Removing mildew from car interior

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Hi, on my recent car purchase, I noticed there was a strong smell in the interior which I belive is mildew. The windsheild has obviously been sealed on top, so I think there was a leak. When I bought the car there were about 10 different smelly things placed all around the car, under the seats, on the dash, behind the arm rest, in the side pockets, everywhere, so I didnt notice the smell until I removed all those things. Also the carpet was a bit damp.

I threw out my floor mats, put baking soda over all my seats and carpet, left it there for a couple of days, then vaccumed it up, and sprayed a little new car smell scent everywhere. And bought new floormats. Smelt great for a couple of days, but it's starting to return a little.

How do I get rid of this smell? Pretty much everything has stains on it too, carpet and seats, the floor mats I threw out were original, I had to because they were so discolored. Theres no more dampness however. I was thinking of getting a detail place to do their thing, but was looking for maybe a different alternative.

Thanks
 
In my experience these issues are best left to pro detailers who have a documented expertise in mildew remediation. It can be a very tricky and time consuming job.

I don't think the "hints from Heloise" type home remedies will work very well but feel free to try them. If you want to tackle this yourself, I suggest you rent an ozone generator and a rug doctor carpet cleaning machine and stock up on necessary chemicals. Expect to spend most of the day cleaning every square inch of the interior. Mold and mildew can be anywhere inside a car so some disassembly of the interior may be needed.
 
No need for all that high-tech stuff
laugh.gif

Mix 1 cup of this in a gallon of water and spray it on anything you care to and let it air dry.It will kill "black mold" so use it with confidence.I havent had it stain anything to date so its most likely good to go on light fabrics like headliners and such.
This product retails under other names(Novelsan) for over $45-$50US per gal.This is the best deal anywhere on the net,their Customer Service is top-shelf
cool.gif

We use it primarly as a sanitzer for our boa cages,but it also works well as a minor wound flush in the garage.

SS/LS
 
can you use windex to clean it and the dashboard? Will it scratch it up? my other older car's is already scratched and I don't want to do this to the new 2015 rogue, so what should I use? Protectant by armor all? Pledge? Windex? I usually use windex to clean lots of stuff, speaking of windex, can you use windex UNDER THE HOOD to clean your engine or should you use something like greased lightning or purple power and is greased lighting ok to use on cars (exterior, wheels, etc?)

can windex be used? joy? Can you use a regular cloth or should you use a microfiber cloth, and what about using a duster? And is it ok to use rustoleum never wet (auto) to spray on the dashboard or navigation screen other interior components or is that only for the seats? The dealer sprayed a layer of it when it was new but it's been half a year now of ownership. Do you get a 2nd free oil change or is it only the first one and are future oil changes at a discounted price or are they at normal price, and the 1st free oil change they gave was CONVENTIONAL oil rather than synthetic, right?
 
my camry is really smelly on the inside and had maggots in the trunk the other day so i sprayed raid and let it sit for a few days and now they're dead, and then i sprayed disinfectant spray
what can i do to permanently get rid of the smell/stench of the car?
 
Originally Posted By: SSLoneStar
No need for all that high-tech stuff
laugh.gif

Mix 1 cup of this in a gallon of water and spray it on anything you care to and let it air dry.It will kill "black mold" so use it with confidence.I havent had it stain anything to date so its most likely good to go on light fabrics like headliners and such.
This product retails under other names(Novelsan) for over $45-$50US per gal.This is the best deal anywhere on the net,their Customer Service is top-shelf
cool.gif

We use it primarly as a sanitzer for our boa cages,but it also works well as a minor wound flush in the garage.

SS/LS


I have a GMC Savana that has some funky moldy smell and I want to clean the vehicle and use it again when going camping. I googled Novosan and didn't find anything. The link you posted goes just to an online pet supplies shop. What is the product you are using called?
 
I went to a gas station complex today (had quick lube detailing coffeee shop and gas and car wash all in one) and they had a vaccuum and a shampoo brush. The vacuum was 1 dollar for five minutes but the shampoo was expensive! One dollar for1 minute. It didn't clean my deep stains well but now the car smells better. Any experience with these or a car detailing place or service and how are they? They also sold this thing I think called something bomb, odor bomb but it was expensive at 19 dollars! Is an odor bomb effective? I also cleaned my trunk mat at a laundromat in their large washing machine for five loads and that worked well. Is putting your mats in a washer good?what about in a dryer?
 
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