Hey Guys i got a customer that asked me if i could shampoo carpets and seats. Well after inspection i saw that the back seats were wet and mold had build up in the corners of the seats. What would be a good plan of attack for mold on upholstery? i asked the customer why were the sits still wet and they have no idea. i plan on taking out the seat and leaving it in the sun to dry. any suggestions appreciated. thanks
Identify its source Without identifying and eliminating the source of the odour / mould you can't get rid of it, there are many products that mask odours; what you need to do is remove and clean the whole area (carpets, upholstery, and etc) that is affected, including the headliner and metal floor pan. Organic stains- these include proteins and fats, body oils, mould yeast, bacteria, bugs and carbohydrates. Organic soil is cleaned with an alkaline (pH 8+).Most of the stains found in the vehicle interior are of an organic nature and require an alkaline type cleaner. Some organic stains (i.e. blood, vomit, urine) should be removed with an enzyme type cleaner and a disinfectant applied to the area Mold Remover You may notice dark or white blotches where two areas of the fabric touch or areas not used. If the contamination is not removed, the fungus will dissolve the fabric, forming small pits. Just like mould and mildew contamination in other areas, you cannot wash or shampoo it away. This only makes the problem worse. The fungus is caused by living organisms that must be killed before the upholstery is cleaned. This product is effective on most forms of bacterial or fungus growth - Protein Stain Remover HT-67 – http//:Top of the Line Auto Detailing Supplies
Most likely the back door is leaking somewhere along a seal, you can clean the mold but until you find the source, it's just going to come back. It sounds like a slow leak, you're going to have to find it, if you need help you can refer the customer to a specialty shop for finding leaks and then detail the car.
as everyone else said, find the source or it may keep coming back. or ask the customer if they know what had caused the mold? did they car sit for long periods of time?
I look at the seals under the seat and they looked good. i searched the windows, door seals and they all look good. i honestly think the had a water jug in the back and they left it open. During a turn the jug tipped over and spilled without them knowing about it. Since the seats are bucket type seats all the water was just in that one seat. i already steamed it and washed it with some upholstery shampoo but i can still see the little dots in the cloth. i am going to see if i can get an enzyme type spot cleaner to see if we can make those spots go away. i have had the seat out of the car for a couple of days now and there is no more smell just the pesky dark dots. i will look for that enzyme and post my results.
Have you tried an ozone generator to kill the mold? My mustang tht has been sitting a while has a lot of mold on the inside and a mold abatement guy told me to try that first to kill it. I found one that plugs into the cigarette lighter for $7 shipped. Ozone is extremely nasty stuff, don't breath the stuff.
you know i did not think of the ozone generator. i do not have one but i will be considering one in the future. where did you get yours or where is it that you saw the ozone for cigar plug?
oddly enough it was on an apple products daily deal website. If you keep an eye on DODTracker.com: Real-time Tracking of Every Deal of the Day on the Web they pop up about once a week on various websites. I am actually waiting for mine to arrive.
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