What will help stop mould from growing in my car?

Question

My car is sitting parked in my driveway for the last 6 months and it probably has a small leak somewhere because it is now covered in mould, seats, stereo, mats, light grey colored. I wiped it down and want to start driving it again. I know if it is used the mould won't grow ( I HOPE!) is there something I can use like a special cleaning agent to remove and kill it?

I only paid $200 for it but it's kinda unique it's a 89 Merkur Scorpio and great to drive. if I clean the mould would it be harmful if the car was driven for short periods at a time. If I had the car detailed professionaly will that make a difference

Answer 1

I fouond this at the link below. I hope it is what you need:

How can I get rid of mold in my car?

If you have very much mold at all in your car, then you should wear a dust mask while you work on it. Some molds can be very serious health concerns when inhaled. With that said… Molds are actually fungi that breakdown organic matter. The mold has formed predominately due to the moisture level and warm temperatures inside the car. In order for you to be able to effectively work with the mold, you must COMPLETELY air out / dry out the inside of the car thoroughly. This can be done any number of ways including running the car with the heater or air conditioning on with two windows cracked open until the inside dries. There are small, inexpensive 110v dehumidifiers (made for use inside gun safes) that fit nicely inside of any car. Once the car is completely dry inside, you can vacuum away the mold. Aim a fan to blow air through the car – which simulates drying even in humid conditions. A small, soft brush will help in fabric areas. Finish by using appropriate, mild cleaners to get the final residue off of the harder interior surfaces like the dashboard. When you are done, spray the inside of the car with Lysol disinfectant spray and close the door for an hour. Be sure to keep the car dry on the inside from now on. Mold is all over, but when it develops enough for a person to see, it's a problem. You can purchase small packs of desiccant at the store to place under the seats and help ensure a much less humid space. Note: Chlorine bleach is excellent for killing mold, and is commonly suggested for destroying it. However, it is potentially quite harmful to colors, cloth, plastics, and aluminum.

Answer 2

How To Stop Mould

Answer 3

Depending on what the car's worth to you, I would try to sell it or donate it to charity. Bleach will kill mold, dry air and sunlight will keep it from growing. But you need to find the source! You will probably have to tear out the carpets and/or the headliner to find it. Carpets aren't that bad, you just need to remove the seats and some plastic molding, but the headliner will never go back in right again. Once you find it, you need to fix it, or it will come back, and you DO NOT want to breath moldy air!

Answer 4

Bleach wipe will kill it. Best thing to stop it is to find the leak and/or leave 2 windows open a bit so air can flow thru/escape. That will help. Also, mold grows better in the dark.

Answer 5

Maybe drying the rubber every time it gets wet would help. Talk to a car place (call them) about this problem. That seems a little weird to have mold growing on your car's rubber sills.

Answer 6

Clorox 10 to 1 mixture and a good scrub brush and some OUST afterward !! Be careful, MOLD may be TOXIC and could do you harm !!There are pros that do mold removal but, they are not cheap !! You have to decide is the car worth the effort.Also FIND THAT LEAK !!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 7

anything w/clorox (bleach) would kill mold.
I would dilute some clorox with water and
use a rag to wipe it on the contaminated areas.
let the windows down so that it would dry and air out.
then you could buy a nice smelling air freshner to get
the clorox (bleach) smell out eventually.

Answer 8

Hi there! Someone in my Facebook group posted this page so I came to look it over. I'm definitely enjoying the information. I'm bookmarking and will be tweeting it to my followers!

Answer 9

baking soda helps stop it spreading......there are also carpet cleaners w/ harsh chemicals that work really good....i would just replace the carpet tho...!