Provider profile
The Cleaning Source
Provider snapshot
What this listing says
Indianapolis homeowners dealing with basement floods or water emergencies who want an owner-operated crew that also handles mold remediation and junk removal under one roof.
Best for
- Indianapolis-area homeowners with a flooded basement who need same-day water extraction and drying from a crew that bills insurance directly.
- Homeowners who want a free visual mold inspection from someone willing to say 'you don't need us' if the problem is small enough to handle yourself.
- Property managers with multiple commercial buildings in the Indianapolis metro who want one vendor relationship for water, fire, and mold across their portfolio.
- Anyone dealing with a water emergency that may also need mold remediation — the same IICRC-holding crew handles both, avoiding handoffs between companies.
- Homeowners clearing out a property after a move, estate, or hoarding situation who may also need restoration work down the line.
About this company
The Cleaning Source is an owner-operated restoration and junk removal company based in Indianapolis, founded in 2012. The owner, Darius McFadden, answers the phone himself — day or night — and personally shows up for assessments and most jobs. The business started as a junk hauling operation and expanded into water damage, fire cleanup, and mold remediation over 14 years. They hold IICRC certification for water damage restoration.
What stands out is the combination of services under one small crew. Most restoration companies don't do junk removal, and most haulers don't do disaster work. The Cleaning Source does both, which means the same crew that dries your flooded basement can haul out the damaged furniture afterward. For mold, they offer free visual inspections and partner with an industrial hygienist for air sampling and post-remediation clearance testing rather than doing formal testing in-house. Their mold page explicitly states they'll tell homeowners to handle small jobs themselves rather than selling unnecessary remediation. They also run a commercial division serving property management portfolios across the Indianapolis metro.
Darius has been working in Indianapolis for 14 years and claims deep local knowledge — which neighborhoods flood, which insurance adjusters handle which territories, and which disposal facilities serve which areas. The company operates within a 40-mile radius of Indianapolis, covering Marion, Hamilton, Hendricks, Johnson, Hancock, and Madison counties. They bill insurance directly on covered claims and say they respond within an hour for emergencies.
4.8 stars across 203 Google reviews is a strong showing. The overwhelming pattern in reviews is fast response, fair pricing, and a crew that cleans up after itself. For a company doing both junk hauling and disaster restoration, that consistency across very different job types is notable.
Services
Service area
Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Serves a 40-mile radius covering Marion, Hamilton, Hendricks, Johnson, Hancock, Boone, Madison, Shelby, and Morgan counties. Named cities include Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville, Greenwood, Brownsburg, Avon, Plainfield, Westfield, Zionsville, Lawrence, Lebanon, Anderson, Shelbyville, Franklin, and Martinsville. Response times vary: under one hour for the inner suburbs, up to two hours at the outer edges of the radius.
Review consensus
Fast response is the dominant theme. Multiple reviewers describe same-day or within-the-hour arrivals for both junk removal and water emergencies. Darius is named repeatedly as responsive, honest on pricing, and willing to explain the process. Ryan Schrecongost described a Sunday evening basement flood where Darius and crew arrived within an hour, pumped out all water in two hours, and set up industrial dehumidifiers. Lindsey Patel praised Darius for walking her through the insurance claims process after a ceiling leak. Brad Ludwick named Darius, his son, and Darrin for quick deck removal work. Carlicia Porter highlighted how the crew explained the water damage process step by step. Several reviewers note the crew sweeps up before leaving and handles belongings with care — Jill White mentions they set aside a memento she'd accidentally included in a cleanout.
2 found across 203 total reviews at 4.8★. Two complaints, both thin on detail. KGG_55 (Local Guide, 16 reviews) described a missed appointment where her husband took off work and no one showed up or answered the phone. The owner responded with a generic template asking the reviewer to call back — no explanation of what happened. Chri Allen left a 1-star rating with no text from a zero-review account.
The large majority of reviews are for junk removal work, not restoration or mold. The water damage reviews that do appear are consistently positive and describe fast emergency response with good communication. The mold-specific review volume is very thin — only quanika jett's review explicitly references mold work. The owner response to the one substantive negative was a boilerplate template rather than an engagement with the specific complaint, which is worth noting given the company's emphasis on direct owner communication.
Darius McFadden (owner — praised by name in 8+ reviews for fast response, honest pricing, hands-on involvement, and explaining processes). Darren/Darrin (crew member — praised by Brad Ludwick for quick work, noted in William Cheng's 4-star review where the team did not appreciate process inquiries). Andrew (crew member — praised by Patrick Crotty for same-day appliance removal).
Ask for Darius when you call — he's the owner and the person most reviewers praise by name. If you need mold work specifically, ask how many mold jobs they've done recently and request that their partnered hygienist handle pre-remediation testing independently. For water emergencies and junk removal, the review record is strong and consistent.
Keep in mind
- They do both mold inspections and mold remediation. That means the same company telling you whether you have a problem is also the one who gets paid to fix it. Their partnered industrial hygienist provides independent testing, but only when the situation calls for it in their judgment. Ask for third-party testing before committing to a remediation scope.
- The website emphasizes that the owner answers every call, but one reviewer reported a missed appointment with no callback. The owner's response to that complaint was a generic template rather than a specific explanation.
- This is primarily a junk removal and water damage company. Mold remediation is one of several services, not their sole focus. Ask how many mold-specific jobs they handle per month.
- Their 40-mile service radius is broad. Response times at the outer edges — Anderson, Shelbyville, Martinsville — may be significantly longer than the under-one-hour target they advertise for the inner suburbs.