Mould on Carpet

nikpmup

My car was stolen, and subsequently recovered by the guards in January. It sat in the Garda lock up up until a couple of weeks ago, as it was locked (keys were also stolen) and has been sitting in as garage since then. I went out to the garage to have a look at the damage, amongst other things, there's a large patch of mould on the carpet in the back. It's also filthy everywhere. I've told the insurance company that if the car is repairable (I'm kind of hoping it isn't) that I wouldn't be comfortable accepting it back unless the mould is properly removed/treated (I have a young baby and I don't want him exposed to mould spores)
I got a call from the claims handler today, basically telling me that they didn't know what to do about the mould - whether that means they don't know how to treat it or they don't know if they should pay for said treatment I don't know.

My question is this - would it be easier to remove/replace the carpet or is there a method of successfully treating mould in a car? It's a big enough patch, and the fur is about an inch deep! At this stage I'm cracking up, I've been without my car for nearly two months now, I just want to sort it once and for all.

Curran

Personally, Id be pushing the insurance company as hard as possible for a replacement carpet!

Obviously with a good cleaning, it will be salvageable, but as you say, for peace of mind, I wouldn't let it go easy!

Ded_Zebra

Most moulds are totally harmless so personally I wouldn't worry about it too much. If it was mine I would rent a carpet shampoo machine and wash it and maybe scrub with a bit of mould cleaner afterwards to kill any remaining spores.

nikpmup

Well, I don't want to take the chance with any mould, my son was premature and hasn't got a great immune system. To be frank, the car is disgusting, the back seat has been gobbed on and it smells of p*** and damp. I really hope it's considered a write-off (don't know what damage is done engine-wise) but the insurance company obviously want it to be repairable. I think I will push for a new carpet. It was released from the garda lock up weeks ago and there's still no decision on it, let alone any repairs started. I'm starting to lose my reason.

Zoney

Sounds like you should push for replacement seat too if they insist on repair!

nikpmup

It's so manky. The lads in the garage said they'd do their best to get it declared a write off - it's a strange situation to be in, fervently hoping your engine is f***ed!!

JAMES VTI S

I use a Bio cleaner and let It work over night.

Chimaera

For the interior, I'd see about getting a professional detailer to quote on what needs to be done to restore the interior and hand it to the assessor. The cheapest route here is probably a replacement interior rather than paying for hours of labour to clean it. Get quotes for both and make sure it's clearly pointed out to the assessor that restoring the interior is not optional.