The Glade 4.0

yeah - so we had a bit of automotive angst this week. The brakes fell the fook OFF of my car (long story there) and John's grand plan involved putting my cougar up on blocks, loaning me his Explorer, and driving his cougar untill we could get the parts to fix the brakes on my cougar.

Well, his cougar has been relegated to show car only for a long time now and hasnt been driven since last June - the gas in it is literaly about a year old. But that wasnt a problem. The problem was, that his black leather seats are covered in mold. His seat belts are covered in mold. his dashboard even has some mold on it!

In the end his dad bailed us out of the brakes issue, but now John's baby, his show car, is a molded mess inside. I told him I would clean it for him 'cause he does so much for me, I figure its my turn. Now normaly I would attack the mold with goggles, a dust mask and a lot of bleach, but this is a black leather interior we are talking about. . . . what the heck can I do to kill the mold that wont kill the leather or the dyes?

Any ideas?


[edit: yes, I still cant spell lol]

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http://www.mrscleanusa.com/tips/leather-cleaning.html

Also:

http://vintageclothing.about.com/od/alt ... r_mold.htm
http://www.doityourself.com/stry/mildewmoldtest

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You ever seen that movie Creepshow? I wouldn't go touching that crap. Granted, the stuff in Creepshow was from a meteor, but you know never know...

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I've not used it, but I came across this:
http://www.leatherworldtech.com/Product ... 23371.aspx

I also saw a few references to: 1-part isopropyl alcohol + 1-part water.

Definately test a small patch before going to town (with any solution you decide to try).

I would say the mold on the seats and whatnot isn't the bad part.

The mold and stuff that's *INSIDE* the A/C vents and system... that's the bad part.

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Holy shitsnacks!

yeah - that like, the worry we dont want to think about ugh - he opened a door panel to fuss with the innards and found his dynamat was molding too

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You could do a perfect job removing the mold from the car, but it won't solve the problem until you address the environmental issue that allowed the car to mold in the first place (most likely stored in a high humidity area with restricted air flow).

Fix that or you are wasting your time.

we know there is a small leak in the trunk, but it was never an issue before. Then he put the car under a cover when he parked it. I'm guessing the resulting dark plus the warmth over the summer with that moisture did the trick. We gotta fix that trunk leak and hopefully this wont happen again.

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I think putting the car under a cover may have caused this. I know it causes rust.

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The car cover is the culprit. The leak in the trunk most likely provided the seed moisture, but even without the leak, the cover restricts air flow too much to allow the natural moisture in the air, concentrated by the cover, to evaporate naturally.

I wonder if an anti-fungi cream would work on leather hmmm...

I actualy thought of doing that lol

Untill we verify the leak and fix it he's gonna put moisture traps in the car to help prevent future issues, but in the mean time thanks for all the great advise guys, I appreciate it and so will John when I get his car cleaned out. Now if only it would stop raining I could put these plans into action!

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Just FYI, while the moisture traps might help alleviate high humidity under the car cover, they won't do anything about alleviating the lack of natural ventilation around the car.

Show cars should not be stored under covers, especially heavy canvas ones, except for very short periods of time, such traveling on trailers.

As Taskiss alluded, those covers hold moisture directly against the material of the car, where it can cause rust, damage the finish, rot the seals and gaskets, etc.

Assuming you choose to store the cleaned up and cleaned out car in the future, look into dessicants appropriate for car use for future storage.

Using something to absorb moisture and keep it trapped, something you can change easily and on a regular schedule, may be the answer to keep this from happening again.

Here are some good tips, if slightly pushing their products

http://www.buyclassiccars.com/storagetips.asp

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As far as storage and the whys of the cover go, we have trees, both coniferous and deciduos (sp?) overhanding our driveway and yard, so if he parks it with no cover, he will constantly have to be cleaning the c**p off of the car. With this in mind, he ordered a custom cover from Griots Garage a long while back. its very light rather than being heavy canvas, it SAID it was proof agaisnt water, but he has put it through the wash, so I expect that this feature may have gone the way of the dodo

Honestly, I'd like to get him one of those erectable car ports for it, but I dont know that we can A) fit it or B) afford it lol

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