So I'm currently having fun in the sandbox and the car is left sitting at home in Tampa. I talked to my wife yesterday and I was walking her through trying to start the car. Any way, she mentioned that the drivers seat had a fair amount of "mold" on it. I have no idea how bad it was or what it looked like, she said she just grabbed a rag and it whipped right off. Drivers seat is a Corbeau micro suede material, and didn't see any "mold" on the other vinyl or anywhere else inside.

Has anyone had any similar issues with letting the car sit with the windows up? What have you done to help minimize the "mold" or any mildew that might start to grow on the inside. Make me a little nervous since I won't be home till around July. TIA!!!

Sure have, I don't leave the windows up anymore. But still I've had problems even with the windows opened, so I turned to running a dehumidifier, no problems now, and as an added bonus, the garage is more comfortable to work in during the summer with the lowered humidity.

I'll have to tell her to crack the windows, but I'm a little nervous because we don't have a garage. The car sits under the house, so it won't get water in it from rain, but worry about little critters or damn neighbor kids putting stuff in through cracked windows.

Get some desiccant packs

When I had my car stored in the limestone mines I put in a bag of charcoal. it will absorb the moisture. put a couple short boxes like a canned soda case on the floor, lay a plastic garbage bag into it and dump the charcoal into that.

you can still use the charcoal in your grill later on.

we live in the humid south, here is SC and have had this happen in the past. there is a product called damp rid. moisture absorber. also if you have it on vinyl or leather, you can use white vinegar or everclear(alcohol) to kill the mold or mildew if it is there. this is better than bleach because it does not burst open the spores like bleach does, so it will not spread and it still kills both!! , since i did this to my car a couple winters ago i have not had it come back. Just make a solution with the vinegar and wipe it all down. i would test this on the suede in a spot that will not show, it will not cause discoloration like bleach either. but it should be o.k..

^^^ This works. The plastic bag is key or you'll get charcoal dust everywhere.

Charcoal works, great idea.
We did this at my dads old shop which he super insulated, works perfectly to keep mold down.

Also, plates of baking soda keep the smell down too.

I would also add that the mold is most likely from your sweat, so a good steam cleaning of that seat may get rid of the bacteria that started it.

Ozone generator kills the mold and the smell.

I have had the "mold" and the only thing it really ruined were the seatbelts. I was able to wipe it off of everything vinyl, but the black seatbelt webbing really absorbed it and I eventually replaced the webbing so it wouldn't look so horrible.

Good luck

Buy a DRY-Z-AIR unit. You'll know how often to empty it after one week. Put it in a 1 gallon bucket in case you forget and the reservoir fills up. This will prevent spillage on the carpet.

Unbolt them from the car. Use detergent and a brush. Dry in the sun. Reinstall.

Throw some moth balls in there too to help keep critters out. They sell moth balls that are different scents too so you can pick that smell (generally i don't care for the smell of moth balls).

Peppermint oil extract on cotton balls works too, and smells great. Just need to change them out every couple weeks. Also works in the attic if you are getting mice but can't find the route they are getting in.

Didn't realize you don't have a garage. Yes, DampRid works well on our boat, but it needs to be attended to empty water from the collector and also to renew the material. How often depends on conditions, but it's not a time consuming process.

Silica cat litter and some old socks. Google a DIY
Real easy to make, I keep one in all may cars, no more foggy windows, damp interiors, etc.
Cat dirt cheap.

Just don't play with them, the dust goes through the sock if you do.
Has to be the white crystal "silica" type cat litter, they come in a jug.
Change them at least once a year.

Thanks for all the great suggestions! Sorry it has taken me so long to get back on the forum. I'll start with the bag of charcoal, looking for something low maintenance that my wife doesn't have to keep up with until I get back. Since I'm the only one who grills I know she won't be using the bag I left there. I'll see if she will snap a picture for me to post if its there when she gets around to checking again. Thanks again!

This is what I use in during the winter on my boat.

Moisture Remover