Mould in car after 2 weeks

tom thum

hi. i was away for 2 weeks and left the car in the basement of a car park. i came back this morning and the car was full of mould, especially the 2 front seats. is there any way i can fix this problem. thanks. its a 03 seat leon.

RandomAccess

By fix the problem, do you mean clean it up, or prevent it happening?

If its the latter then I would suggest you grab one of those crystal dehumidifiers,
e.g. http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001QF6KN4/ref=asc_df_B001QF6KN4997812?smid=A2NAGDZN0DFXB7&tag=dealtimecouk-kitchen-mp-delta-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22218&creativeASIN=B001QF6KN4

I saw one in ALDI recently so I would take a look there.

colm_mcm

Leons are known for leaks, first thing to do is determine if you have one. There is plenty info onpine about this, from memory the pollen filter housing and door seals cause problems. If your Leon has a sunroof make sure the drain channels are clear and water doesnt build up.

rua327

Fill the car with water, and get an algae eating fish to eat all the mould off. Its a bit extreme I know, but if you are stuck for options...:D

colm_mcm

To kill the mould, use a mixture of vinegar and warm water. Do the seatbelts and under the folding rear seat and all nooks and crannys.
Leave Windows slightly open and put heater on full blast for a long time, if you have access to a wet Hoover use this too. Continers of sea salt will also absorb moisture from the air.
Then use an upholstery cleaner and dry again.
Change pollen filter. If car has aircon use a disinfectant cleaner can available from halfords. If car has sunroof make sure drain channels are clear.
Do not use air recirculation function

No offence but it must have been man ky dirty if mould grew that quickly, clean the interior every so often would be a help. Back seats are not as bad as they are less used and so cleaner.

corktina

"Do not use air recirculation function" EVER!

bijapos

You have a leak, there is no doubt about that. Check door window boot and sunroof seals. Also check the carpets, could be a rubber stopper in the floor thats gone.

A dehumidifier will help if you park it up again for a long time.

Cleaning: If its two weeks it shouldn't be too bad, a wipe down of plastics with a damp cloth will help there, should do as well on the upholstery. If the seats are bad a shampoo should clean them properly.

tom thum

RoverJames wrote: »

No offence but it must have been man ky dirty if mould grew that quickly, clean the interior every so often would be a help. Back seats are not as bad as they are less used and so cleaner.

obviously you dont know much about it , so ill ignore this piece of advice. but thanks for your opinion. its the gfs car , and she lways has it spotless.

tom thum

tom thum wrote: »

obviously you dont know much about it , so ill ignore this piece of advice. but thanks for your opinion. its the gfs car , and she lways has it spotless.

I actually know quite a bit about it, why are the back seats not as bad if I am wrong ? Is it the seat or the back rest is worse ? How are the seat belts by the way ?

tom thum

RoverJames wrote: »

I actually know quite a bit about it, why are the back seats not as bad if I am wrong ? Is it the seat or the back rest is worse ? How are the seat belts by the way ?

i think you know as much as i know. cos the car was spotless. not "manky dirty" like you said. seat belts are fine. the worst bits of the seats is where ur bum would be.

mickdw

corktina wrote: »

"Do not use air recirculation function" EVER!

Ive never heard this before. Why?

colm_mcm

If the car hasn't got air conditioning the recirculation function just reuses the same air you've already breathed and causes the windows to fog up. GRanted there are situations where you should use it but these are rare

Mr Benevolent

mickdw wrote: »

Ive never heard this before. Why?

Cortinas probably self combust if the heater is set to recirc. Or the engine is started. Or the door is opened.

tom thum

tom thum wrote: »

i think you know as much as i know. cos the car was spotless. not "manky dirty" like you said. seat belts are fine. the worst bits of the seats is where ur bum would be.

:pac: lol, I wasn't having a go initially but your defensive attitude makes it so tempting. The fact the mould is worse on the seat is again proof that it is due to dirt. Mould doesn't grow unless there is biological matter to feed off (dead skin cells etc). There will be more of this stuff on a seat than on a back rest. Put a spotless, freshly interior valeted (shampoo'ed seats) car in the same environment that yours was and no mould will grow on the seats regardless of bungs missing from the boot or blocked sunroof drains.

Seems as you are questionning my scientific knowledge though I feel I am justified in posting this :pac:

If this lady had been sitting in your girlfriends car the seat may have been worse......



Again, back seats are no dount seldom used in comparison to the front, hence cleaner, so less / no mould. Science and logic, hard to argue with them really.

tom thum

RoverJames wrote: »

:pac: lol, I wasn't having a go initially but your defensive attitude makes it so tempting. The fact the mould is worse on the seat is again proof that it is due to dirt. Mould doesn't grow unless there is biological matter to feed off (dead skin cells etc). There will be more of this stuff on a seat than on a back rest. Put a spotless, freshly interior valeted (shampoo'ed seats) car in the same environment that yours was and no mould will grow on the seats regardless of bungs missing from the boot or blocked sunroof drains.

Seems as you are questionning my scientific knowledge though I feel I am justified in posting this :pac:

If this lady had been sitting in your girlfriends car the seat may have been worse......



Again, back seats are no dount seldom used in comparison to the front, hence cleaner, so less / no mould. Science and logic, hard to argue with them really.

just as well im finished the grub!!! but seriously, the seats were shampooed the day before we left. she always gets it valeted before we go on any decent trip.

johnos1984

If you had them done before you left did they wetvac them and not dry them properly

They may not of dried properly before the car was parked up and hence the mould grew.

Simple really, a quick clean and all should be good.

@RoverJames.....you need help if your carrying women that dirty