Mildew Smell In Car

RE: Mildew Smell In Car Post By Dam (Guest Post) (09/27/2008) I did the same as above. Left the windows and it rained bad. The car smells of mildew. So I went to harbor freights, bought a steam cleaner and went to town on the floors. Pulling the carpet up, cleaning from the bottom up, from the top down. Used the shopvac to circulate air (on the blower setting) to dry out from under the front carpets, and have tried the carpet spray in the past. I'll see if this makes a difference Only way I figured to kill the mildew, is to steam the life out of it and get it dry before anymore mould can take a hold. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Mildew Smell In Car Post By RAJIMAJI (Guest Post) (08/11/2008) After 3 years of trying to track down this smell, (mostly present in the summer months) I finally tracked down the culprit. IT IS NOT THE AC OR HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE AC/HEAT VENTS. THE SMELL seems to come from the vents but IT IS NOT THE VENTS -- THE PROBLEM IS 1 or 2 DEFECTIVE FREEZE PLUGS IN THE REAR OF THE AUTO. Look underneath the trunk (IF SANTA FE it's 2 RUBBER PLUGS UNDER THE REAR CABIN, next to spare tire) you will see rubber plugs in the sheet metal body. When you remove the rubber plugs you will see the ground through the inside of auto. These plugs leak and water is getting into the cabin. The Santa Fe has sound insulation that is absorbing the water & turning moldy. You will have to completely disassemble the plastic storage compartments in rear, many screws & plastic snap on fasteners. Once you get to the FOAM it will be soaking wet & IT SMELLS BAD. TEAR the wet foam out completely and spray the remaining fabric with lysol or fabreeze. Then USE High grade RTV silicone to SEAL the plugs. Make sure you coat the entire rubber plug - I even glued a thick piece of plastic over the silicone coated plug as back up to prevent water from getting back inside the REAR cabin. I chose not to replace the foam but you can put any similar material in its place. Email me if you have questions. aralight AT netzero.net GOOD LUCK. ROB Report Spam or Abuse RE: Mildew Smell In Car Post By dbyers84 AT yahooc.om (Guest Post) (07/09/2008) My car was just rained in today and I have class in the morning. What can I do to prevent mildew from forming? Report Spam or Abuse RE: Mildew Smell In Car Post By cate (Guest Post) (05/28/2008) I left my sunroof open overnight on vacation and had about 2-3 inches of water in my cupholder in the morning! Of course, I then had to drive three hours home with a dog in the car. So it really stinks. I'm going to try the charcoal thing and I've also heard that 20-Mule Borax works well too. Airing out the car is not working so well because I'm in Louisiana and the humidity is at 88% today! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Mildew Smell In Car Post By father1 (Guest Post) (11/05/2007) I have a pregnant girlfriend and her car smells like mildew because she left the sunroof open during a storm one night. The car is dry now but still stinks. I'm just curious if the mildew smell is harmful to her or the baby. You here these stories of mold problems getting people sick. Just curious any advice would help. Report Spam or Abuse tried air fresheners Post By my husbands fault (Guest Post) (08/02/2007) After getting rid of a saturn b.c of the horrible soggy carpet smell I bought a new car. Two months later my husband left the windows down for an hour during a storm(In Florida Mind You). Now I have that lingering smell, that seems to worsen when it rains even with my windows up. Why is the smell getting stronger when it rains?. My husband swears by his life that he cant smell it, and says that I have a Super Hero's nose. . . . I'm pretty sure its b/c he doesnt want me screaming at him every time we HAVE to ride together. Please Help Report Spam or Abuse RE: Mildew Smell In Car Post By Tilla (Guest Post) (07/05/2007) The best and only thing to do for this problem is to remove as much as you possibly can from the vehicle that is wet. Once you have done so- get a dehumidifier and leave it in your car over night for a couple of nights. Once you have done this you will remove most of the water and moisture from the car. When you think the car is free of moisture and dampness- give it a couple of sprays of febreeze under the mats- Go to car wash and have them clean mats with soapy water also... Report Spam or Abuse RE: Mildew Smell In Car Post By Dalton (Guest Post) (07/02/2007) i recently went out of town for two weeks and while i was gone it rained for 18 days straight..... so when i came back i hopped in my car and its all wet and mildew EVERYWHERE! someone help Editor's Note: To get started, get a wet/dry vac and try to vacuum out as much of the water as possible, just keep vacuuming. You might also get a dehumidifier and put it in the car for a while, that will help get some of th moisture out. If it is sunny know, open the windows and let it air out. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Mildew Smell In Car Post By steve (Guest Post) (01/17/2007) I have a Lamborghini Countach replica. Looks stunning, sounds awesome but stinks to high heaven inside!! Rain has got in somehow. I didnt open the doors for about 2 months as i dont use it alot this time of year & why? Because of bad weather!!!! I have had it valeted & i've sprayed so many things in it but theres still a musty smell. HELP PLEASE!!!!!!!! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Mildew Smell In Car Post By jeannine (Guest Post) (01/24/2006) I have a convertible LeBaron that I hadn't driven for a while,and like most of the country we had over average rain storms hit us. We'll I just checked the car and I have mildew on one of my seat belts and center console. Is there a home mixture to fix the problem? Report Spam or Abuse RE: Mildew Smell In Car Post By stan (Guest Post) (10/14/2005) one time when I was fishing I left my windows open and caught a really big fish Report Spam or Abuse RE: Mildew Smell In Car Post By (Guest Post) (09/01/2005) if you're sure the interior is absolutely dry, try removing the floor mats and sprinkling the carpets and upholstery with Borax (found in the laundry isle). let sit overnight or longer and then vacuum out. works on urine smells in carpet and on mattresses. also you can put a few pieces of real charcoal (the kind you barbeque with; but the ones not pre-saturated with lighter fluid) under the seats, in the trunk, and in the ash tray. it's a natural deodorizer. you can use this in closets, under the couch, in the fridge. and best of all, it's cheap! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Mildew Smell In Car Post by schneid (5) | (08/30/2005) Contact there is a great all natural product that will remove any mold or mildew from your car as well as eliminate any musty odor. It is moldzyme and you can learn about it at http://www.ecodiscoveries.com/Products/MoldZyme/tabid/189/Default.aspx Report Spam or Abuse RE: Mildew Smell In Car Post By brandy (Guest Post) (08/29/2005) Isn't it a bowl of vinegar that will absorb odors? My daughter recently stepped on the spout of one of those in the fridge water dispensers that was in my car and once I dried everything out I noticed a mildew smell so I went to wal-mart and bought a citrus scented odor absorber. It was in the same section as air freshner. No more mildew smell is noticable, it just smells like a citrus grove now. Report Spam or Abuse Archived Request: It rained in my car - How can I prevent mildew and mold? Post by ThriftyFun (3738) | (08/29/2005) Profile | Blog! | Contact I accidentally left the sun roof open on my two-month old car over night and, Murphy's Law, we got hit with a major storm. My interior was drenched! The car is still operating okay and i've been letting it sit in a underground garage with windows and sun roof open so it can air out. The seats are cloth. They don't feel very wet but I'm sure the water has soaked into the core and is festering there. Is there anything else I can do to prevent mold/mildew from setting in? Kate Report Spam or Abuse RE: It rained in my car - How can I prevent mildew and mold? Post By Justine (Guest Post) (07/27/2005) I'm 17, just got my license a few weeks ago and took the car out lastnight to the movies. A friend of mine was in the backseat and left the window open. I didn't even realize- I'm not used to having people in the backseat- it's always just been me and my dad. Well wouldn't you know it poured so bad in the car and now my dad is furious- I hoped to look up tips to fix his car- the only differece between your tips and my dad's car is the leather seats. Hopefully everything works out okay! Report Spam or Abuse RE: It rained in my car - How can I prevent mildew and mold? Post By tambi (Guest Post) (06/11/2005) Buy a bag of charcoal, split it open and let sit in your car. The charcoal absorbs the wet odor. As for drying your interior, if it is going to be hot and dry, leave the windows open for a while. Otherwise, a shop vac will pull out water as well as debris. Report Spam or Abuse RE: It rained in my car - How can I prevent mildew and mold? Post By Linne Dodds (Guest Post) (06/10/2005) This has happened to us twice. Both times I soaked up as much water as I could with towels & newspaper ,then I hauled out my LONG outdoor extension cord & used my 1500 watt blow dryer in spells of 10 minutes or so because much longer & it overheats & stops. The first time it stopped I thought I'd killed it ,but remembered our vacuum cleaner overheated & stopped so I turned it on again about 10 minutes later. Yes,it was fine! Also don't get it too close to the fabric,stay about 4 inches away & of course keep away from anything Meltable & a spritz or 2 or something like febreze or any scent you like probably couldn't hurt. & Really don't get wet while you are doing this,keep the connection to the extension cord away from water & if the connection gets hot.STOP !!! Maybe your cord isn't strong enough for your hairdryer , & maybe it's fine for short periods of time,even if it's 5 Minutes. Report Spam or Abuse RE: It rained in my car - How can I prevent mildew and mold? Post by badwater (743) | (06/09/2005) Contact I always roll my windows up every time I get out. Out here, in the desert, dust devils (mini tornadoes filled with dust) can come by at any moment and fill a car, immensely with dust. I don't take any chances. I know last year a Las Vegas, NV tv news did a piece on a teen who left his car windows open while he was at the city park playing ball with pals. He noticed people gathering around his car, when he went to investigate. A huge swarm of bees found his little deodorizer thing & they'd attached themselves inside his car!! They had to have a bee keeper come and de-bee his car before he could go home!! So you never know what Mother Nature can do to your car! Hope your car dries up & is ok, afterwards. Report Spam or Abuse RE: It rained in my car - How can I prevent mildew and mold? Post by Anonymous (130) | (06/08/2005) Contact One time my new 1978 Firebird got totally drenched inside in a major rainstorm. I was shopping in the mall, as usual and left the windows open. We left the windows open for a few days and it was fine after that. We never noticed mildew or anything wrong and the seats were burgandy velour. http://www.teapotcottage.com Report Spam or Abuse