How to get rid of mildew smell

I am working on a old car that sat for five years in a garage for five years in San Francisco. As you know, SF is a damp city with lots of days of fog. The car sat under a plastic cover that … traps moisture inside the car. The result is there is mold on every leather and plastic surface of the car. There is probably mold in the carpeting too but you can't see it.

I have wiped off the moldy stuff with vinegar solution, dried it out, rolled down the windows for a couple days now and still smell moldy when I sit in it.

What to do?

 

First clean everything with vingear and wet vac ..remove seats to get underneath

Then out in direct sunlight or a dehumidifed garage ..use cat litter or baking soda as well

Once very dry interior use a ion generator to clean the remaining air

Use mask of course

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I recently had a similar problem with a newly acquired 308. I recommend trying a product called Puroclenz. I suggest buying two standard tablets and giving your car two treatments.


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That should have read ozone generator not ion but be aware of how to use and any health concerns

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+1 for the ozone generator, but I don’t think you can buy them in California

 

To me, adding moisture to mold is like fuel to a fire... but would steam cleaning do the trick?

 

I've had great success using a diluted mixture of water & peroxide on certain surfaces. Very effective on cloth material for killing the bacteria.

 

I had this happen on a friend's car (unfortunately my fault). The dealer used some kind of mild bleach solution and a citrus solution. Not sure if that helps but there is no mold and it doesn't smell like it either.

 

I had a similar issue with a car's carpeting - I pulled it out and power washed it with Odo-Ban & Tea Tree Oil & let it dry in the sun for a couple of weeks. No more odor.

 

Will take mold issues any day of the week over having field mice take up residence. Purchased a very nice original Datsun 280Z that I thought would be a fun project but let it sit for about a month outside the shop next to the field. Little bastards found a small area of the center driveshaft tunnel that they could get in to. Never smelled something so rancid in all my life. Ended up tearing the carpet out all the interior panels and finally just gave the damn thing away.

 

Mold is health hazard be careful

 

I got it running, wiped down the interior and baking it in the sun right now thanks to a welcomed break in the weather. I don't think it is enough to bake out the mold but it will help.

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Once it's in the leather it's next to impossible to get out. Been trying on a car for years with every commercial product I could find, home made remedies and an ozone generator.

I can get so it doesn't smell too much but if you spend any time in the car any clothing in contact with the leather absorbs the odor.

Good luck.

Nice speedster.

 

Try some Chlorine Dioxide.

www.Odorxit.com

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