Car going mouldy inside :-/

TrickyWicky

Ooops..

Car has been sorn for the last 3 - 4 years. Don't ask why, it's too long a story however its a loved car that is wanted and we're intending to put it back on the road again at some point - hopefully this year.

Now, in all the years of sorn-ness its never once had a problem with damp :cool: Now a few months back, LIDL were doing their cheap car covers so I decided to support the cause and covered up the car thinking it would protect it from the elements. Apparently that was kinda wrong but you live and learn...

So, I've been out to it today to show it to someone who had never seen one (neighbourly prank that went wrong for him lol) and they were fascinated by it, peeping inside to tell me the steering wheel and head rests were mouldy :eek:

Well, I've been in and blitzed it with Mr Muscle general cleaner and plenty of J cloths but I'm now concerned that this could become a recurring problem. The steering wheel isn't so much of a problem - I have a spare thats been sat in a nice warm cupboard for ages but the rest of the leather interior could be a headache. For many years its always had that new smell (even though its 14 years old) and its something I've been very proud about. Now its got a few mouldy spots (which I've cleaned off) I'm worried this may be an issue and come back again. As a temporary measure I've wiped out all the water from the glass and sunroof and put a tub of salt in there to try and dry out the air. I've also read that cat litter is good for this along with charcoal but I'm not sure what the best method of attack is to keep the leather nice and prevent it happening again.

Any other tips and advice please?

colino

The best thing really is to get it inside and a nice low-heat fan heater on the floor with all the windows cracked. Unfortunately with perishing door/window seals it will keep on happening and once the crud gets inside seatbelt webbing and leather stitching it's almost a lost cause for anything other than prestige.

fivetide

it's possibly the cheap car cover. It won't be letting moisture out so rather than protecting the car from the elemnts it is simply getting any damp in there to condense. I had a similar issue with an old mini and it can happen indoors too if you don't have a heater as described above.

Ours is actually stored with the window slightly open to so air gets round it.

Foxy-Stoat_3

Spray some CarPlan or similar Interior Disinfectant around, which should kill any mould/bacteria and gives it a nice fresh smell too, also clean the leather with some good leather treatments. If its ventilated then the mould shouldnt return.

mattyprice4004

I've just bought a £30 Peltier-based dehumidifier from eBay - uses about 40w and removes up to 250ml of water a day.

Reviews seem OK too, the model is an MD250.

forgotmyname

1st reviews i read on Amazon said its rubbish 100ml in 5 days.

250ml is at 30ºC with 80% humidity. Does it ever reach that in the UK?

May as well get a £1 shop dehumidifier crystal box and a small solar fan.

Damp car sealed up with little airflow = plenty of mould.

Weird_Nev

Leave a bucket of dessicant in the car once you've sorted out the mould. Rice or something.