Advice for a car detail w/ pictures (Very bad case of mold)
12-10-2012, 04:17 AM
#1
Advice for a car detail w/ pictures (Very bad case of mold) I have the opportunity to throw my T/A in the garage and drive this car for the upcoming winter months (Lincoln Town Car). Problem is the interior is riddled with mold. 
Anyone know how I should even start with cleanup or mainly know of a detailing company that specialties in this (DMV area)?
Before I do this Ill be fixing the cause of the problem (broken sunroof), so that won't be a concern.
Here are a few pictures:
Thoughts?
Anyone know how I should even start with cleanup or mainly know of a detailing company that specialties in this (DMV area)?Before I do this Ill be fixing the cause of the problem (broken sunroof), so that won't be a concern.
Here are a few pictures:
Thoughts?
Last edited by GoodSpeed150; 12-10-2012 at 04:23 AM.
12-10-2012, 06:28 AM
#2
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Seats look like a leather/vinyl. Get Lexol leather cleaner. Go to a horse tack shop and get a jug of the stuff. They have a heavy duty leather cleaner at tack shops, we use it to clean saddles and bridals.
Saddles and stuff will get moldy like that from the horses sweating or leaving it packed up for months. You'll be amazed, that Lexol will kill that mold and take away most of the smell. I know some of the saddles I helped clean up were pretty freaken gross and they looked like brand new by the time I was done.
Saddles and stuff will get moldy like that from the horses sweating or leaving it packed up for months. You'll be amazed, that Lexol will kill that mold and take away most of the smell. I know some of the saddles I helped clean up were pretty freaken gross and they looked like brand new by the time I was done.
12-11-2012, 03:49 AM
#5
Pull the seats front and back and use the above cleaner and then a bleach/water mixture. Pull the carpet and replace it as well as water/bleaching everything you can get to. I would even go as far as pulling the door panels and replacing the headliner.
Thats a dangerous situation so be careful. Also keep in mind the duct work, if it has an in cabin air filter replace it......and I would find a way to clean the entire ventilation system before using it.
Thats a dangerous situation so be careful. Also keep in mind the duct work, if it has an in cabin air filter replace it......and I would find a way to clean the entire ventilation system before using it.
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12-11-2012, 12:14 PM
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Wash the seats etc with a mixture of white vinegar and distilled water 50/50 with a few drops of dish detergent in it. will kill and clean all that mold and smell nice after it dries. I would wet everything down then scub it and vacuum it off.
12-11-2012, 04:07 PM
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ok ...so lets clear up a few things def rent a small ozone machine for a day and run it in the car for at least 6 hours give or take. ozone machine will kill mold. secondly bleach and lexol does not kill mold...bleach is 90% water and although it will appear to lighten up the mold it does not kill the mold ...it can actually feed the mold and make it worse... after the ozone treatment i would recommend wearing some type of half face respirator while wiping off the mold from the leather .....if you want google a product called sporicidin and see if you can get your hands on that ...that product will kill the mold and wont ruin your interior if used sparingly. If youre in the massachusetts area i could help you out with it. no one can look at the mold and tell if its bad or good but mold is everywhere ...in that small space there is too much ...if you have any questions pm me ...i run a company that cleans up mold fire water blood etc
12-12-2012, 03:04 PM
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Definitely don't take what these fellows say about the dangers of mold lightly. I work with the Disaster Relief Coalition of Luzerne County and aside from reconstruction, mold mitigation is a huge priority. And for good reason, it's a serious threat in homes as well as vehicles, so literally do everything it takes to clean that car out thoroughly.
12-13-2012, 07:05 AM
#12
ok ...so lets clear up a few things def rent a small ozone machine for a day and run it in the car for at least 6 hours give or take. ozone machine will kill mold. secondly bleach and lexol does not kill mold...bleach is 90% water and although it will appear to lighten up the mold it does not kill the mold ...it can actually feed the mold and make it worse... after the ozone treatment i would recommend wearing some type of half face respirator while wiping off the mold from the leather .....if you want google a product called sporicidin and see if you can get your hands on that ...that product will kill the mold and wont ruin your interior if used sparingly. If youre in the massachusetts area i could help you out with it. no one can look at the mold and tell if its bad or good but mold is everywhere ...in that small space there is too much ...if you have any questions pm me ...i run a company that cleans up mold fire water blood etc
12-20-2012, 10:19 AM
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^^^ that guy did a pretty good job ...but the mold needs to be killed first before anything else should be done ..then after proceed to cleaning ...also the mold will have roots that are beneath the surface of the leather ...which is why ozone would be the first step ...then a product called sporicidin ...wipe down all surfaces with this product and then after that you can do normal cleaning. as for hard surfaces in the car plastic/metal mold cant grow on these items only on the dirt/dust that is on these items mold can grow on
