Mouldy carpets

bwana

bwana

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We got back the other day from a three week trip overseas and I've just noticed the carpeted mats in my car are noticeably damp under the rubber backing and there's mould growing :eek:

Is this a job I can tackle myself or am I looking at completely replacing the carpeting? The car is comprehensibly insured so it should be covered.
 
You can leave the car open to dry it out and add some dessicent/ kitty silica crystals to mop up excess water.
It will most likely occur again though so rather find the root of the problem which is most likely some rust allowing water in.
 
bwana said:
We got back the other day from a three week trip overseas and I've just noticed the carpeted mats in my car are noticeably damp under the rubber backing and there's mould growing :eek:

Is this a job I can tackle myself or am I looking at completely replacing the carpeting? The car is comprehensibly insured so it should be covered.
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First off, thats gross.

Secondly, if insurance will cover it, i would personally have the carpets replaced in totallity. In addition, the source of the moisture must be identified and fixed, but i doubt insurance would cover this.

In any case, if there is mould, there will be mould spores, which will infect other areas where the mould can grow. Good luck with insurance.

Oh, i don't think you should attack this job on your own. Try find someone that specialises in mould damage carpet and upholstery.
 
Electric said:
You can leave the car open to dry it out and add some dessicent/ kitty silica crystals to mop up excess water.
It will most likely occur again though so rather find the root of the problem which is most likely some rust allowing water in.
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No rust no leaks. I think it's just three weeks of accumulated condensation as the non-matted carpets are dry.

I did find one of the kids' empty waterbottles nearby so it is possible that it didn't start off empty…
 
You can buy hydro fungicide.
1ml per 1l water and spray the car out. It will kill anything and won't stain.
It will also help prevent future mould.
 
Thanks - I've sent an email to my insurance broker so see if/what's covered. I'd rather get it professionally sorted if I'm covered.
 
If you are willing to go to the trouble i would suggest going to a chemical supply company like Protea chemicals and purchase a small drum of hydrogen peroxide. The stuff works magic on fungus and is relatively safe if you take care.
 
zahadoom said:
If you are willing to go to the trouble i would suggest going to a chemical supply company like Protea chemicals and purchase a small drum of hydrogen peroxide. The stuff works magic on fungus and is relatively safe if you take care.
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Just be careful not to bleach anything.

As an added bonus you can buy some draincleaner, mix the two together and use it to get rid of bodies :p
 
Electric said:
Leaving PE is like a massive excursion for us.
JBay is overseas as well considering the bridges you cross to get there :D
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In Cape Town, I always considered the Robben Island trip classified me as an overseas traveller. :D
 
My BMW leaked pink fluid from the heater radiator onto the carpet. Auric Auto refused to fix it under warranty, there were mushrooms growing in it. They said it had "been improperly used". I could never pin them down what this meant. Fortunately, car got stolen shortly thereafter, so the problem went away so to speak
 
The US Environmental Protection Agency has a lot of stuff on their site on treating mould. A very rough summary:

- Always wear gloves.
- If there is more than one square metre of it then wear a face mask.
- Clean up using ordinary household detergents.
- If that does not work then give up and replace the mouldy stuff.

They do not recommend bleach / fungicides due to these methods having a high variation in reliability. Maybe they just don't want people sending this stuff down the drain.
 
Pull the carpets out of the car and sprinkle salt over the them, wait and spray on a bit of lemon juice. Rinse and apply vinegar. Rinse and wash with carpet shampoo/detergents. Hang up carpet(s) to dry in sun.
 
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