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Posted by: SirAndy Jan 19 2017, 12:37 PM

Crap, looks like i had some water seeping into my car over the last few weeks.

Removed the cover this morning to get my toolbox and the whole interior is covered with mold.



Anyone here have any experience with cleaning this mess?

Posted by: ConeDodger Jan 19 2017, 12:42 PM

If you want professional help, boats regularly have this problem. See a marine shop. Otherwise I used a 50% bleach solution mixed with water and scrubbed on my boat...

Posted by: timothy_nd28 Jan 19 2017, 12:59 PM

Your car is ruined, I'll give you 100 bucks for it.

Posted by: Tom_T Jan 19 2017, 01:04 PM

If it's on carpet & upholstery, you can use Folex - sold in quart spray bottles & 1 gal at Home Depot, etc. - or order it from Waxie in Santa Ana CA. It's great for cleaning anything else off of carpet/upholstery/fabric.

The bleach solution is the only mold killer, but then it also eats &/or bleaches stuff - so use caution with that on body parts, & I wouldn't advise it on any carpet/fabrics.

If you dry it & keep it dry after the Folex, then you shouldn't have a problem.

I used Folex to detail the fabric upholstery in our 88 Westy after 25+ years with kids & camping spills, some of which had some mold resulting, & it's stayed gone for 3_ years now.

Good Luck!
Tom
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Posted by: Perry Kiehl Jan 19 2017, 01:05 PM

Bathroom wipes with bleach, and 914 Umbrella Cover

Posted by: 7TPorsh Jan 19 2017, 01:09 PM

What's the difference between mold and mildew?

...I think mold you have to quarantine the car...

Posted by: mepstein Jan 19 2017, 01:12 PM

Find someone with an ozone generator. Kills the mold and the smell.
clean everything off with a 10% bleach solution and set all the upholstery out in the sun. Put the seat belts in the dish washer -it works. Spray fabrize in the car when your done.

Posted by: Rand Jan 19 2017, 01:14 PM

White vinegar solution is way better than bleach. Safer on the material and more long term effective at killing the spores (which is obviously key!). Plus the odor dissipates better. Bleach is nasty. Lots of air flow!

Don't just take my word for it, Google bleach vs vinegar for mold

https://www.google.com/#q=bleach+vs+vinegar+for+mold

Posted by: Chris H. Jan 19 2017, 01:16 PM

We have a lot of experience with that in the midwest. Almost every parts car has it. Definitely need to clean it well with something that will kill most of it. After that it needs to be set in the sun on a few warm sunny days. I had an interior that REEKED of mildew/mold and after a week or so worth of sunshine the smell went away. Carpets may take longer, I don't remember if you even have carpet in the red car .

Posted by: Jeffs9146 Jan 19 2017, 01:17 PM

Buy moisture absorbent and leave it in the car after you clean it!

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=moisture+absorber&tbm=shop

Posted by: timothy_nd28 Jan 19 2017, 01:18 PM

On a more serious note, +1 with the ozone generator. After the treatment, I would replace your carpets. Your immune system is not the same as it was when you were younger. Why take a chance over a 200 dollar carpet kit?

Posted by: Frankvw Jan 19 2017, 01:28 PM

Ok.....been there. Steamclean company came and cleaned the car inside and out. Yes, that worked.
In my introductionpost you see some pics of that treatment.
That anti-mold spray is dangerous for your carpets since most of them contain bleach.

Posted by: malcolm2 Jan 19 2017, 01:34 PM

Not sure how to get the mold out, but I had an old house and the closets were musty. We used little tubs of DAMP-RID. You have to go pour them out every once in a while, but they soak up the moisture in the air. Put a couple in your car.

I might only use that if the windows were up tho. You don't want to be dehumidifying your whole garage with a tiny little bucket of Calcium Chloride.

Posted by: mepstein Jan 19 2017, 02:31 PM

If you have carpet, I would put it in your clothes washer. Not all at once. A couple pieces at a time. Then out in the sun to dry. I did it to mine when I bought it and it turned out good. Or go to the do it your self car wash and hit it with the soap and rinse.

Posted by: 914_teener Jan 19 2017, 02:36 PM

Definately if you have your car under a tarp you need some type of dessicant or dehumidifier in the car.

We are supposed to get another 6 inches of rain down here this weekend.

Good luck Andy.

Posted by: scallyk9 Jan 19 2017, 02:47 PM

For cars that will set for awhile and especially if covered, I use the same product I had winterized my sailboats with years ago. It's called DRI-Z-AIR and consists of a small tub, ventilated grill cover, and supplied granulated calcium chloride as a desiccant. Available at any marine store but you can probably find it on eBay or through Amazon.

Posted by: malcolm2 Jan 19 2017, 02:58 PM

You might consider the coin-op wishy-washy. Some of those places sell beer.

My wife does not like stuff from the garage going in her washing machine. Plus they have some higher capacity machines. maybe you can add vinegar to the rinse water.

Posted by: wndsnd Jan 19 2017, 03:23 PM

Boats, Water, Mildew ...


I use this. Find it at any Marine Supply and some hardware stores.

Posted by: 7TPorsh Jan 19 2017, 04:55 PM

Bag of kitty litter in a mesh bag under the seat works

Posted by: Beebo Kanelle Jan 19 2017, 05:23 PM

1) Rub down the surfaces with 100% alcohol

2) Vacuum everywhere there is any sign of mold

3) Spray a fine mist of the aforementioned 100% alcohol

4) Rub it down again

5) Lots and Lots of sunlight

6) Desiccant of you choice.

Posted by: Cracker Jan 19 2017, 05:58 PM

Don't fall for that Andy ~ I'll give you $200!

PS: The water/bleach solution should clean it up - I would finally do a good wipe down with hydrogen peroxide (kills it dead too)!

Tony

Posted by: Porsche930dude Jan 19 2017, 09:38 PM

I use those damprid buckets in all my cars they work great. Sometimes still get random spots of light mold but just wipe them down and generally stay pretty clean

Posted by: iamchappy Jan 19 2017, 11:05 PM

Go to nearest west marine they have it covered, i like the 3m product best.

Posted by: Front yard mechanic Jan 20 2017, 06:46 AM

Mold holds hands with rust

Posted by: Porschef Jan 20 2017, 08:07 PM

Stay away from the bleach. You're not cleaning tiles here. It'll wreck havoc on any upholstery/ seat belt /vinyl.

Sunlight and fresh air, and a wipedown with a mild vinegar solution. IIRC, California has some sunshine.