area. QC Check & Customer Sign-Off In the final step, we do a detailed quality control check and do a walk through with the customer (when they are available) to go over the completed job. Once the customer signs off, we take down containment and clean up the work area. If you have questions about our mold remediation process here, please contact us. We always provide Free Quotes for mold removal and our work is backed by our 10-Year Transferable Warranty.
  • Water Damage, Mold Removal & Testing Service
    Moldman provides standalone water damage cleanup and dry-out services (when there is no mold). We also provide water damage and mold cleanup when mold appears. Note: In most cases, when you have obvious visible mold from water damage mold, testing is totally unnecessary because the proper way to remove mold is the same regardless of the type of mold. But you might be wondering: Can water damage cause mold? Yes, water damage can cause mold since all mold problems are caused by a water or moisture problem. Mold can form in as little as 24-48 hours after a water or moisture issue or event occurs. Thus, if you want to prevent mold after water damage, you need to act very quickly. The entire area needs to be thoroughly dried out within 24-48 hours and the source of the water intrusion needs to be fixed to prevent mold from appearing. Does home insurance cover mold from water damage? The answer is: It depends. Mold is typically excluded in most insurance policies or there might be a small limit. However, water damage is often covered. But every policy is different and yours might include both water damage and mold cleanup. So depending on the scope of the work and your particular insurance coverage, the job might be covered. We can work with you and your insurance provider to determine if the water damage and possible mold is covered by your policy. If you have water damage with or without mold, please contact us. We provide Free Quotes and our work is backed by a 10-year transferable warranty.
  • Commercial Mold Remediation & Testing Service
    Since our founding in 2006, Moldman has successfully completed commercial mold remediation jobs in a variety of contexts, from large hotels to retail stores and everything else in between. We understand how important it is for a commercial establishment to keep their doors open for business. We know how important it is to address commercial mold problems fast to not only minimize business disruption and loss of potential revenues, but also in order to keep your customers happy and workers protected and safe. Since mold can form in as little as 24-48 hours after a water event, it is important to act quickly to minimize damage. We also do commercial mold testing. But please note that in most cases, when you have obvious visible mold, testing is unnecessary because the proper way to remove mold is the same regardless of the type of mold. What causes mold in your commercial establishment? Every situation is different, but all mold problems are caused by a water or moisture problem. The water problem must be fixed, along with doing the mold remediation, to ensure mold does not return. Our Commercial Mold Remediation Process. We take extra care when performing mold remediation in commercial spaces. We work as discreetly as possible, and often know it requires working during off hours when the commercial establishment is closed or not busy. The size and scope of a mold remediation job will vary depending on the property and problem. But regardless of the property or mold problem, we always follow the same industry process, as follows: Containment. This just means sealing off and containing the work area where the mold problem is located to prevent or limit the mold from spreading to other areas of your home or business where there is not a mold problem. HEPA Air Scrubbing. Here, we use air mover machines with HEPA air filters to clean the air and capture the mold spores in the air. HEPA filters can capture 99.97% of all airborne and microscopic mold spores which pass through the filters. Selective Demo. Not all mold problems require demo. But when it is required, we focus only on removing impacted materials such as drywall that cannot be salvaged. HEPA Vacuum. Here, we use vacuums with HEPA filters to vacuum the work area to capture the mold spores on the visible surfaces. Antimicrobial Cleaning. This step involves detailed cleaning of the contaminated area with hospital-grade antimicrobial cleaning agents to kill mold growth. Final HEPA Vacuuming & Clean-Up of Work Area. We once again do HEPA vacuuming and perform an antimicrobial wipe-down on surfaces where mold spores may have settled within the work area. QC Check & Customer Sign-Off In the final step, we do a detailed quality control check and do a walk through with the customer (when they are available) to go over the completed job. Once the customer signs off, we take down containment and clean up the work area. If you have a commercial mold problem, please contact us. We provide Free Quotes and our work is backed by a 10-year transferable warranty. Call 573-321-1401 for a Free Commercial Mold Removal Quote
  • All Other Mold Removal & Testing Services
    Above we describe specific services we offer that address the most common mold scenarios we see. But please note that we handle ALL mold problems, of any type, color, location, and whether it’s in residential, commercial, etc. We provide Free Quotes for obvious visible mold and all of our work is backed by a 10-year warranty. And we also offer mold testing in all scenarios. ​ ​

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Frequently Asked Questions About Mold Removal in Lake and McHenry County

What services do you offer?


All other mold removal & testing

Attic mold removal

Basement mold removal

Bathroom mold removal

Biohazard Cleanup

Black mold testing, inspections and removal

Carpet mold removal

Commercial Mold Remediation

Crawl space mold removal

Mold on walls removal

Mold on wood removal 

Mold testing, inspections and detection

Mold removal, remediation & abatement 

Water damage and mold removal

White, green, orange, pink & all colors mold removal


What is your process for mold removal?

Professional mold removal is a careful, step-by-step process involving the use of specialized equipment and cleaning agents.  There are many details involved in doing this process correctly. But the overall process can be broken down into some general steps, as follows:


1. Containment. Contain the work area to prevent cross-contamination of mold spores to non-affected areas of the building.


2. HEPA Air Scrubbing. Clean the air using commercial-grade and industrial-strength air scrubbing machines. These machines use what are known as HEPA filters, which are designed to capture 99.97% of all airborne and microscopic mold spores which pass through the filters.  This process helps to improve air quality in the room(s) where the air scrubbers are placed and prevent mold spores from circulating to other rooms.


3. Selective Demo. Carefully remove the negatively impacted building materials. Focus is on controlled demo and removal in order to prevent kicking and stirring up additional mold spores as much as possible.


4. HEPA Vacuum. Vacuum the contaminated area using what are known as HEPA filters, which are designed to capture 99.97% of all airborne and microscopic mold spores which pass through the filters.


5. Antimicrobial Cleaning. Clean the contaminated area with hospital-grade antimicrobial cleaning agents to kill mold growth.


6. Final HEPA Vacuuming & Clean-Up of Work Area. The final step involves HEPA vacuuming and performing an antimicrobial wipe-down on surfaces where mold spores may have settled within the work area.  Once the job has been double-checked for quality, containment is taken down and the customer has been informed of a successful remediation.


What is black mold?

Black mold is the common name for a certain type of mold called “Stachybotrys,” which is thought to be particularly harmful to a person’s health.


Many of us have heard of the dangers of “toxic black mold” and may worry about black mold poisoning, but the truth is that black mold is a much more manageable problem than you might expect. When you understand what you’re dealing with, you can make informed choices to keep yourself and your loved ones healthy. We’re here to cut through the mess and help you understand what having black mold in your home may mean, and give you some tips on how to fix the problem yourself and save big money in the process.


Is black mold dangerous?

It can be, but the majority of black mold situations we see are nothing to panic about. The truth is, many people aren’t negatively affected by mold. However, mold can cause allergies in some people who are sensitive to mold. In these cases, it can make their lives miserable. Mold can also cause severe medical issues with a small percentage of people who have other health complications. Many of us have heard of the dangers of “toxic black mold” and may worry about black mold poisoning, but the truth is that black mold is a much more manageable problem than you might expect. If you’ve seen a concerning growth in your home or been told that you have a black mold issue, you probably have a lot of questions.


What is included in your Mold Inspection with Testing service?


A full assessment of the home. We are looking for not only mold but also water damage because mold requires water or moisture to grow.  We use specialized equipment like moisture meters and/or infrared cameras to check for water damage in hidden places like behind walls.


We also include 2 indoor samples in our Standard Mold Inspection. Indoor samples may be air samples, surface samples, or a combination of both.


Samples are FedExed overnight to a 3rd party lab. The Lab take 1-2 business days to process the samples once they receive them.


We email you a copy of the lab results and a written inspection report 2-3 business days after your Inspection appointment. In our written report, we document what we found during the inspection and we explain the lab results in plain English so you can understand what they mean.


If our Inspection and lab results determine that there is a mold issue, we can also fix the mold problem. In these cases, your written report will also include a Free Quote to fix the problem. If you hire Moldman to fix the mold issue, we will deduct the cost of the inspection from the Quote price.


Note to customers: We use the terms “Mold Inspection” and “Mold Testing” interchangeably and they mean the same thing here.


Do I need a professional for my mold problem?

In short, usually not! Because, remember the saying: “no mold, no matter what color, belongs in a healthy home.” And that is good news because a professional mold inspection with testing can run anywhere from $300-$750. In most cases where mold is clearly visible, knowing exactly what type of mold you have is unnecessary. We advise most of our clients to forgo the inspection process and just apply that money saved to the cost of fixing the problem. The EPA agrees that mold testing isn’t necessary in most cases.


There are exceptions, however, such as when a mold inspection with testing is required as part of a real estate sale or if you require “proof” that a mold problem is present, such as for a legal dispute. If you think you may have a mold problem, but aren’t sure, then we recommend formal testing from a professional. And if you require clearance testing to verify an “all clear” after a mold problem is fixed, then professional mold testing is necessary.


How did I get mold?

Like any other living thing, mold needs food and water to thrive. Mold problems start when a mold spore (tiny, invisible “mold seed”) that’s floating in the air lands on a wet piece of organic material (such as wet wood or drywall), takes root and starts to multiply. Mold spores are everywhere in the air, including in the cleanest of homes.


How much does a mold inspection cost?

In situations, however, where a mold inspection is actually needed (e.g. you suspect there is mold but cannot see any obvious problem or you need written proof of a mold problem), each location is different, but will typically range between $300 to $500 for a mold inspection for 2 indoor samples and 1 outdoor control sample, with each additional sample costing $25-$50. Most of the time though extra samples are not needed, and when they are it is rare that you need more than 1-2 extra.


How much does mold remediation cost?

In our industry, you can sometimes get a very wide range of quotes. This can happen for any number of reasons - for example,  someone is not a mold professional and does not have the proper mold insurance (which is an expensive specialty insurance that is harder to obtain and must be added to a general liability policy). In other cases, some companies are used to charging insurance rates but in many cases mold might not be covered by your insurance policy.


But as far as what Moldman charges, we are typically in the middle of the pack when compared to other mold companies with the proper insurance and similar level of expertise and experience (we’ve been doing this since 2006). 


Our prices are almost always in the middle of the pack for the industry and local market (not the lowest nor the highest). But we always provide a no-obligation quote, free of charge if you've got an obvious, visible mold problem.


What does Moldman use to kill mold?

Moldman uses cleaning agents that are specifically made for professional mold remediation.  "Green" cleaning agents are also available, upon request.


Can mold come back after remediation?

Mold can (and likely will) come back after remediation if the underlying water/moisture source isn’t also fixed.  We will try and identify the cause of the underlying moisture issue, and in many cases we can fix this problem as well.  To ensure 100% customer satisfaction, each of our mold removal jobs is guaranteed by a 10-year transferable warranty.

Contact us today to schedule a free estimate or mold inspection with testing.

CALL (847) 780-2844

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