What do you use to get rid of mold on wall studs before remodeling your shower or tub? Is bleach okay, or is there a better product? HELP PLEASE!

Bleach does not work on porous surfaces, especially wood based products.

The first coarse of action is wash everything in soapy water and dry out everthing thoroughly.

The use of a fungicidal sealant helps prevent future mold growth. http://www.fosterproducts.com

Sure it does, as long as it's at the surface ... otherwise it must be replaced.
Mold will work on surface mold of most wood products including wall studs. Mix bleach with water to help with penetration and let dry completely.
Carpet, particle board, underpad and other similar materials is different.

The EPA recommends using bleach to kill mold at a rate of 1 cup to one gallon of water. Bleach and other chemicals can be strong mold killing products,

Hate to disagree with you but it does not work on wood. Do a search on mold remediation and every article will tell you that it's not effective on porous surfaces.

This is just one article. http://www.spore-tech.com/viewCategory.asp?idCategory=78


This statement has been removed from EPA's guideline.

Mold can be removed from wood products and I also can provide several hundred links ... but who has the time.
http://www.inspect-ny.com/sickhouse/cleanmold1.htm

It's just commone sense. You clean with soap and water, let dry, wash again with bleach and let dry.
It's important to remove the cause of mold growth and then even if a few spores are remaining, the growth and spread is no longer possible.
I suggest you extend your research a little further.

This right from the EPA.
http://iaq.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/iaq.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=3044

Basically, the goal is provide advise to a homeowner on how to remediate a mold situation in a safe maner. Chlorine bleach does not fall into this catagory.

I don't make carte blanche statements without reasearch. So, yes I have read many articles on mold remediation.

I know you're one of the moderators around here Randall, and I respect the efforts you put into the forum. You are without a doubt knowledgable in the industry.
But the issues with mold are not clear cut simply because the most government agencies don't want to hang their hat on promoting using harsh chemicals which may end up causing repercutions legally.
The fact is .... Bleach Kills Mold. How it's administered is a different issue they don't want to be responsible for.

I didn't say, it doesn't kill mold. It just doesn't work on porous surfaces.

Unless the 2 x 4 s are completely blackened they can remain after a wash with soap and water and again with bleach. You should even wash again to remove dead spores.
The BIGGEST solution at this point is to remove all causes of the mold problem.
Usually if the mold is so bad in a 2 x 4 that is has to be replaced, the water damage is more of a consideration and usually the actual reason to remove and replace a stud. The mold is just an indication of at least SOME water damage and/or poor ventilation.
If in fact all wood products required replacement because of mold issues, we'd be tearing down a lot of structures.
Isulation, drywall, carpet and other similar products are impossible to control mold growth. But solid wood framing you can, unless the accompanying water problem has taken its toll.

I won't continue any further with this debate because I understand that maybe this website has safety boundries I am unaware of when offering advice.

I am pretty sure bleach will not kill mold on porous surfaces, plus mold will grow back if bleach is used and other steps are not taken.

BLEACH

Q. Can’t I just use bleach to get rid of the mold in my house?

A. Bleach can be toxic and poses health risks to users and to occupants during and after use.
Also, bleach will not prevent the mold from returning to the cleaned surface. It may look clean once you're done, but the mold will grow back within weeks.
Bleach is particularly ineffective at treating mold on porous surfaces such as drywall, lumber and grout.

Jaz

I usually remove any materials where mold has set up house. Bleach has to directly come in contact with the mold before it can be effective.
I think with pourous materials bleach just doesn't have that ability.

JR ... check some of the links Randall and Bob have posted and you'll get some good info.

How's it going Jaz?

Ok, I'm out numbered.

I'll bite the bullet and review what I currently believe is correct about mold and bleach.