Re: Mold smell

[Scott Fisher <sfisher71@domain.elided>]

--- Ciao89@domain.elided wrote:
> Anybody know how to remove mold smell from the
> interior of a car?  Had a leak in a cargo trailer, 
> put the wet clothes,etc, in the car and now I have a

> terrible mold smell.  

Start by leaving it, top-down, in the sun for several
hours.  This will dry everything inside and help
ensure that nothing else molds, and also help the
moldy smell evaporate.

Next, try to identify the source of the mold.  Where
did you leave the clothes -- on a seat?  On the rear
parcel shelf?  On the passenger's floor?  Clean that
area with an appropriate cleaner for the material. 
(Don't use bleach, even though it's often used to
remove mildew from walls, as it'll permanently lighten
fabrics -- a sad truth my daughter learned while
adding chlorine to our pool, when she got a splash of
it on a favorite shirt.)

Actually, the following tips are good for any older
car that you haven't used often, such as a Spider that
you're getting ready for summer or an old Berlina that
you rescued from somebody's back yard:

Get a couple of soft-bristled brushes at the auto
parts store, and at least two cleaning/conditioning
products: a carpet shampoo and a vinyl/leather
cleaner.  Have on hand a roll of paper towels or
several soft rags (old T-shirts are great).

Vacuum out your interior thoroughly.  If you don't
have a shop vacuum (WELL worth it, you'll use it for
other things as well), and if your home vacuum doesn't
come with attachments, find a coin-operated car wash;
you can usually use the vacuum there for a few
quarters, and it doesn't take long to vacuum a Spider.

Starting with the place you left the wet clothes,
spray on the carpet shampoo and work it in with one of
the soft-bristled brushes.  The brush will pick up
mold spores and other dust that may have fallen down
into the pile of the carpet.  Wipe up with clean rags,
then vacuum again.  (More quarters!)  

Now spray your vinyl/leather cleaner on the seats. 
Use the other soft-bristled brush to work this cleaner
into the grain of the upholstery.  (I don't like to
use the floor brush on my seats because I lived in
California long enough that I became accustomed to
finding beach sand in the carpets of the cars I
bought. :-)  While the seat is still damp, wipe it
clean with one of the rags or T-shirts.  Notice how
grey the rag is.  Wipe the brush clean and repeat. 
Eventually you'll notice that the rag just comes away
damp and not grey.

While you're at it, you might as well hit the
dashboard and door panels.  I've used the brush on my
door panels, but not the dash -- I'll cover that
separately.  Use the brush to work the cleaner into
the door panels, then wipe clean.

Most of the time, I like to use two products on
vinyl/leather: a cleaner/conditioner, and a
protectant.  The cleaner/conditioner takes the crud
off, and the protectant puts back some of the volatile
oils that sun and oxidation remove.  Until I meet a
vinyl cow, I'll continue to use a different product on
leather surfaces than I use on vinyl ones, on the
assumption that vinyl and leather lose different
compounds during oxidation.  There are dozens of these
products; I've come to the conclusion that while some
are surely better than others, they're ALL better than
what's in the car if it's moldy, so I buy the one that
seems to be the least hype-ridden on its packaging.

Dashboards: The steep rake of the Spider's windshield
calls for special treatment of the dash, otherwise
you'll end up with smears on the inside of the glass. 
Spray the cleaner on the rag, THEN wipe the dashboard.
 Do the same with the protectant, being careful not to
bump into the glass with your fingers (which are
probably well coated with the protectant).  Finally,
clean off the glass with your favorite glass cleaner,
using the same technique -- spray the cloth (or paper
towels for glass) and then wipe.  Window cleaner
leaves little dots on the newly-protectant-covered
dashboard.

One thing that helps with mold smells is to get a
nice-smelling cleaner.  I used to like the Blue Coral
brand of carpet and vinyl cleaners, they left a very
pleasant floral/soap aroma behind.  The vinyl
protectant that I just used up (wish I could remember
whether it was a Meguiar's or a Mother's product)
smelled like tutti-frutti bubble gum; my kids loved it
and loved helping Dad wash the car, especially when
they got to use that stuff.

And of course, there's always the Martha Stewart
approach: a few drops of vanilla extract on a couple
of sticks of cinnamon tied neatly into a bundle and
left in the heater box will make your car smell like
fresh-baked cinnamon rolls while you drive.  It's a
good thing.

Best,

--Scott Fisher
  Tualatin, Oregon
.
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