Six services, and an honest read on which one you need
Every page below explains the mechanism, not just the offer — what causes the problem in South Florida specifically, what the work involves, and where the industry cuts corners.
Fiberglass duct board plenum interior. Cleaning does not restore a colonized fiber mat.
What runs through all six
The services are separate because the work is, but the method underneath them does not change. Find the water first, because growth is a symptom and the moisture source is what decides the scope and the cost. Contain the area before disturbing anything, because disturbing growth without containment is how one room becomes four. Remove what is porous rather than treating it, because no chemical restores material that growth has gone into. Then have somebody independent confirm it worked.
That last step is the one that makes the rest verifiable, and it is why mold inspection and testing sits on this list alongside the removal work even though Florida will not let one company do both on the same property.
Two pairs people mix up
The first two cost real money to get wrong, and neither is obvious from the names. The third is not a pair at all, and it is the one most likely to save you a call.
- Air duct cleaning vs. HVAC mold remediationDuct cleaning is hygiene: removing accumulated dust and debris from a system that is otherwise sound. HVAC mold remediation is removal: the coil, the pan, the blower, and usually a colonized plenum that has to be replaced rather than cleaned. If growth is at the coil, cleaning the ducts leaves the source running upstream of everything you just paid for. The tell is the smell — if it tracks with the air conditioning cycle, start at the equipment, not the ductwork.
- Inspection and testing vs. remediationInspection answers what is happening and why. Remediation removes it. They are separately licensed in Florida and one company is restricted from doing both on the same property, which is not red tape — it is what stops the company being paid to remove mold from also being the one deciding how much there is. If you are being offered both in one quote, that is the thing to ask about. Why one company cannot do both is the shortest version of the reason.
- And one that is not a pair at allGrowth on an exterior wall is usually neither. Most of what grows on South Florida stucco and roof tile is algae rather than mold, and the fix is a pruning saw and a sprinkler head. Read this before booking anything.
A short way to figure out where to start
- You can smell it when the AC runsStart with HVAC and AC mold remediation. A smell that tracks with the air conditioning cycle is coming from the equipment or the ducts, not from a room.
- You can see it on a wall or ceilingStart with mold remediation. If there is a dark ring specifically around an AC register, read the HVAC page too — that is a condensation pattern, not a roof leak.
- Something is wet right nowWater damage and mold cleanup, today. The window between a water loss and a mold job is about two days in this climate.
- You have symptoms but cannot find anythingMold inspection and testing. That is the case where sampling genuinely earns its cost, because you need to know whether there is an interior source at all.
- You are buying a houseMold inspection and testing, from an independent licensed assessor. A standard home inspection is not a mold assessment and most inspectors say so in their own report.
- Somebody quoted you duct cleaningRead the duct cleaning page before you buy it. We turn that work down regularly, and the page explains when it is worth doing and when it is not.
Tell us what you are seeing and we will tell you what it is
We come out, look at what is happening, and write you a scope you could hand to another company. Walkthrough rather than assessment on purpose — assessment is the separately licensed job we refer out. If it turns out you do not need remediation, we will say so — that is the most useful thing we can tell you.