Provider profile
PuroClean South Knoxville
Provider snapshot
What this listing says
Knoxville-area homeowners facing water damage that has led to mold growth, who want a veteran-owned PuroClean franchise with an owner, Frankie Stephens, who handles inspections and jobs personally.
Best for
- Knoxville homeowners with active water leaks or flooding who need same-day assessment and moisture readings, since Frankie has a track record of showing up the same day.
- Homeowners dealing with mold growth tied to a water damage event, where one company can handle extraction, drying, and mold work under a single scope.
- Property managers in the Knoxville metro who need a franchise-backed restoration company with insurance documentation capabilities and 24/7 availability.
- Buyers in the Smoky Mountain corridor (Maryville, Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg) who want a Knoxville-based company willing to travel to the surrounding area.
- Homeowners who value direct interaction with the owner rather than being handed off to a project manager or call center.
About this company
PuroClean of South Knoxville is a PuroClean franchise at 123 Center Park Drive in Knoxville, owned by Frankie Stephens. Frankie is a veteran who opened the business with his wife. The company serves residential and commercial properties across the Knoxville metropolitan area, handling water damage, fire and smoke restoration, mold remediation, biohazard cleanup, and dryer vent cleaning. Mold is one of several service lines, not the sole focus.
The mold remediation page describes a multi-step process: containment using negative air pressure with HEPA-filtered fans, removal of contaminated materials, surface cleaning with EPA-registered disinfectants, HEPA vacuuming, and deodorization. They use moisture meters, infrared cameras, and air sampling to find hidden mold. On the water damage side, they describe thermal imaging, dehumidification, desiccant drying systems, and a proprietary drying panel system for wood floors. The company holds IICRC certification and EPA Lead-Safe certification. They work with indoor environmental professionals and laboratories for mold situations and can provide documentation to insurance adjusters.
Frankie runs a hands-on operation. Multiple reviewers describe him showing up personally to assess water damage, take moisture readings, and oversee jobs. His origin story on the website says he became a PuroClean owner after his own basement flooded and the response from PuroClean impressed him enough to buy into the franchise.
4.8 stars across 76 Google reviews is a strong rating. Frankie is named by reviewers more than any other staff member, appearing in at least 10 reviews. A large cluster of 5-star reviews from January-February 2025 are text-free or very brief, many from first-time reviewer accounts, which inflates the count without adding much signal.
Services
Service area
Headquartered at 123 Center Park Drive in Knoxville, TN. The website lists service areas including the Knoxville metropolitan area, Maryville, Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg. That covers a broad swath of East Tennessee from the city center into the Smoky Mountain foothills, roughly a 45-mile radius.
Review consensus
Frankie Stephens is the dominant name in reviews, praised in at least 10 separate reviews for same-day response, personal attention, and clear communication. Therese Sanders described his safety setup during a cleanup as outstanding, noting he kept her family informed at every step. Lonnee Rey called him the most responsive and compassionate person she had dealt with after water damage. Madison Eggenberger said he checked out a leak same day and gave a detailed report. kimmatha cook credited Frankie and his team with fast response to a water leak under a sink. Multiple reviewers praise upfront communication about cost and process. Greg Gibson described weekend response with thermal imaging and moisture technology. Joseph Bradford noted the team minimized flood damage to a managed property in a timely manner. Dickie Bruce praised the finished outcome of their restoration work.
1 found across 76 total reviews at 4.8★. (1 found across 76 total reviews at 4.8 stars) Emily Horton's September 2025 review describes a restoration job done by Frankie in 2022, where flooring was replaced by a subcontractor she never had direct communication with. Within a year, the LVP flooring was cracking, the subfloor was not level, and gaps in the kitchen floor allowed water penetration. She describes a $10,000 job that now needs to be redone entirely. She messaged PuroClean multiple times over two years with no response, and the flooring company refused to help after the first year. Frankie's owner response acknowledged visiting several times within the first 12 months and referring her to the flooring manufacturer and installers, but did not address the two years of unanswered messages.
The review profile splits into two distinct groups. The substantive reviews from multi-review accounts consistently name Frankie and describe specific water damage scenarios with real detail. The other group is a large block of text-free or minimal-text 5-star reviews concentrated in January-February 2025, mostly from first-time reviewer accounts. Frankie's owner response to the single negative review engaged with the specifics rather than using a template, which is a positive signal. The 100% owner response rate on negatives (1 out of 1) is technically perfect but a small sample. The gap between the reviewer's claim of two years of unanswered messages and the owner's claim of multiple assessment visits within 12 months is a factual disagreement that the reader should weigh independently.
Frankie Stephens (owner/president — strongly positive across 10+ reviews for personal response, same-day assessments, clear communication, and hands-on work; named in the single negative review as the person who arranged the subcontractor flooring job).
Ask for Frankie directly. The substantive reviews paint a picture of an owner who shows up personally, takes moisture readings himself, and communicates clearly about cost and process. For water damage, this is a strong signal. For mold work, get an independent assessment before committing to their remediation scope. If your job involves subcontracted work like flooring replacement, get the subcontractor's name and warranty terms in writing before the work starts.
Keep in mind
- This company does both mold testing and mold remediation. That creates a conflict of interest: the same company that determines whether you have a mold problem also profits from fixing it. They mention working with independent indoor environmental professionals, but ask whether the initial assessment is handled by a third party or by their own team.
- One reviewer described a $10,000 flooring replacement done by a subcontractor that Frankie arranged. The floors cracked within a year, the subfloor was not level, and two years of follow-up messages to PuroClean went unanswered. Frankie's owner response acknowledged multiple visits within the first 12 months and referrals to the flooring manufacturer. This is a single case, but it raises questions about subcontractor quality control and post-warranty responsiveness.
- A large cluster of 5-star reviews appeared in January-February 2025, many from accounts with zero or one prior review and no text. This does not prove the reviews are inauthentic, but the pattern is unusual and inflates the overall count.
- The service area claim covers Maryville, Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg in addition to Knoxville. That is a wide geographic spread across the Smoky Mountain foothills. Confirm response times for locations outside the Knoxville city core.
- Mold remediation is one of several service lines alongside water, fire, biohazard, and dryer vent cleaning. If you need a company whose sole focus is mold, this is a generalist restoration franchise.