interior molding prevention

[siteunseen]

I keep my Zs covered in a mostly dark and dry garage. I am having some type of powdery mold spots forming on the carpets. They will disappear after vacuuming and even brushing with my hand.

Anybody else have these spots and know what I could do to prevent them?

Thanks.

[cbuczesk]

I got some spots on a set of cloth seats and since then I kept a dehumidifier running in the garage. No problems since.

Chuck

 

[240260280z]

Wipe with vinegar on a rag.  Kills mould.

[siteunseen]

1 hour ago, Blue said:

Wipe with vinegar on a rag.  Kills mould.

Is there a vinegar that doesn't smell like vinegar?  Maybe I could use raspberry flavored vinegar or vodka.

I run a dehumidifier and have humidistat gauge down there. It rarely gets above 60%.

[siteunseen]

May try a diluted bleach and water.  Heavily diluted!

Or buy a handheld Dirt Devil. 

[240260280z]

Nope.... the white stuff is best.  We put it on french fries in Canada... btw it is a big component in Ketchup so you put it on your french fries too and may not know

 

FYI it works great on crusty road salt on carpet as well.... we also put salt on our french fries.

 

The next time I have french fries in the car I'll just roll them under the brake pedal for seasoning.  yummie.

 

Actually the smell of the vinegar will not last too long. Especially if you just wipe with a cloth or mist then wipe away.

 

Sulphuric is another beast altogether: my wife's co-worker  tipped a battery in the back seat area and the car always smelled like vinegar. They went to detail shops several times. They somehow sold it (buyer probably had no sense of smell).... reminded us of the Seinfeld episode with the stinky car.

 

Now to make it fish and chips:

We vacationed in PEI a few years ago and bought fish and chips at a road side take-out.  We drove with the stuff in brown paper bags for less than 30min then ate it in the cottage.  The car stunk like fish for over a month!

[240260280z]

14 minutes ago, siteunseen said:

May try a diluted bleach and water.  Heavily diluted!

Or buy a handheld Dirt Devil. 

vinegar is supposed to be best. I used it once and it worked great.  I just read that letting 3% Hydrogen peroxide sit for a while also does a good job... it has minimal smell.

[siteunseen]

1 hour ago, Blue said:

vinegar is supposed to be best. I used it once and it worked great.  I just read that letting 3% Hydrogen peroxide sit for a while also does a good job... it has minimal smell.

Thank you Phillip.  I can take odorless peroxide. it's cheap too.

If I took a peroxide bath it would erupt with fizzle like a grade school science project.

[Patcon]

60% humidity seems a little high. I have problems (metal rusting and mold growth) in the shop when I set it above 50%

[siteunseen]

I'm sure you're right Charles, I have mold. I just go by the gauge and it claims 55 to 60 % is okay. I'll let that thing run 24/7.  Mold my my eyes red and nose stuffy, is what I tell my Mom.

[sweatybetty]

i use these type of crystals that absorb water in my gun safe. i fill a water bottle about 1/4 full of the crystals, and maybe 3 months later the bottle is half full of water. maybe try this in your car with the windows cracked just a bit cant remember the name..............

Edited September 21, 2016 by sweatybetty

[Patcon]

Can you set the humidity level on your dehumidifier? I have mine set at 50% and once it dries it out it doesn't run too much. If you can't set it; then it running all the time might be too much for it or the power bill