Mold & Mildew Cleanup in Forest Park, GA

Mildew in Forest Park homes

Forest Park is a northern Clayton County city of about 19,900 people, around 9 miles from Atlanta, crossed by I-75, I-285 and US 41. Clayton County was placed under a state of emergency during the September 2009 floods. Most mildew calls here have nothing to do with flooding, though; they come from bathrooms, closets and rooms where summer humidity has nowhere to go.

What to do today

1. Open the room up: run the bath fan, crack the closet door and set a box fan to move air.
2. Check for water: look under sinks, around the toilet base and at the AC closet for drips or a full drain pan.
3. Put on gloves, goggles and an N-95 respirator.
4. Wash hard surfaces with detergent and water; never mix bleach with ammonia.
5. Dry everything, then keep humidity under 60 percent with AC or a dehumidifier.
6. Throw out porous items that still smell after washing.

If you clean and the stain returns within a few weeks, stop scrubbing. Repeated cleaning of growth that is fed from behind a wall only lightens the surface. At that point a moisture meter reading, either from a company or a home model, tells you whether the wall itself is wet. Keep a dated photo of each cleaning so you can show how fast the problem returns.

Signs and likely causes

Cost factors

Angi's Atlanta cost guide reports bathroom mold work at about $587 to $1,174, with larger areas at roughly $12 to $29 per square foot. Cost rises when drywall or flooring must be removed or when a leak repair is added. Forest Park's Planning & Community Development office issues building, plumbing and HVAC permits for repairs, and the city runs a Residential Rental Dwelling Unit Inspection and Maintenance Program that renters can ask about if a landlord leaves a leak unrepaired.