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Good morning everyone. I went out to the car last night and happen to look in the windows and found this.
This is the first time I have encountered this. Anyone have hints for getting rid of this? My first thought was bleach wipes but I don't want to hurt the leather in the processes.
Try a little soapy water first in an out of the way place on your leather as a test. If this works without damaging the leather, go for it. The long term problem I see for you is moisture control inside your passenger compartment. This will return if you can't keep your seats dry.
Try a little soapy water first in an out of the way place on your leather as a test. If this works without damaging the leather, go for it. The long term problem I see for you is moisture control inside your passenger compartment. This will return if you can't keep your seats dry.
Rick
I've had and kept the car i the same place for around 7 years. This just popped up in the last few months.
I have tried Simple Green on mold before, results are mixed depending on the type/strain of mold. Even at full strength with plenty of soak time it doesn't always do the job (meaning the mold sometimes comes back even if the interior is kept dry). It's definitely a great cleaning product (but should be tested before use on leather), but I wouldn't necessarily count on it as a cure-all to prevent the return of previous mold.
Ozone generator in sealed car for 4-8+ hours with blower motor running. Change HVAC settings as needed to treat all ducts w/ ozone.
Fix any underlying problems responsible for the mold/mildew.
Run ozone machine and dehumidifier concurrently to kill any mold spore contamination of the dehumidifier. Exact, necessary ozone generator run time dependent on ozone production of machine. Use battery charger to offset discharge caused by blower motor.
That's exactly what my seats look like right now. Car has also been stored in same spot for 7 years. We had a particularly hot and humid heat waze followed by lots and lots of rain. I'm hoping for a relativly easy cleanup. I put a towel down on the driver seat because I had to move it. The mold seems to come off with little effort, it was half gone just from sitting on a towel.
That's exactly what my seats look like right now. Car has also been stored in same spot for 7 years. We had a particularly hot and humid heat waze followed by lots and lots of rain. I'm hoping for a relativly easy cleanup. I put a towel down on the driver seat because I had to move it. The mold seems to come off with little effort, it was half gone just from sitting on a towel.
I think we may have discussed this in another thread, but there is a product called Damp-Rid that's excellent in this application. Home Depot and other similar stores sell the tubs and refills, and the small round tub fits perfectly in the center console cup holder of a later 4th gen. This product really helps with control of interior moisture in a storage/limited use application like yours. I've been using Damp-Rid for nearly 20 years in my various 4th gens, and it helps prevent these mold issues from starting in the first place. Granted, it certainly won't eliminate mold that's already rooted, but it's a great way to reduce humidity inside a stored vehicle (though you'll have to keep draining/refilling the tub pretty often if you're dealing with very high ambient humidity). A local friend of mine actually tested this with a hygrometer years ago, and his interior stayed about 10-15% less humid than ambient garage conditions (though results on this will probably vary depending on how well sealed a given interior is).
I think we may have discussed this in another thread, but there is a product called Damp-Rid that's excellent in this application. Home Depot and other similar stores sell the tubs and refills, and the small round tub fits perfectly in the center console cup holder of a later 4th gen. This product really helps with control of interior moisture in a storage/limited use application like yours. I've been using Damp-Rid for nearly 20 years in my various 4th gens, and it helps prevent these mold issues from starting in the first place. Granted, it certainly won't eliminate mold that's already rooted, but it's a great way to reduce humidity inside a stored vehicle (though you'll have to keep draining/refilling the tub pretty often if you're dealing with very high ambient humidity). A local friend of mine actually tested this with a hygrometer years ago, and his interior stayed about 10-15% less humid than ambient garage conditions (though results on this will probably vary depending on how well sealed a given interior is).
I will look into that for reduced humidity. My bird used to be a DD but then I had problems with my bikes and the car all in a short period of time and got discouraged with my go fast hobbies and shelved everything for a couple years. Probably haven't driven the bird in a year and a half but never saw mildew in it until a couple weeks ago. I believe that I know what the cause was now. Around that same time we had some freaking awful storms that actually caused about 6 inches of water to flood my garage and let a few dozen gallons spread all over the first floor of my house. I am thinking all of that added water increased the humidity a ton and it seeped into the car causing the mildew. I am going to try killing it by testing the various methods mentioned here but I think something like that tub will go a long way in keeping the moisture down as well. Thanks for the tip.
Detail shop with a furniture steam cleaner and white vinegar. You need the acid to kill the spores in the fabric. (From what I've read) I had a small problem like this on a seat belt and used simple green, it washed it off but it came back, the white vinegar did the trick..
My 69 Judge was like that after sitting in a garage for 18 years in San Francisco. It's been a long time, but I think I used "Tuff Stuff" to clean it up and it never returned. Having said that, Damp Rid is an excellent idea.
We get that in boats often. Mr Clean Magic Eraser works best for cleaning it off in my experience. You have to loosen it with the eraser and wipe it off quick while still wet with clean microfiber towels works best. It makes quick work of it but it does tend to come back once its there. I havent tried damprid yet but it sounds promising, vinegar will definitely kill the mold so I would try one seat after cleaning with a good solid vinegar wipe/wash and see how that one looks over time compared to the others and work from there.
I will look into that for reduced humidity. My bird used to be a DD but then I had problems with my bikes and the car all in a short period of time and got discouraged with my go fast hobbies and shelved everything for a couple years. Probably haven't driven the bird in a year and a half but never saw mildew in it until a couple weeks ago. I believe that I know what the cause was now. Around that same time we had some freaking awful storms that actually caused about 6 inches of water to flood my garage and let a few dozen gallons spread all over the first floor of my house. I am thinking all of that added water increased the humidity a ton and it seeped into the car causing the mildew. I am going to try killing it by testing the various methods mentioned here but I think something like that tub will go a long way in keeping the moisture down as well. Thanks for the tip.
As you mentioned, sounds like that flood was the most likely catalyst for this. I had a minor amount of water intrusion in my garage a couple years ago, just enough to wet a small piece of carpet on the floor near the rear of my Nova. I didn't think it was a big deal, it was just junk carpet, so I let it air dry. A few weeks later, I opened the Nova's trunk and found mold all over the spare tire (I did have a tub of Damp-Rid inside the car, and the interior was just fine but, unlike a 4th gen F-body, the trunk is isolated in this application). I've parked this car in the same spot in the same garage for 10 years and this never happened before or since. So the wet carpet on the floor near the trunk must've been the source of the humidity which led to the moldy spare tire. In my case, it was a rubber tire so I was able to scrub it down with a green Scotch-Brite pad and some strong tire cleaning chemicals, the mold never returned. But your interior will require a more delicate touch.
White vinegar sounds like a good suggestion to kill the mold, but I would first test it in a small spot. Lots of other good suggestions for the initial clean-up but, again, you might want to test some of these products in a small spot first (like Simple Green - a great cleaner, I've used it on vehicle interior surfaces myself but never on leather specifically, and I think it says on the bottle that it's not recommended for use on leather).
Going forward, if you continue to store the car, Damp-Rid will certainly help to control interior moisture as long as you remember to drain/refill the tub as needed. Had I kept a tub of this in the Nova's trunk as well, maybe that tire wouldn't have gotten moldy.
Think I'm gonna try that saddle soap and restorer. I wiped the car down with a rag and warm water last night, not sure how well it worked cuz it was dark and I had the car pulled outside. I'm gonna check shortly and I'm scared.
RPM, how often do you have to refill that damp rid container? I think I'm gonna go buy some at the depot. Although it's already getting cold - and dry - in NYS, so I probably dont even need it until next year. Still gonna do it though.
RPM, how often do you have to refill that damp rid container? I think I'm gonna go buy some at the depot. Although it's already getting cold - and dry - in NYS, so I probably dont even need it until next year. Still gonna do it though.
Refill intervals can really vary depending on ambient conditions and how well the car seals up. But, for reference, during the most hot and humid times of summer here in Chicago, I usually drain and refill it every 2-3 weeks in the Camaro. It's never completely used up by then, there's always still some material left in the upper tray, but that's how you want it to be - if it totally depletes itself, then it's no longer able to absorb any additional moisture. I generally tend to go through about one entire refill bag every year it seems, but that's for both my Camaro and Nova.
In contrast, during the ~5 months of northern IL winter storage I don't have to drain or refill it at all. It barely collects anything (even though my attached garage spends most of the winter slightly above freezing, usually in the mid-30s unless it gets really cold outside). The one area where Damp-Rid doesn't seem to work so well is in cold temps. During damp periods in the late fall/winter/early spring (such as periods of rain/sleet storms which occur slightly above freezing temps), it doesn't collect much in the way of water. Unfortunately, dehumidifiers don't work well (or at all) in those cold conditions either, so there isn't much you can do to remove dampness in a non-climate controlled garage during cold temps. Some types of mold really like this cold, damp environment and will flourish, and this is a lingering problem that I have with a tiny spot of mold on one of the seats in my Nova - it never grows in the spring/summer/fall with the Damp-Rid in place, only during that damp and cold period of winter when it's slightly above freezing but I can't reduce humidity as effectively (on a side note, I think I will try the vinegar suggestion for this - I don't think I've tried that on this spot before).
10-16-2018, 07:51 AM
Mildew on seats 
