Jump to content
Ultimate Subaru Message Board

my wagon is back! MAJOR moldy pics inside


Recommended Posts

well i got my wagon towed to day....as some of you know the interior of my car was sweaty and growing its own mold forest...it's on everything let me tell ya the pictures do not do it justice..and it is very wet inside since its been "sweating" the past months.

 

i picked up a vapor mask and some golves and dove into it. so so far i removed all the trash/objects from the car. i pulled out the seats..ive tore up all the carpeting too..it's all going in the trash. tom. going to chuck the seatbelts and some other random pieces as well. Scrubing everything down with bleach..hopefully this will be able to get rid of it all. as mold can be very dangerous to a person..here's a couple pics...if anyone has any suggestions regarding cleanup i wouldn't mind hearing them..my steps are:throw everything out, scub down with bleach, air out, rebuild

 

401the_mold_001-med.jpg

401the_mold_003-med.jpg

401the_mold_002-med.jpg

401the_mold_004-med.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not a respected mycologist, nor do I play one on TV, but...

 

I don't think that most molds indigenous to wet car interiors are particularly nasty. Use PPE during cleaning for sure, but don't need to get too obsessive about the cleaning. A dry car interior is pretty much a dead zone for the fungal kingdom. I believe that a good cleaning with soapy water, and a little bleach, followed by a really good drying will take care of things.

 

Had a little experience...

 

Have fun!

Pat

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the air freshner should just about do it! :lol:

 

I'd be careful about the bleach too... Bleach will eat the fabric. You got to wash that bleach out or it will just keep eating...

 

What about upholstry/fabric cleaner and a spray on disinfectant? Lysol :rolleyes:

 

Glenn

82 SubaruHummer--once lost a 1/2 gal of milk in the back seat......:eek:

01 Forester--no spills so far... :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Take the seats and carpet to a do it yourself car wash and spray them with the soapy high pressure hose, get them good and soaked till they look clean, then set them in the sun or in front of your furnace or fire. This is how we get upholstry clean at the junkyard, and it takes a LOT more mold than what you have to not get it clean this way. The only stuff I haven't seen come clean was actually green and had moss growing on it. No musty smell or aftereffects either, provided you get it dry within 2 days.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Use a mild mixture of clean water and white vinegar. Scrub the interior with it and rinse by srcubbing with just clean water. Get a space heater, put the car in a garage or under a carport. Seal up the car as tight as you can and leave the space heater running for 2-3 days. Voila...no more mold.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

... Get a space heater, put the car in a garage or under a carport. Seal up the car as tight as you can and leave the space heater running for 2-3 days. Voila...no more mold.
UMMMM... is this supposed to be a recipe for how to steam-cook the interior? :lol:

 

Seems to me that with it totally sealed what you might end up with is jungle conditions of heat and humidity. Or do you figure that "tight as you can" still leaves you with plenty of leaks? I like to leave the windows down a crack...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you want to kill any spores that may have been missed while cleaning you might want to try burning sulfur. light a deck of matches up then close the door with the smoke trapped inside repeat a few times. This works very well and is cheap cheap cheap. Heat and a lack of humidity will do a lot but this will kill whatever might be left. and it removes any musty smells. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You know those little "Do Not Eat" packages you get with electronics and leather goods. The stuff is called desicant and you can buy it in larger quantities/packages and it does a real good job of sucking up moisture. One of the editors from Grassroots Motorsports had a similar issue and used the stuff after he cleaned everything really good. Do a search on their board at http://www.grmotorsports.com/board/ and I'm sure you come up with something. I did a google search for the stuff as well and there are companies out there that sell the stuff, mostly wholesale bulk, but some retail though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...