Omg... Mold!

[SilverNBC]

Ok so my car was literally parked for well over a year, after I was told it needed a timing belt etc I just stalled it and since I had a 2nd car I never bothered to use my bug again...


Anyway I never put a cover on it or anything, I SHOULD OF but didn't.


last month I discovered it was covered in mold, the seats and carpet only, I guess water went in trough the convertible top window area, the window does seem as if it shifted down a bit, I haven't had a chance to get fixed, and after reading online I hope I won't have to replace the entire top.


Has anyone experienced, or cleaned mold? I did my best with restroom cleaning products such as mildew cleaners etcs... and well cleaned a lot but some visible stains remain on the seats, leather which I guess I can cover with seat covers but the carpet is another thing, I want to replace it but if I do that I might as well invest on seats so everything will be like new...

any ideas suggestions on how to do further cleaning?

[Smileybug]

My hubby had to deal with this constantly when he had his '95 Passat. He had water leaks all the time...once he'd fix one, another one would start. At least once a year he was deep cleaning his interior. Pretty sure he just used a mild bleach solution to clean everything. Carpets are pretty easy, since you can take them out of the car. Spray them down, maybe scrub a bit, hose them off, and then he used a shop vac to get out most of the water. We did the same with the carpets in our Mk1 (black carpet too). Might take a few hits, but it should clean up alright. I can ask him more about it after he gets home from work or have him post.

When he got is Passat, it had about 2 inches of standing water in the rear floor and the carpets were certainly more green than tan. Cleaned up great and as long as the water was kept out of the car, no mold smell.

[FreqWiz]

See if you can find someone with a Steam cleaner, and steam all surfaces, it will help clean the mold, without damage.

[Volkswoman]

Yeah, bleach will kill anything. I detail cars and once in a while run into a customer with this problem. I stay away from the bleach, I just don't like it around kids and dogs. I do use the steamer though, it's great. I just substitute a white vinegar and water solution for the blech.