Mold - how to get rid of

[Coyoteboy]

Sodding stupid door seal leaked and I've not checked it for 3-4 weeks, now i have water in the footwell (no biggy, dehumidifier in there) and a bloody great load of green and white mold/mould? on the seatbelts where they roll back into the rear trim. Well cheesed off - my almost mint interior is fooked now.

Any ideas on cleaning?

[paul_gt4]

i thought that mould just rubs off with a bit of warm water, i had a small bit of it on my steering wheel there whilst the car was locked up for the last few months, warm water and a cloth rid it for me

[The Doctor]

Depending on what your using it on,diluted bleach eats mold.Should be ok on an interior footwell as long as it does not come into contact with any rubber door seal

[Coyoteboy]

Problem Locations:

Both seatbelts, only where hidden by panel, not in roll.
Footwell carpet
Dash, next to gear gaiter.
Mats (removed and washing machined)

Do we think its a bad idea to bleach a seatbelt?

[The Doctor]

Problem Locations:

Both seatbelts, only where hidden by panel, not in roll.
Footwell carpet
Dash, next to gear gaiter.
Mats (removed and washing machined)

Do we think its a bad idea to bleach a seatbelt?

In my humble opinion,yes.Anybody got a spare bit of seatbelt to try it on ?

[paul_gt4]

elbow grease man, try my theory it worked for me

[ChrisW]

You can get an anti-fungal bathroom spray, does what it says on the tin

[Redbeast]

dettol mould and mildew killer spray about £2.50 from any supermarket.

thing is you can clean mould off, btu unless you KILL it it'll come back.

however, test on a bit first cos i dont know if it belaches.  it';s designed for tiles, so i dont think they worried about that when they designed it.  also helps remove the mouldy smell.

failing that, Cillit Bang (or the lidl version Adrit for half the price).  that's pretty good stuff and doesnt bleach AS MUCH, btu again, try it forst!

good luck mate.

[ChrisW]

For both bathroom cleaner and Cillit Bang(in the kitchen cupboard, lol) they both advise to avoid textiles, carpet, rubber, glass. Hot water and soap would be a softer approach, rinse and repeat at a later date to be on the safe side, imo

Cheers

[Coyoteboy]

Hmm I'll checkout the mildew thang and if necessary remove the whole belts and soak them, then rinse a few times. If they bleach I'll have to find new ones - I reckon if i dont kill it off (as mentioned) it will keep returning and probably spread.

Mind you, it is a good excuse to strip it and go rally-slag

[ChrisW]

Found this on the Unilever site-

Mould & mildew

Mildew develops when items are damp. It shows as pink, grey or red spots. Mildew or Mould that has recently formed can usually be removed by washing in a heavy-duty detergent, such as Persil Biological.

And this on Yahoo-

DampRid makes a handy mold & mildew remover and protector in a spray bottle for fabrics. You can find it at Lowes home improvement stores in the cleaning aisle. Spray it on the mattress, agitate until you no longer see the fur or mildew stains and then hit the area with a blow dryer. It won't damage the fibers of the mattress upholstery and it leaves a protective coating that prevents the mildew or mold from growing again. Moreover, it has no toxic fumes or odor.

Cheers

[Coyoteboy]

Woo! Thanks! Well found!

[Redbeast]

go rally!

[Coyoteboy]

Being an introverted exhibitionist I REALLY want to go rally and would love the attention in a way, but then I like my comfort too and worry that driving 500 miles to visit my bro would leave me and the missus with permanent hearing loss and vibration white finger. Plus it seems sacriledgous to pull the interior from a comfy smart car.

[ChrisW]

http://www.allearplugs.com/