Mold is a naturally occuring, living being that loves to live in warm moist areas with it's favorite food, sugars (carbohydrates).  Not much different than us and we are the prime provider of the best climate for mold.  Mold is an undesireable visitor to your home because it causes odor and has the potential for health problems.  It also causes structural damage that, over time can be as severe as termites.

Mold exists everywhere.  In the dirt we walk on, in the air we breathe.  The problem comes up when it is in our homes.  The products that we use to build our homes consist of many carbohydrates.  Most commonly, we think of wood or paper.  But many of the products we use now are made of "green" materials or we process the wood in a "green" fashion.  For example, we use particle board, OSB and other engineered products that are made out of wood or bamboo or even grass.  These are processed and in that process, just like corn flakes, we make the carbohydrates more available to mold.  Add a little water from leaks or water vapor from showers, kitchen stoves etc. and you have a recipe for disaster.

What is a homeowner to do?  Make sure you have adequately protected your home from water intrusion.  There are to many steps to discuss in a quick blog, but leave it be said that your contractor should go over all of the water mitigation programs that he is using.  These include house wrap properly used to make sure that water does not come in to the wall cavities from the outside; drywall in showers are protected from moisture penetration by using waterproof coatings and glass covered drywall.  Cabinet boxes need proper ventilation if they are made from certain materials. 

You can also help by turning on the fan when showering or bathing, turn on the fan when cooking and leave these fans on for several minutes to make sure the moisture is safely removed from the room.  If you experience a leak in your home, get it repaired immediately and make sure to check wall cavities cabinets and any other items for mold.  It can be easily treated and removed if caught early.