Wet more than 48 hours, nothing visible yet. Dry it, then look harder.
You are past the EPA's 24 to 48 hour guideline; growth is likely somewhere you cannot see, but the EPA says it is a guideline, not a certainty.
What is probably happening
- The wet material is drying too slowly, or is trapped: behind drywall, under flooring, inside insulation.
- The EPA says if wet materials are dried within 24 to 48 hours mold in most cases will not grow, and that after 48 hours growth will not always occur. Past 48 hours the drying company should be looking for it, not assuming it.
- A musty smell with no visible growth usually means growth behind a surface.
Do this in the next five minutes
- Start drying now anyway: fans, dehumidifier, baseboards off, carpet edge up.
- Bag and remove anything porous that has stayed wet: cardboard, pad, upholstered items that cannot be wrung out.
- Look behind furniture, under the sink, and at the back of the closet on the wet wall.
- Photograph everything.
- Call restoration today and tell them it has been wet more than 48 hours. Ask them to inspect for growth as they open things.
Do not
- Do not paint or seal anything that is still damp.
- Do not cut into a suspected moldy wall without a respirator and containment. Leave that to the company.
- Do not buy an air test before anyone has looked behind the wall.
Who to call
A water damage restoration company
Drying is still the job, but the company now also opens and inspects. If they find growth, that part becomes a remediation scope.
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What it should cost
$1,383 to $6,369, plus $1,200 to $3,800 if mold is found
Water damage restoration typical range, with the same source's mold removal add-on.
Source: Angi, water damage restoration cost, updated September 2026. View source
National published range, not a quote for your job. The full cost table for this trade is on the water damage page.
Ask this contractor, on the phone, before anyone comes out
Tap each one as you ask it.
- Will you open the wet wall or floor and look, rather than dry it closed?
- If you find growth, do you remediate it yourselves, and is that a separate scope and price?
- Will you leave a daily moisture log?
- What is the moisture source, and is it fixed?
End the call if
- A company that sells an air test before opening anything.
- A mold quote written before the wall is open.
- A large deposit up front.