Mould and mildew relief

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Fri Oct 19, 07 9:12 am

One of my cars has been stood on the drive, all shut up for 2 weeks and has developed a couple of small leaks during the torrential rain we had a while back. The result is a nice layer of mildew/mould in a couple of bits of carpet.. and it stinks.
Unfortunately the carpet has been glued to the floor of the car so removal isn't an option.
Anyone got any bright ideas? Know of any particularly effective chemicals?
I know I could get a proprietary from Robert Dyas or somewhere but in my experience they rarely work.
HELP?

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Fri Oct 19, 07 9:56 am

You can buy a mildew remover from the local supermarket where the bathroom cleaners are. Its designed for cleaning mildew from grout.

Whatever you use, dilute it heavily and try it on a concealed area first to see what happens to the carpet. It might make your carpet look like a skinheads jeans.

latil · Post by **latil** » Fri Oct 19, 07 10:28 am

Watch it with the mould cleaners,a lot of them are strong bleach. A gentle clean with hot soapy water and a soft brush should do the trick,followed by a dry with a hairdryer. Strange as it might seem,I find that mould and mildew spray for roses works quite well at stopping it coming back. A couple of ice cream tubs with some sillica gel sachets in,placed in the footwells will trap most of the damp.

Dave-R · Post by **Dave-R** » Fri Oct 19, 07 11:35 am

Once you have mould you are never rid of it. I used to have to clean my interior of it every year. Even using various mould killing sprays and solutions.

Even now that the car is in a very dry garage I have found the seat covers have gone from black vinyl to green velvet while they have been stood against the wall. It just takes a few spores to have survived and away it goes again if left.

I have already bought a new carpet to put in. Might resort to new seat covers and headliner.

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Fri Oct 19, 07 12:05 pm

Interior is all black, so anything bleach based is out of the question. Now, the rose spray seems like a good idea. In fact it's so damp I could probably grow some prize blooms... or maybe just cress.

Prothed · Post by **Prothed** » Fri Oct 19, 07 12:22 pm

This can be a never-ending story... Once you have got the interior as clean as you can, dry it completely (fan heater, whatever, bone dry) and get some 'damp absorber' things from the DIY store. You fill the top half with the white crystals and they absorb the moisture and drip into the bottom half - messy but effective. Don't bother just buying one - I have three in the car and two in the boot. Seems to hold the problem at bay.

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Fri Oct 19, 07 12:35 pm

so you've got slimon-the-inside?

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Fri Oct 19, 07 12:39 pm

Very clever Will. Nice word play

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Fri Oct 19, 07 4:28 pm

Trying to come up with a witty riposte - give me a few weeks.