Moisture/mould in car

DubInTheWest

Hi all, I'm looking for opinions/info from anybody in the know in regards moisture/mold in car.

Basically I have a 2014 Hyundai i40. The car is running perfect but last winter I kinda noticed condensation on the inside of the windscreen. I never really thought about it and just cleaned the window.

However, I haven't been using the car in the past 3 to 4 months as I've been working from home and have been using the other car for short journeys. The other day I was going out and I noticed mold on the seat belts, on the sides of the seats and a little in the boot of the car.
It wiped off very easily but I'm looking to avoid a repeat.

Any suggestions on the situation ?

Cheers

denismc

Looks like you may have water leaking in somewhere, check the door and boot seals. Also check the compartment for the spare wheel, my Octavia used to have a leak into the boot, water would pool in the well for the spare wheel, apparently this was common in older Octavias.

Twenty Grand

Spray vinegar on the seats to kill the mold spores. You can buy bug bomb cans from Halfords that clean out the air conditioners.

Other than that you need to keep the inside dry. Put a few trays of cat litter in the car and remember to drive it once a week.

I left my car sit for 4 months.
Inside covered in mold, brakes seized and engine light came on (either from the oil or dirty petrol) Took a few days to get it right.

DubInTheWest

denismc wrote: »

Looks like you may have water leaking in somewhere, check the door and boot seals. Also check the compartment for the spare wheel, my Octavia used to have a leak into the boot, water would pool in the well for the spare wheel, apparently this was common in older Octavias.

I've had a good look around and can't find any leaks. I took the spare wheel out etc.. and nothing. I'll do as you say and check the seals. I don't know much about cars but the fist thing that sprung to my mind was water getting in but I just can't find the source, if that is the issue.

DubInTheWest

Twenty Grand wrote: »

Spray vinegar on the seats to kill the mold spores. You can buy bug bomb cans from Halfords that clean out the air conditioners.

Other than that you need to keep the inside dry. Put a few trays of cat litter in the car and remember to drive it once a week.

I left my car sit for 4 months.
Inside covered in mold, brakes seized and engine light came on (either from the oil or dirty petrol) Took a few days to get it right.

Thanks for the info. I'll get some cat litter tomorrow. The car was an ornament for the past few months but I won't let it happen again, I'll take it for a spin every few days.

Twenty Grand

We just have a cold wet climate.
Dewey air gets into car and condenses at night. Rinse and repeat for months.

Even yourself getting into a car with a wet jacket, or leaving your gym towels in the back seat will do the same thing.
It really is amazing what driving it can do though.

Put the AC and the heater on and recirculate the air. The AC draws the hot air over the cooling coil which condenses the moisture.

banana_bear

Twenty Grand wrote: »

Put the AC and the heater on and recirculate the air. The AC draws the hot air over the cooling coil which condenses the moisture.

+1 on the AC. My car is constantly moist because I use it daily to drive my dog to the forest for walks, and she never returns dry. I constantly have the aircon on to keep it in check, still getting the wet windscreen occasionally, but I haven't gotten mould.

Henry Ford III

Make sure the pollen filter is clean and fresh. I agree use the a/c daily for a while to dehumidify the interior.

magnavox

As regards spraying the vinegar on the seats, be warned, I did that and it's been a disaster trying to get rid off the smell. A month later and I still get it sitting into the car.

Mundo7976

magnavox wrote: »

As regards spraying the vinegar on the seats, be warned, I did that and it's been a disaster trying to get rid off the smell. A month later and I still get it sitting into the car.

Have you tried ground coffee? Tie some into a couple of socks and leave under the seats can help

slave1

Henry Ford III wrote: »

Make sure the pollen filter is clean and fresh. I agree use the a/c daily for a while to dehumidify the interior.

This, cabin/pollen filters are cheap and easy DIY to replace and use the a/c every time you use the car for the entire trip with air coming in from the outside i.e. not the recirculate option

slave1

This thread made me bring in my moisture pad absorber thingy out of the car and put under the stove, it was 931gms when I brought it in and 878gms now so 53ml of water was in the thingy so these things actually work...

Twenty Grand

magnavox wrote: »

As regards spraying the vinegar on the seats, be warned, I did that and it's been a disaster trying to get rid off the smell. A month later and I still get it sitting into the car.

The cat litter for 3 days, a bottle of febreeze and the air conditioners refresher took the smell out for me.

my3cents

Open the doors and boot when the car is parked up on a sunny day. Obviously close them if its going to rain.

run_Forrest_run

my3cents wrote: »

Open the doors and boot when the car is parked up on a sunny day. Obviously close them if its going to rain.

<waits 3 months >

corks finest

slave1 wrote: »

Henry Ford III wrote: »

Make sure the pollen filter is clean and fresh. I agree use the a/c daily for a while to dehumidify the interior.

This, cabin/pollen filters are cheap and easy DIY to replace and use the a/c every time you use the car for the entire trip with air coming in from the outside i.e. not the recirculate option

Bang in read the op s suggestion ref recirculation - totally wrong

my3cents

run_Forrest_run wrote: »

<waits 3 months >

I'm trying to dry my boot out after it ended up swimming in water. Had the boot (plus back seats down) and doors open for a couple of hours today and about 4 hours yesterday. Only a couple of days and after bucketing water our of the spare wheel recess and its almost dried out. Its rare that you can't find at least a couple of days during a week when its not raining.

slave1

corks finest wrote: »

Bang in read the op s suggestion ref recirculation - totally wrong

Sorry mate, haven't got a clue what that means?

Twenty Grand

slave1 wrote: »

Sorry mate, haven't got a clue what that means?

Must be the Cork accent.

Twenty Grand

my3cents wrote: »

I'm trying to dry my boot out after it ended up swimming in water. Had the boot (plus back seats down) and doors open for a couple of hours today and about 4 hours yesterday. Only a couple of days and after bucketing water our of the spare wheel recess and its almost dried out. Its rare that you can't find at least a couple of days during a week when its not raining.

I'd say it may be an idea to get a small heater and leave it in the car overnight.

Crack the window to let the hot damp air out.

magentis

Twenty Grand wrote: »

I'd say it may be an idea to get a small heater and leave it in the car overnight.

Crack the window to let the hot damp air out.

The prodigy

Firestarter

Came to mind when I read that.

Twenty Grand

magentis wrote: »

The prodigy

Firestarter

Came to mind when I read that.

Hah "small" heater.
[URL]
https://www.appliancesdelivered.ie/pifco-2000w-white-upright-portable-fan-heater-pifpe129/4785?gclid=CjwKCAiAs8XiBRAGEiwAFyQ-eukdJx_hLB1h8TInr8LTE6o1CNGNWMfZTTJC2_geyapW5_LrShQHaxoCevIQAvD_BwE[/url]

magentis

You can get small plastic dehumidifiers in Woodies for €10-€15.Put one of them in the footwell,empty the water out of it regularly and that will sort it.

https://www.woodies.ie/unibond-aero-360-humidity-device-1099999

Twenty Grand

magentis wrote: »

You can get small plastic dehumidifiers in Woodies for €10-€15.Put one of them in the footwell,empty the water out of it regularly and that will sort it.

https://www.woodies.ie/unibond-aero-360-humidity-device-1099999

I tried them before and they were rubbish. Got a small bit of water, but the windows still fogged up.

You can really underestimate the amount of water in your seats. When you take clothes out of the washing machine there's still litres of water in them, even though they might only feel slightly damp.

Your car gets all this water from your breath, sweat, damp clothes and damp muggy air.
The only way to remove it quickly this time of year is heat and dehumidifiers.

corks finest

slave1 wrote: »

corks finest wrote: »

Bang in read the op s suggestion ref recirculation - totally wrong

Sorry mate, haven't got a clue what that means?

Just make sure that the air is coming in from outside the car (via the heater) and not set to recirculation

monkeysnapper

I'm having this exact problem . I bought a new car end of October and parked up my 2006 c4 .

To my horror I looked into it last week and its completly mouldy , the water has developed in spare wheel well.

I wasnt sure what I wanted to do with car but I've decided now to put car back on road , clean it , drive it and sell .

I used cat litter to dry it out , I vacuumed worse of the mould out . I'll clean the seats over weekend and put heater in to dry .

It took no time at all for car to go from perfect looking to looking like it had been abandoned.

magentis

Twenty Grand wrote: »

I tried them before and they were rubbish. Got a small bit of water, but the windows still fogged up.

You can really underestimate the amount of water in your seats. When you take clothes out of the washing machine there's still litres of water in them, even though they might only feel slightly damp.

Your car gets all this water from your breath, sweat, damp clothes and damp muggy air.
The only way to remove it quickly this time of year is heat and dehumidifiers.

I find them excellent.

My car misted up first thing in the morning before I started using them.Now nothing.Interior Windows are perfectly clear on the inside.

The biggest cause of dampness in a car this time of year if you don't have a leak,is wet shoes on your mats/carpet.

magentis

corks finest wrote: »

Just make sure that the air is coming in from outside the car (via the heater) and not set to recirculation

Yes recirculation just keeps the damp air in the car.The worst thing you can do.