You Found Mold.
Here's What Actually Happens Next.
Professional mold remediation from someone who'll tell you the truth — including whether you even need me.
I'm Phil Sheridan. IICRC certified. Hundreds of completed jobs across OKC and Edmond. I answer my own phone, I drive the truck, and I bring the equipment.
You Already Know Something's Wrong
You just found something dark behind the wall. Maybe behind the vanity. Maybe under the kitchen sink. Your first thought was "that's mold." Your second thought was "how bad is this?" Your third thought was either "is this going to cost me everything?" or "maybe if I close the cabinet it'll go away."
I've had this exact conversation hundreds of times. The spot behind the wall, the musty smell that won't quit, the midnight Google spiral that ended with you on this page. I know where your head is right now.
So here's what I'm going to do: I'm going to tell you exactly what mold is, how we get rid of it, what it costs, and — honestly — whether you even need someone like me. No scare tactics. No "CALL NOW BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE." Just the truth.
I'm Phil Sheridan. I own 4D Restoration. IICRC certified. Hundreds of completed mold and water damage jobs across OKC and Edmond. I answer my own phone, I drive the truck, and I bring the equipment. Learn more about my background. Let's talk about your mold.
Mold Isn't Evil. It's Just Hungry.
Every mold remediation company wants you scared. I'd rather you were informed.
Here's what mold actually is: it's a fungus that found a water source in your house and got comfortable. That's it. It's not toxic waste. It's not a sentence on your home. It's biology doing what biology does when moisture sits too long.
The mold itself is the symptom. The moisture source is the actual problem.
That's the part most companies skip. They spray the mold, send you a bill, and leave without fixing the leak. Two weeks later, the mold is back and they want to charge you again. I don't do that.
We start with moisture, not mold. Find the water source. Fix it. Then remove the mold. Then verify it's gone. In that order. Because if I remove the mold but the slow leak behind your shower is still dripping, I haven't fixed anything — I've just delayed the problem.
Mold usually starts with water damage. If you've had a leak, a flood, or a burst pipe, that's where the mold story begins. Learn more about water damage restoration →
What Happens When You Call Me (Step by Step)
Nobody calls a mold remediation company for fun. You call because you've got a problem and you want to know — in plain English — what happens next. Here's exactly how this works:
Step 1: Inspection & Identification
I show up with a moisture meter and a FLIR thermal camera. The camera sees moisture inside your walls — it's like X-ray vision for wet sheetrock. Within 15 minutes, I'll know whether you have a mold problem, how extensive it is, and where the water is coming from.
Sometimes I find a slow leak behind a refrigerator you didn't even know about. Sometimes I find cosmetic staining that looks scary but isn't mold at all. Either way, you'll know. And if you don't need me, I'll tell you that too.
Step 2: Containment & Air Safety
Before I touch a single piece of drywall, we seal off the affected area. Heavy plastic sheeting, tape, and negative air pressure — so mold spores can't drift into the rest of your house during removal. HEPA air scrubbers run the entire time. They catch 99.97% of airborne particles.
I'll be honest — I spend more time taping off containment barriers than most people spend wrapping Christmas presents. My brother thinks I have a problem. He's probably right. But containment is everything. Skip this step and you turn a one-room problem into a whole-house problem.
Step 3: Targeted Removal & Cleaning
We physically remove the mold. Not just spray it — remove it. Contaminated drywall gets cut out. Wood studs get HEPA-vacuumed and treated with EPA-approved antimicrobials (botanical-based — they smell like thyme, not bleach). Non-porous surfaces like tile and concrete get scrubbed until the particle count reads zero.
This is the loud, messy part. Industrial-grade fans and scrubbers running at full blast. It's not peaceful. But it's the part where the problem actually goes away.
Step 4: Prevention & Follow-Up
We fix the moisture source. If it's a plumbing leak, we repair it or coordinate with a plumber. If it's a ventilation issue, we address it. We verify everything with final moisture readings — and I leave you with a documentation packet: before-and-after photos, daily moisture logs, treatment records. For your files and your insurance company. The drying process follows the same structural drying protocols we use on all water damage jobs.
Because the job isn't done when the mold is gone. The job is done when the moisture is gone and I can show you the numbers that prove it.
Three Things the Internet Got Wrong About Mold
Myth 1: "Bleach kills mold."
Bleach kills surface mold on tile and glass. That's where its job ends. On porous materials like drywall and wood? The bleach evaporates. The water soaks into the material. The mold roots survive underneath. You've basically just fed the mold a drink and made the surface look clean.
There's a reason every IICRC-trained professional will tell you to put the Clorox down. Bleach is for countertops. Mold remediation is for professionals with HEPA vacuums, negative air pressure, and antimicrobials designed for porous surfaces.
Tried bleach and it came back? Here's why it happened and what actually works →
Myth 2: "If I can't see it, it's not there."
Mold's favorite hiding spots: behind drywall, under flooring, inside wall cavities, behind vanities, inside ductwork. The mold you can't see is usually more extensive than the mold you can. A musty smell without a visible source? That's what the thermal camera is for.
I've pulled vanities off bathroom walls and found 20 square feet of growth behind them. The homeowner had no idea — they just thought the bathroom smelled "old." Hidden mold is the most common scenario I encounter, and it's the reason we never skip the thermal scan.
Wondering what hidden mold actually looks like? Learn more about our inspection process →
Myth 3: "All black mold is deadly toxic."
The internet has turned "black mold" into a horror movie villain. Here's the reality: Stachybotrys chartarum (that's the scientific name everyone's afraid of) exists, and it does produce mycotoxins. But most dark-colored mold isn't Stachybotrys. Many common molds are dark, including Cladosporium and Aspergillus. And even when it IS Stachybotrys, the response is the same — containment, removal, moisture correction.
Don't panic. Do act. The color of the mold doesn't change how we remove it. The extent and the moisture source are what determine the scope of the project.
Worried about black mold specifically? Get the full breakdown →
Why Most People Wait (And Why That's OK)
I'll tell you something most mold companies won't: a lot of people wait. They see a spot, they Google it, they think "maybe it'll go away." Some people wait weeks. Some wait months. By the time they call me, they've been carrying the guilt of not acting sooner.
Here's what I tell every single one of them: you called. That's the hardest step. The mold doesn't care when you called — and neither do I. We start from where we are.
Mold doesn't care how clean your house is. It cares about moisture. You could be the neatest person in Oklahoma and still get mold from one slow leak behind a refrigerator. It's not a judgment on your housekeeping. It's just biology meeting humidity.
And if you tried to handle it yourself first? Good for you. Seriously. Most people try bleach or Concrobium before they call a pro. It's the logical first move. If it didn't work, that doesn't mean you failed — it means the problem needs equipment you don't have. That's a chemistry problem, not a you problem.
I Don't Have Stock Photos. I Have Photos of Real Messes I Fixed.
You've probably got 4 other tabs open right now. They all say "certified professionals" and "state-of-the-art equipment" and "100% satisfaction guaranteed." They all have stock photos of smiling guys in clean uniforms holding clipboards.
Here's what I have:
- IICRC certification. That's the industry standard. I earned it, I maintain it, and I use it on every job.
- Hundreds of completed jobs across Edmond, OKC, Norman, and everywhere my truck can drive in 45 minutes.
- A 5-star Google rating. Not from my mom — from your neighbors.
- Veteran-owned. U.S. Army, 6 years, Afghanistan. Service-Disabled Veteran. Not a franchise. Not a corporate number. Just me, my brother, and our crew.
- I use Xactimate — the same software your insurance adjuster uses. My documentation speaks their language.
I answer my own phone. I show up at your house. And if I do a bad job, I have to see you at the grocery store. That's my quality guarantee.
Does Insurance Cover Mold?
It depends. Here's the honest breakdown:
Usually covered: Mold that resulted from a sudden, covered event — a burst pipe, a dishwasher malfunction, a storm-related water intrusion. If the water damage was covered, the mold that grew from it is typically covered too.
Usually not covered: Mold from long-term humidity, poor ventilation, or deferred maintenance. Slow leaks that went unaddressed for months. Most Oklahoma homeowner's policies cap mold coverage or exclude it entirely for "neglect" claims.
Either way, I help. I document everything — photos, moisture readings, Xactimate line items — so your adjuster has what they need. I've done this enough times to know what they want to see and how they want to see it. You don't need to figure out insurance on your own.
What Your House Looks Like When We're Done
Three weeks from now, you're going to walk into that bathroom. You're going to look behind the vanity — nothing. You're going to sniff the air — nothing. You're going to check the moisture readings I left you — bone dry.
The inspector who comes for the resale in five years? He shines his flashlight behind that wall and checks the box marked "Pass." That's the work I'm doing today.
Your documentation packet sits in a folder: initial readings, daily logs, final numbers, before-and-after photos. Every claim substantiated. Every surface verified. Every number documented.
That's what professional mold remediation looks like when it's done right. Not "it looks clean." Done right means the moisture source is fixed, the affected material is removed, the air has been scrubbed, and the numbers prove it.
The Questions Everyone Asks (Including the Embarrassing Ones)
admin@4d : ~/faq $ query --id=01 "How much does mold remediation actually cost in Oklahoma?" ▶ ENTER
Honest answer: I can't give you a number without seeing it. And anyone who does is guessing. Mold remediation costs depend on the affected area's size, the materials involved, how long the moisture has been sitting, and what the moisture source is. What I can tell you: the assessment is free. I'll come look, tell you exactly what you're dealing with, and give you a written scope with real numbers. No surprises.
admin@4d : ~/faq $ query --id=02 "My insurance company says mold isn't covered — is that true?" ▶ ENTER
Maybe. Most Oklahoma policies do cover mold IF it resulted from a covered event (burst pipe, storm damage, appliance failure). Mold from long-term humidity or deferred maintenance? Usually excluded. But here's the thing — insurance companies say "no" as a first move. I document everything in Xactimate, the same platform your adjuster uses. Properly documented claims get approved more often than you'd think.
admin@4d : ~/faq $ query --id=03 "I used bleach on the mold and it came back — why didn't that work?" ▶ ENTER
Because bleach can't penetrate porous materials. On tile or glass, bleach kills surface mold just fine. On drywall or wood, the liquid evaporates, the water component actually feeds the mold roots underneath the surface. The surface looks clean. Below the surface, the mold is thriving. You need antimicrobials designed for porous substrates, HEPA vacuuming, and — most importantly — the removal of contaminated material. That's what professional remediation does that bleach can't.
admin@4d : ~/faq $ query --id=04 "What's the difference between mold remediation and mold removal?" ▶ ENTER
"Mold removal" implies getting rid of every single mold spore. That's impossible — mold spores are everywhere, naturally, in every house. "Mold remediation" means returning mold levels to normal, safe concentrations AND fixing the moisture source so the problem doesn't recur. I remediate. That means I remove the visible growth, treat the affected materials, correct the moisture, and verify the results. That's a complete fix — not just a cosmetic one.
admin@4d : ~/faq $ query --id=05 "Is all black mold dangerous, or is the internet exaggerating?" ▶ ENTER
The internet is exaggerating. Stachybotrys chartarum — the "toxic black mold" — does produce mycotoxins. But most dark-colored mold isn't Stachybotrys. The color tells you almost nothing about the species or the health risk. What matters is the extent of the growth, the moisture source, and whether you're experiencing symptoms. The remediation protocol is the same regardless of species: contain, remove, clean, fix the moisture, verify. <a href='/services/mold-removal/black-mold/'>Read our full black mold breakdown</a>.
admin@4d : ~/faq $ query --id=06 "Can mold grow behind walls where I can't see it?" ▶ ENTER
It's the most common scenario I encounter. Mold needs moisture, organic material (wood, drywall paper), and time. A slow plumbing leak behind a wall gives mold all three — invisibly. Signs of hidden mold: musty smell without visible source, water stains on walls or ceilings, warped or bubbling paint, allergic symptoms that get worse at home. I use thermal imaging and moisture meters to find what your eyes can't. <a href='/services/mold-removal/inspection/'>Learn about the inspection process</a>.
admin@4d : ~/faq $ query --id=07 "How long does professional mold remediation take?" ▶ ENTER
Depends on scope. A contained bathroom project: 1-3 days. Multiple rooms or extensive wall cavity involvement: 3-7 days. Large-scale projects involving structural components: 1-2 weeks. If post-remediation air testing is warranted, add 2-3 business days for lab results. I'm thorough, not fast. Rushing mold remediation is how you end up calling a mold remediation company again.
admin@4d : ~/faq $ query --id=08 "Will you have to rip out my walls to get rid of the mold?" ▶ ENTER
Not always. Non-porous surfaces (tile, concrete, metal) can usually be cleaned and treated in place. Porous materials (drywall, insulation, untreated wood) that show heavy contamination or have been wet for extended periods generally need to be removed. I show you exactly what stays and what goes — and I don't remove anything that doesn't need removing. Unnecessary demolition costs you money. I'm not in the demolition business.
admin@4d : ~/faq $ query --id=09 "How do you know all the mold is actually gone when you're done?" ▶ ENTER
Three things: visual inspection confirms all visible mold is removed. Moisture readings confirm the affected areas are below target thresholds (typically 15% or lower for wood, 1% or lower for drywall). And when warranted, post-remediation air testing by a third-party lab provides independent confirmation. I show you the numbers. You don't have to take my word for it — the data speaks.
admin@4d : ~/faq $ query --id=10 "What should I do RIGHT NOW if I just found mold in my house?" ▶ ENTER
First: don't disturb it. No scrubbing, no spraying, no fans pointed at it (that spreads spores). If the mold is near your HVAC system, turn off the air handler to prevent circulation. Don't seal off the room — that can create negative pressure issues. Then: call me, or text me a photo. I can usually tell you a lot from a photo — whether it's likely mold, approximately how serious it is, and what your next step should be. My number is 405-896-9088. I text back. If the mold started from a recent water event, you may also need <a href='/services/water-damage/emergency-water-removal/'>emergency water removal</a>.
Still Have Questions? Good. Ask Me.
Call, Text, or Send Me a Photo.
I tell people the truth — including the truth that sometimes they don't need me. Free assessment. No obligation. Just answers.
"They do exactly what they say. So professional!"
— M.R., Norman, OK
"They showed up very quickly, explained everything clearly, took great photos and notes for insurance."
— Brittany Venable