Designing Kitchens and Bathrooms - Mold in the walls

We are remodeling and have found extensive mold in the bathroom both on the sillplate and on the drywall(drywall now replaced). The leak is repared but do we need to replace the wood or is there a way to clean the wood? My wife is very sensitive to molds.

Ray:

My understanding is that bacteria and molds are as sensitive to the pH they're in as humans are sensitive to the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere we're in. I would kill the mold using bleach right out of the jug applied to a rag and the rag applied to the wood. My understanding is that will kill the mold dead dead, not just dormant dead.

Mildew itself does no harm to wood. The wood rot fungus does, but it requires liquid water above a certain temperature to complete it's life cycle. When wood stays wet, it usually starts to rot, but it is the wood rot fungus that does the damage, not the water. Humidity or ice won't harm wood. The fungus needs liquid water.

If you have a mold/mildew problem, you need to kill it with bleach/water solution. Frequent spraying with Lysol will inhibit additonal growth. Improving ventilation, dehumidifying, using fans, etc. will help eliminate the problem, as mold/mildew likes dark/damp places.
Patricia@www.chatfieldskitchens.com