Water Damage, possible mold

Hi guys, can someone give me some advice for water damage on/in my ceiling? I don't know how long it's been happening or what the source is (not rain). I'm thinking it may be a pipe that's leaking. I don't know if I can access the attic at the leaky spot. Any advice is definitely welcome, though this may be out of my DIY talent.

Thank you!

This can be a big undertaking, so you'll need lots of time and lots of DIY abilities. You absolutely need to stop the leak first and foremost. You'll need to get up above the ceiling to get all the water out of there. If there's mold, that's a huge process in and of itself. It's probably better to look around on other water damage or mold damage or DIY forums for the steps you should take.

If you're looking for a pro, go with IndoorRestore (indoorrestore.com). They've got great prices and great service.

As Moldyhouse said, you've got to stop the water first. Most of the water damage I've seen has been from a dried out flange in an upstairs toilet.

Check any shower drains carefully as well. The putty that seals a drain basket in a plastic showerpan may have hardened. In a tiled shower, the grout isn't waterproof so water may have wicked through it. If there's no membrane under the tile, it could definitely saturate the drywall ceiling below.

Thanks everyone. I think this will be out of my DIY-abilities, so I'll go with the pro's. MoldyHouse, you suggested I check out indoorrestore.com and I ended up doing that and was very impressed. It looks like that will be a very good company for my needs. I'll let you guys know who I choose and how everything goes.

I have experienced this problem once and thought I could take care of it myself. To cut the long story short, I -- the advocate of all things DIY -- ended up making things worse and a lot messier. So yeah, better leave it to the professionals.

After calling IndoorRestore and checking out their testimonials on their website, I decided it'd be a good choice to use them. That was one of the best decisions I've made this year. They were quick, thorough, and helpful, and did extra tests after the remediation to make sure the mold was gone. I've got a 10-year warranty from them now too, so I won't have any mold, and if I do, they come to take care of it for free.

IndoorRestore, wow you guys were amazing!