my car has not been used for a year, it is ¸COVERED in mold....?
has anyone ever used a cleaning product they can recommend? or any tips, its the worst i've ever seen and i can't afford to bring it to a proffesional to have it done. would carpet cleaner just clean or or would it kill the mold? any help would be greatly appriciated plaese. thanks :)
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
I COVERED, i think it would be an unsafe environment. I am assuming you have cloth seats. If I were you, I would go to the store, go to the cleaning product isle, and look for something that says it fights mold and is color fast (meaning it would make your car tie dye and bleach stained). Some carpet cleaners do KILL mold, but not all so you have to find the right ones. Mold can grow back very easily however, especially if you do not get everything. I had a severe leak in a bedroom (landlord was fixing roof but workers just left one day when it was pouring and no one came to help - slumlord really) and there was mold/mildew in a couch, my carpet, and on the walls that I had to clean. The mold was killed in the carpet because it was a thin surface, but the couch was tossed because nothing could penetrate the cushions and such and remove it completely. If you want to attempt something, I would try finding a cheap steam cleaner or perhaps rent one and see if you can clean deeply enough to remove all the mold. Usually mold is paired with mildew which is the ***** because its so hard to remove and it leaves stains that never go away. If you have carpet cleaner, you can try to use it - use a mask!! spray it let it sit, leave the doors of the car open, and then take a vacuum to it, make sure to clean the vacuum if a bagless otherwise it will stick and allow the mold to grow in it, if u have a non-disposable bag vaccum (where u just empty the contents) I would not suggest this. Also try wiping down with a damp rag before, and after (damp as in just enough to get up what u can, not to add to the moisture). If this is enough for you yay! but it probably wont be since you capitalized covered so if you don't wanna do a professional, you are going to need some sort of steam cleaning kit. It should only cost about 40 for a small handheld by hoover or bissel at your local walmart supercenter (in the vacuum section), and the cleaner that goes with it is like 10 so yeah, still cheaper than a pro. I hope this works out for you.
Bleach is always the 100% best product to use on mold, but obviously in a car, that is a really really bad idea, so you gotta do what you gotta do.
Open the doors, and let it air out....If it is just the carpet...use a foaming carpet cleaner, coat the carpet, and scrub in with a brush. leave it to dry with the doors open.. vacuum with your shop vac, redo if necessary...
If the mold is on the seats, take it to a pro..the mold will be in the foam rubber padding...
look for the leak, where the moisture got in....
Bounty,dryer anti-static cloths. scatter some of these in it when you store it.Oh dish soap - the anti bacterial kind. and a long handle scrub brush. wear a face mask or something to keep the SPORES out of your nose and lungs. get a a spray bottle to mix soaps in.careful what you mix.
If its inside the car it could be very dangerous being in that environment.
Vinegar and water mixed together may help