Or at least her car does. You might remember a previous post where I trawled for answers regarding her faulty muffler and health risks due to carbon monoxide poisoning. Well, now she has issue with mold on the inside of her car. We live in Seattle, WA. (not the driest place in the world) and my absentminded friend tends to forget to roll her windows up. These episodes of forgetfulness have led to a very damp interior of her automobile and it smells really, really bad in there.
She has begun to realize that a closed window is necessary. Now she needs to know what is involved in removing the moldy smell from her car.
Does she need to replace the interior carpets and upholstery or will a steam cleaning do the trick?
I’ve had good luck with Febreze (and other fabric deodorizers). When I bought my van, it smelled atrociously of dog. Big, smelly, wet, smelly, nasty, smelly, smelly, smelly dog. I spritzed all the upholstery thoroughly with Febreze, let it dry for a couple days, then repeated as necessary (3 applications, all told). Of course, I did this in the middle of summer, when I could leave the windows open and let the hot, dry air in. I suppose the effectiveness of that technique will depend on how deeply impregnated with mold your friend’s car is, but perhaps it will be of some assistance. Downside is that the deodorizer smells pretty odd, but not as bad as big, smelly, wet etc. dog.
She could spread a layer of charcoal (the type you use for fish tanks) to filter the air on a layer of plastic and newspapers in the back area. If it’s a four door, use the floor of the car.
She may need to use an upolstery (sp) cleaner or even have it professionally cleaned but I would try the charcoal and rotate the charcoal every so many days for a couple of weeks before she goes for the big guns.
I apologize I don’t have a more construction solution to suggest other than to note, that I would be doing all in my power to get rid of the car.
However, I wanted to comment that she should be very aware of who rides in her car in that condition. Common mold can be the cause of a grave infection in people with illness and diseases that suppress the immune system. I literally mean “grave” consequences. Common mold can settle in for a deadly sinus (or other) infection. I’m not exaggerating.