“Pure Maintenance was amazing! Jim and Karen were professional, explained everything clearly, and took care of our mold problem quickly. We highly recommend - FIVE STARS isn’t enough for the care, honesty, and thorough work Karen and Jim gave us!”
Jim and Karen Blagg find where the moisture is coming from before anyone talks about treatment, and an independent lab reads the samples.
Most people book a mold inspection in Pueblo, CO because of a smell they can't trace. Afternoon humidity here averages 37 percent, dry enough that mold seldom grows out in the open. It grows where water collects out of sight, behind a wall a pipe has been dripping into or in an attic under a slow roof leak.
The house can also be wetter than the weather. Mornings average 63 percent humidity, and on July evenings the dew point reaches 55°F or higher in about four readings out of ten, which can leave condensation on cool walls and ducts. A swamp cooler adds water to the air it blows in, and that can push a room past the 30 to 50 percent range the EPA recommends indoors.
Jim and Karen Blagg do the inspections themselves. They read the humidity room by room and check walls and floors with a moisture meter. When a test makes sense, the samples go to an independent lab we don't own, and you get the results in writing.
5.0/5 stars on Google. Every reviewer is a real client.
“Pure Maintenance was amazing! Jim and Karen were professional, explained everything clearly, and took care of our mold problem quickly. We highly recommend - FIVE STARS isn’t enough for the care, honesty, and thorough work Karen and Jim gave us!”
“After being quoted large amounts by different agencies inside and outside pueblo, I found pure maintenance. Not only are their prices affordable, there are also thorough. Their inspection was much more thorough than I had expected, and their air tests were sent to Labs with all the required certificates/accreditations needed to test for mold. They were kind, very flexible, and extremely responsive. I would recommend their services to anyone. During the inspection, they found severe issues in the Attic that were contributing to mold issues. The mold test showed what I have suspected, which caused for me to move out of the house and break the lease with no consequences, due to the mold report and inspection/air tests. In addition to all of that, they also took the time to be flexible in sanitizing the items that I had moved into the house to ensure that there was no mold growth in my new place or my storage unit. They were extremely flexible on the time they could come to do it, the price, and just in general (because I am almost always behind a little bit).”
“Jim and Karen were excellent to work with in the process of removing mold from our home. I had no doubt we had mold issues; I could smell it every time I ran the hot water in our bathroom sink for more than 10 seconds, and for awhile I was also smelling mold when I walked past our stairs. We dealt with it for awhile because it seemed like a bigger issue than we could tackle, but then when I got pregnant, we made it a priority to have a clean home before our baby was born. The mold fogging coincided with a home remodel project, and our house was chaotic all month--but the timing was great because when our floors were torn up and we saw the black mold, I was extra grateful to be having it professionally remediated. Karen communicated well during every step of the process and made sure we knew how to prepare, and when they were finished there was a slight smell (like vinegar) for a few days but we just left the windows open to help it air out. We had some trouble with a really high smoke detector and they went the extra mile to help with it, and when I was no longer smelling mold in our sink or by the stairs, I knew it had been effective even without the pre- and post-testing results--but those were insane. And I so appreciated that it was done without tearing things up (other than what we did for the remodel) and that it didn't bring any new toxins into our home 🙌🏼 I highly recommend Pure Maintenance of Pueblo to help make your home cleaner and safer!”
“Jim and Karen are very knowledgable and great to work with. They went above and beyond and I highly recommend them. The mold treatment has made a huge difference in the air quality in my house. I no longer have that musty smell when I return after a long trip. I had previous mold treatment that involved cutting out portions of molded dry wall and removing baseboards, but didn't get to the mold that was throughout the house. This treatment deals will the whole house and my health has improved since it. I can't recommend it strongly enough for anyone with an old, musty smelling house.”
“Jim and Karen Blagg are some of the nicest professionals that I have come in contact with, in a long time. They took everything step by step in the process of getting the mold removed from my home. I would recommend them in a heartbeat.”
“Great, prompt service! We are so thankful for Pure Maintenance of Pueblo for helping us get rid of our mold in our home and improve our health! Highly recommend Pure Maintenance of Pueblo!”
You deal with the owners from the first phone call to the lab report. If the numbers say you don't need treatment, the report says so.
Jim and Karen inspect the house themselves, so the people who crawl under your floor are the people who write your report.
Samples go to an independent lab. The counts in your report come from the lab, and we have no say in them.
Humidity and moisture readings show where water is getting in, which tells you who needs to come next.
Spore counts, the mold types the lab found and our recommendation, written in plain English.
When your indoor results compare well with the outdoor sample, the visit ends there and you keep the report.
An inspection and a mold test answer different questions. Many Pueblo visits use both, and Jim and Karen will tell you on the phone which one your house needs.
Jim and Karen walk the house inside and out with a moisture meter and a hygrometer. The readings show where water is getting in and where it collects. That is the part someone has to fix before treatment is worth doing.
Air or surface samples go to an independent lab, which counts the spores and names the mold types. Your indoor numbers sit beside an outdoor sample taken the same day.
How our mold testing works
On the visit
It starts with questions about the house. When was the roof last replaced? Has a pipe ever frozen? Does the swamp cooler drain properly, and where is the smell strongest? Then Jim and Karen walk the property inside and out, looking for staining, condensation and the corners where water tends to sit.
Next come the instruments. A moisture meter reads the water content inside walls, floors and ceilings, so a wall that looks dry can still read wet. A hygrometer logs the humidity in each room and in closed spaces like the attic and crawl space. Where the readings point to hidden growth, they take samples for the lab.
Pueblo's homes run from early-1900s houses in the University neighborhood to Pueblo West, where the median home was built in 2000. Each era keeps its moisture somewhere different, so the inspection follows the house.
Colorado ranked second in the country for hail insurance claims from 2017 to 2019. A roof that took a hit can let water into the attic long before a stain reaches the ceiling.
Attic checks after a stormPueblo averages 165 nights a year at or below freezing, and Pueblo Water warns that frozen pipes can burst. A split pipe under the floor can leak for weeks before anyone notices.
What we look for under the floorThe Colorado Geological Survey maps swelling clay under the Front Range cities as far south as Pueblo. Clay that swells can crack a basement floor, and spring snowmelt and rain can then find the crack.
Inspecting a damp basementMost Pueblo West homes are newer, and about half the lots there run on septic systems. In those houses the moisture often comes from plumbing, weak ventilation and the drain lines under the house, and a bathroom is a common place for it to show.
Checking behind bathroom wallsEach test answers a different question. Here is the short version, and each page goes into the detail.
Air and surface samples that show which molds are present and how many spores are in the air, set against an outdoor sample.
A wider read on the indoor air, for a house that smells musty or stale when nobody can find the cause.
Samples taken after treatment and read by the same independent lab, so the before and after results sit side by side.
Written report
The report puts the inspection and the lab results together. It shows where the moisture readings ran high, what the lab found in each sample, and how the indoor counts compare with the outdoor sample.
It ends with a recommendation, which may be no action at all. If a leak is feeding the mold, the repair comes first: once your plumber or roofer has fixed the leak, we treat the mold.
Treatment uses the VaPURE process. The home has to be empty during the VaPURE treatment, with people, pets, and plants out. Most families are back the same day. We guarantee indoor mold levels will be lower than outdoor levels after treatment, or we retreat at no additional cost.
After a burst pipe or a flood, once the leak is fixed. Water that ran into a wall cavity or under a floor can stay there after the surface looks dry, and moisture readings show how far it spread. Pueblo County's hazard mitigation plan notes that frozen pipes and heavy snow damage homes and businesses in the county each year.
Before you buy or sell a house. Written moisture readings and lab results give the buyer and the seller the same facts before closing.
When you rent, or rent out. About four in ten Pueblo households rent. Colorado's habitability law covers mold associated with dampness, and Pueblo's public health department can require a landlord to address mold after a written complaint. A written report gives tenant and landlord a record to work from.
After a treatment, ours or another company's. A clearance test checks the indoor air against the outdoor sample.
An inspection looks for the source. Jim and Karen measure humidity and moisture and trace where water is getting in. A test measures what is in the air or on a surface, and an independent lab reads the samples. Many visits use some of each.
It depends on the size of the house and how many areas need checking. One problem room takes less time than a whole house with an attic, a basement and a crawl space. We give you the price before the visit starts, and an inspection first means any treatment is aimed at the rooms that need it.
Jim and Karen Blagg, who own Pure Maintenance of Pueblo. They do the inspections and the treatments themselves.
Yes, once your plumber has fixed the leak. Water can sit inside a wall or under a floor after the surface dries, and moisture readings show how far it went. If mold has started, the lab samples will show it.
It gives you a written record of what was measured and where. Colorado's habitability law covers mold associated with dampness, and Pueblo's public health department can act on mold after a written complaint. We can't give legal advice, but the report gives both sides the same facts.
We inspect, test and treat mold. We don't repair leaks or replace building materials. Where material is too damaged, we'll tell you and point you to someone who handles that.
Each of these covers one test, or one part of the house, in more detail.
Describe what you're seeing or smelling, and we'll say whether an inspection, a test or both makes sense for your house, and what the visit involves. For how inspection and treatment fit together, start at our homepage.
A small, senior team — so we treat each home like the only one we're working on this week. Currently accepting new clients across Pueblo County & Southern Colorado.
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