That Smell in the Attic.
I'll Tell You What It Is.
No scare tactics. Just answers.
Professional attic and crawl space mold remediation across Edmond and OKC.
You've been noticing it for a while. Maybe it's a musty smell when you open the attic hatch. Maybe the crawl space has smelled damp since you moved in and you figured that was just how crawl spaces smelled.
Most people don't go in their attic unless they're getting Christmas decorations. And almost nobody crawls under their house voluntarily. So when something starts growing up there — or down there — it can go unnoticed for months.
That's not a failure. That's normal.
If you've been putting this off, you're in good company. Most of the attic and crawl space jobs I do start the same way: somebody noticed a smell, Googled it, thought about calling someone, didn't, Googled it again three weeks later, and then finally reached out.
You're here now. Let's figure out what you're dealing with. A free mold inspection is the fastest way to get answers.
What's Happening in Your Attic
Attic mold usually isn't dramatic — no flooded floors, no visible destruction. It's quiet. Dark staining on the underside of the roof deck. A musty smell that shows up when it's warm. Insulation that feels damp when you touch it.
Here's what's usually causing it:
Moisture with nowhere to go. Your attic needs ventilation — air coming in through soffits and leaving through a ridge vent or gable vent. When that airflow gets blocked (insulation covering soffit vents is the one I see most), moisture from inside your house gets trapped. In Oklahoma, where August afternoons push attic temperatures past 130 degrees and monsoon rains dump humidity overnight, that trapped moisture condenses on the underside of the roof deck. Condensation on wood, in the dark, month after month — that's how it starts.
Bathroom fans venting into the attic. If your home was built in the '60s or '70s — and a lot of Edmond and OKC homes were — there's a solid chance your bathroom exhaust fan doesn't vent outside. It vents straight into the attic. Every hot shower pushes warm, wet air directly onto cold roof sheathing. That's not a design flaw by today's standards. It's just how they used to build.
Roof leaks you can't see. A small leak around a vent boot or a cracked pipe collar can drip onto insulation for months without ever reaching the ceiling below. By the time you notice it, the plywood has been wet long enough for mold to establish.
The musty smell you're noticing? That's called an MVOC — a microbial volatile organic compound. It's the chemical signature mold releases as it digests organic material. Your nose is catching what your eyes can't see. That doesn't necessarily mean it's everywhere. It means something is producing that chemistry, and I can find where. If the growth appears dark or black, read about what black mold actually means before you panic.
What's Happening Under Your House
Crawl space mold is a different animal. The moisture source is usually coming from below — ground water wicking up through soil, through the foundation, and into the air between the floor joists.
Missing or damaged vapor barriers. A good crawl space has a polyethylene vapor barrier covering the soil. It stops ground moisture from evaporating into the space. A lot of older Oklahoma homes either have no barrier, or it's been torn, shifted, or had holes punched through it by plumbers and electricians over the years.
Oklahoma's red clay holds water against your foundation. After a good spring rain, that clay stays saturated for days. If your grading pushes water toward the foundation instead of away from it, the crawl space stays wet.
Soft floors are a diagnostic clue. If the hardwood or subfloor in your hallway has a little give — a slight bounce when you walk on it — that usually means moisture has been wicking up from the crawl space into the floor joists. It doesn't mean the floor is going to collapse. It means moisture has been there a while, and the wood is absorbing it. This kind of prolonged moisture is the same problem we address with structural drying on water damage jobs.
And if you have a storm shelter in or adjacent to your crawl space — which a lot of Oklahoma homes do — it's worth checking. No ventilation, ground moisture wicking through concrete walls, dark year-round. That's everything mold needs. It's Tornado Alley. Everyone has a shelter. Almost nobody checks it for mold.
What It Looks Like When I Show Up
Here's the process. No surprises.
Step 1 — Assessment
I come to your house, bring my tools, and look at the affected space. In an attic, that means climbing up into whatever your attic looks like — vaulted, flat-roofed, knee-wall, cathedral ceiling. I bring a thermal imaging camera to see where moisture is concentrating, and a moisture meter to get readings on the wood. I map everything.
I'll be honest — attic work in Oklahoma summers is brutal. I've taken thermal readings in attics where the ambient air was 135 degrees and the FLIR was so hot I had to let it cool down between scans. But that heat is exactly why attic mold happens here. The temperature differential between a scorching roof deck and air-conditioned living space below creates conditions most other states don't deal with.
Step 2 — Scope and Quote
After the assessment, I tell you exactly what I found. If it's minor surface growth that a good HEPA vacuum and a dehumidifier can handle, I'll tell you that. If it needs professional remediation, I'll explain what the job involves, how long it takes, and what it costs. Written scope. No surprises during the job.
Step 3 — Containment and Remediation
For remediation jobs, I seal off the affected area — 6-mil polyethylene sheeting, taped edges, negative air pressure so spores can't migrate to the rest of the house. The source moisture gets addressed (ventilation correction, vapor barrier repair, leak fix). The mold gets physically removed. Surfaces get treated with EPA-registered antimicrobials. Air scrubbers run until the particle count reads clean. The full remediation process is the same whether it's an attic, crawl space, or living area.
Step 4 — Verification
I take post-remediation moisture readings to confirm the wood is dry. If you want third-party clearance testing, I'll coordinate that. You get documentation showing where the moisture was, what was done, and what the readings look like now.
Why This Keeps Happening in Oklahoma
Oklahoma makes attic and crawl space mold easy.
August heat waves cook your attic past 130 degrees during the day. Then monsoon rains roll in and dump humidity overnight. That heat-moisture combination condenses on the underside of the roof deck — the same way a cold glass sweats on a humid day. Multiply that cycle across an entire Oklahoma summer and the roof sheathing stays damp enough for mold to colonize.
Under the house, the story is clay. Oklahoma's red clay soil holds water against your foundation like a sponge. Spring rains overwhelm crawl space drainage. Pier-and-beam homes — especially those built before modern vapor barrier standards — get hit the hardest.
I remediate attic and crawl space mold across Edmond and OKC year-round. The busiest months are September and October, when homeowners notice the smell that's been building all summer. Here's my background and certifications.
The Questions I Hear Most
admin@4d : ~/faq $ query --id=01 "I've been smelling something musty in my attic for months. Is it definitely mold?" ▶ ENTER
Probably, but not always. That musty smell is typically an MVOC — a chemical compound that mold releases as it grows. But old insulation, dead animals, and moisture-damaged wood can produce similar smells. The only way to know for sure is a visual assessment combined with moisture readings. I'll come look at no charge and tell you what I find.
admin@4d : ~/faq $ query --id=02 "Can I clean mold off my attic rafters myself?" ▶ ENTER
If the affected area is smaller than about 10 square feet and you can safely access it, yes — a HEPA vacuum, proper PPE, and an antimicrobial solution can handle surface growth. The challenge is that attic wood is porous. Surface cleaning doesn't reach mold roots that have penetrated into the grain. For anything larger than a small patch, or anything on the roof deck itself, professional remediation is more effective and safer.
admin@4d : ~/faq $ query --id=03 "Does homeowners insurance cover mold in an attic or crawl space?" ▶ ENTER
It depends on the cause. If the mold resulted from a covered event — a sudden pipe burst, storm damage, an appliance failure — your policy typically covers remediation, subject to your deductible and any mold coverage limits (often $1,000 to $10,000). If the mold resulted from long-term maintenance issues like poor ventilation or a slow leak you didn't address, most policies exclude it. I document everything either way so you have what you need for a claim if it applies. If the mold started from a <a href='/services/water-damage/'>water damage event</a>, we handle both the moisture and the mold.
admin@4d : ~/faq $ query --id=04 "My crawl space smells musty and the floors upstairs feel soft. Are those connected?" ▶ ENTER
Almost certainly. When moisture from the crawl space wicks up through the floor joists and into the subfloor, the wood absorbs it. Over time, the wood softens — you feel it as a slight bounce or give underfoot. The musty smell and the soft spot are two symptoms of the same moisture problem. It doesn't mean the floor is failing. It means the moisture has been there long enough to reach the subfloor.
admin@4d : ~/faq $ query --id=05 "How much does mold remediation in an attic or crawl space usually cost?" ▶ ENTER
Attic mold remediation typically runs between $1,000 and $7,000 depending on the size of the affected area, the type of mold, accessibility, and whether the moisture source needs repair. Crawl space remediation ranges from $500 to $3,000 for similar reasons. I can't give you a meaningful number without seeing the space — anyone who quotes mold remediation over the phone is guessing. My assessment is free.
admin@4d : ~/faq $ query --id=06 "We bought our house recently and I think there was mold in the attic before we moved in. What do I do?" ▶ ENTER
Start with an assessment to confirm what you're looking at. If mold was present before the sale and wasn't disclosed, Oklahoma law may give you recourse against the seller — but you'll need documentation. I can provide a detailed <a href='/services/mold-removal/inspection/'>inspection report</a> with photos, moisture readings, and scope of work that serves as evidence if you need it. I'd also recommend consulting a real estate attorney if you believe there was a disclosure failure.
admin@4d : ~/faq $ query --id=07 "Is it safe for my family to stay in the house while you're doing mold remediation in the attic?" ▶ ENTER
In most cases, yes. Attic and crawl space remediation is isolated from your living space. I seal off the work area with containment barriers and run negative air pressure so spores can't migrate into the house. The air inside your living space is actually cleaner during remediation than before, because the air scrubbers are running continuously. If there's ever a situation where I'd recommend temporary relocation, I'll tell you upfront — not after we've started.
Whenever You're Ready
You've Been Thinking About This Long Enough.
Send me a photo of what you're seeing — a dark spot on the rafters, a stain on the crawl space joists, whatever it is. I can usually tell you a lot from a photo. No charge. No commitment. If you'd rather have me come look in person, I will. Free assessment. I'll tell you what I find, what it means, and whether you actually need me.