Mold Removal & Remediation in Shoreline, WA

My house was built in the 1960s. Is that why mold keeps coming back?

Age alone does not cause mold, but it changes the odds. Census survey data puts the median year built for Shoreline housing at 1968, so many homes here have had decades of roof patches, window swaps and bathroom remodels, each a chance for a gap that lets water in or a fan that was never ducted outside. Houses from that era also tend to have vented crawl spaces and less insulation, so winter condensation shows up on cold walls, closet corners and attic sheathing. If you clean a patch and it returns the next winter, the moisture source was never found. A good remediation company will trace it with a moisture meter before quoting removal, and will tell you plainly whether a roofer, plumber or drainage contractor is needed first.

We live near Boeing Creek or Thornton Creek. Does that change anything?

It can. The city participates in the National Flood Insurance Program, and its mapped floodplains follow the Puget Sound shoreline, Boeing Creek and Thornton Creek. If creek or tidal water got into a lower level, treat it as a flood cleanup: EPA's post-disaster guidance says to assume mold if materials could not be dried within 24 to 48 hours, and soaked drywall, insulation and carpet usually come out. Shoreline also requires a Floodplain Development Permit for development inside a FEMA-designated floodplain, so if your rebuild is more than cosmetic, check with the city before walls go back up. General permit guidance sits with Planning & Community Development.

How do I know a company is legitimate?

Washington does not license or certify mold remediators, and the Department of Health warns that anyone can use the title. What the state does require is that anyone doing repair work on a building be registered with L&I as a construction contractor, which includes the bond and liability coverage L&I sets. Look the company up on L&I's Verify a Contractor tool, which also shows bond claims and citations. Ask for written bids from more than one company, a clear description of containment, and a plan for checking that the area is dry before rebuild.

A note for Shoreline renters

Public Health - Seattle & King County does not do mold assessments. It tells tenants to notify the landlord in writing about leaks or moisture, then report an unaddressed water or maintenance problem to local code enforcement, which in Shoreline is the city's Code Enforcement and Customer Response Team. Code officials act on the building problem, not on mold complaints alone.