Car, Van, Truck, & Recreational
Vehicle [RV] Mold Problems
How to Do Mold
Remediation for Cars, Vans, Trucks, and Recreational Vehicles [RV]
Driving or riding regularly in a mold infested
vehicle is certainly a good way to enable elevated levels of airborne
mold spores in the vehicle and its heating/cooling ducts to be inhaled
by the driver and the passengers, and thus possibly to initiate mold
growth inside the driver’s and passengers' bodies.
You ought to mold test the outward air flow out of the heating/cooling
duct registers of the car/truck, plus test any visible mold grows, plus
test the air of the passenger compartment air, the trunk, and any other
storage areas for the possible presence of elevated levels of airborne
mold spores in comparison with an outdoor mold control test.
You should also do mold testing all around your home and workplace
[because of possible mold contamination of either area from mold spores
transported from the car/truck into or from your home or workplace on
your hair, skin, clothes, and shoes]. It is very common for your car
and/or home air conditioning systems to be mold contaminated if there
are elevated levels of mold in the car and/or home. Use the do it
yourself mold test kits, available from a large hardware or home
improvement store.You would
compare the number and variety of mold growths on the culture plate of
each test kit for each duct register and for the passenger compartment
air test, in comparison to an outside mold control test done 5 feet away
from the automobile. You can also can mold lab analysis and mold species
identification, if you so desire, of the mold test kits.
You should spray one of the
Mold Home Remedy Recipes into the vehicle’s heating/cooling duct
registers to kill mold hidden inside the heating/cooing ducts. If there
is still a moldy smell, consider replacing the carpeting and
reupholstering the seats.
Don’t use bleach to try to kill car mold because bleach is ineffective
on porous surfaces such as seat upholstery and carpeting. Learn why
bleach doesn’t kill mold on porous surfaces at
Bleach and Mold
While killing and removing mold inside the vehicle, the worker should
follow proper safety procedures such as using a 3M brand breathing
respirator mask [from a large hardware store or home improvement store],
throwaway painter’s work clothes or other protective clothing, and
rubber gloves. Learn about mold remediation safety and effectiveness
steps in detail at
Mold Removal
To avoid future car mold problems, a car or other vehicle that is
sitting unused for more than a few days ought to have all interior
surfaces [including carpeting and upholstery] washed with Borax laundry
detergent, a natural mold cleaner, in warm water to remove deposited
organic dirt [mold food] and landed mold spores.
Vehicle
Mold Remediation
Questions
Q.
I am a parts and service director at a luxury car dealership. Over a 72 hour
period we had a vehicle parked outside which was being serviced over a
holiday weekend the vehicles window was left partially rolled down. The
vehicle was wet on the right side carpeting and seat area. We discovered
this when returning the following Monday. We informed the customer and had
the water extracted and left the vehicle inside with windows rolled down for
several days. We had our technician inspect the carpeting, by partial
removal and inspecting the padding underneath for any signs of dampness. The
tech. verified the underside of the carpeting and the foam padding, which is
part of the carpeting, was dry. We informed the customer and she stated that
she had acute asthma and allergies and if there was any mold or if any
animal possibly entered her vehicle she could have an asthma attack. The
customer is requesting that either her entire interior including all carpet,
seats, etc. be replaced or we give her a new car. Can this vehicle be tested
for any possible mold and given some sort of a clean bill of health, if
applicable, to avoid either of these two scenarios. I would appreciate any
advice you could lend. [Jan. 21, 2005]
A.
Have the passenger compartment thoroughly inspected and tested [including
outward air flow from each heating/cooling duct register] for elevated
levels of airborne mold spores, in comparison to an outdoor mold control
sample by a
Certified Mold Inspector. If there is a serious mold problem, replacing
the items is not the only option. You should first trying scrubbing the
entire interior including both sides of carpeting plus the upholstery with
Borax laundry detergent [a natural mold cleaner] in warm water. Fan dry
quickly to get rid of excess moisture. You can use also a low-cost Mold
Home Remedy Recipes and other Mold killing and protective products
available at Mold Mart. Then fan dry
after allowing the home remedy to kill for at least one hour. Then have the
car re-tested by the Certified Mold Inspector---or use do it yourself mold test
kits from a large hardware, home improvement, or safety store.
Q.
I think it’s possible that I have a moisture and mold problem in my car’s
carpet and pad. It was cleaned by a detailer that left it quite wet. There
is some odor and every time I get in the car my asthma is activated. Any
advice on how to best detect the problem? If I can prove it’s the source, I
can replace all the carpet in the car. [Jan. 21, 2005]
A.
To document the
mold health problem in the car, use the
Scotch tape lift sampling technique on the carpeting to collect possible
mold samples to put into the sticky surface of a mold culture
plates---by
using do it yourself mold test kits from a large hardware, home improvement,
or safety store..
You should also mold test the air of the car and the outward air flow from
each heating/cooling duct. Replacing
the carpeting/padding is not enough. The entire inside of the passenger
compartment needs to be scrubbed repeatedly [fan drying afterwards] with
Borax laundry detergent, a natural mold cleaner. You can use also a low-cost Mold Home Remedy Recipes
and other Mold Killing and protective products available at
Mold Mart. Also spray 6% to 10% concentration of hydrogen peroxide
heavily into each of the car’s heating/cooling duct registers.
Q.
My car was taken to a body shop on November 5th, 2004. When I went to pick
up my car on December 27th, 2004 I opened the trunk and found black colored
mold everywhere. Cause: The brake light mounted in the trunk lid was removed
for painting and was not reinstalled correctly. Effect: Thus causing water
to leak in to my car unnoticed for quite some time. The body shop noted that
the break light was not seated correctly on the left side (the black trim on
that side was an inch below the truck lid) and didn't know what to say. I
left the car there so that they could repair the damage and correct the
other paint flaws that I noticed. I called them today to find out when my
car would be ready for pick up. At that time I inquired as to how they were
able to kill the mold from my car. They said that they had it detailed. I am
concerned that detailing is not going to kill the mold... the mold spread
from the trunk to the interior (evidenced by the presence of mold on the
back plastic window) and was even in my CD changer on the cartridge. What
can I do to ensure that it is cleaned up correctly.... is it possible? Will
it come back? How will I know? Is it going to make me sick? Is there some
place in Seattle Washington that handles this type of issue? Any advise you
could give me would be GREATLY appreciated! [Jan. 5, 2005
A.
Your first step should be scrub the entire trunk and passenger compartment
repeatedly with Borax laundry detergent, a natural mold cleaner, in warm
water. Spray
hydrogen peroxide into the heating/cooling duct registers to
kill mold inside
the heating/cooling ducts of the car. After all sprayed surfaces are dried,
use do it yourself
mold test kits from a large hardware, home improvement, or safety store
to
mold test the air of the trunk and of the passenger compartment for any
possible elevated levels of airborne mold spores, in comparison to your
outdoor mold control test.
Q.
I have a 2002 Saturn SL1 and the car was diagnosed with a manufacturers
defect about 7 months ago. Apparently there was a leak in the firewall and
water got into the car. After about six trips to the dealer they had
replaced every piece of soft interior, pulled the dash apart twice, replaced
all the mats, carpets, rubber and fiber insulation and they washed down the
hard parts of the interior with [product name] They have probably spent at
least $10K trying to fix it. My 3 year / 36000 warranty ran out on Friday
and at that time I took the car in. The service manager, sales manager, and
the General Manager reached a consensus that my smelling of mold was a
figment of my imagination. I think the car still smells and so does my wife
and my son. Saturn Customer Service relies on the dealer and I can't get
them to respond to me. If I want to get any where with resolving the
perceived problem I will have to prove; perhaps legally prove, that mold
still exists. If the results are positive I can proceed and if they are
negative I am still a happy camper that the problem is solved. Now the mold
odor is not nearly as bad as it was but I believe that a little bit of mold
is like a little bit pregnant. It will mature! What do you recommend that I
do? [December 13, 2004]
A.
Using a medium-sized, clean [rubbing alcohol disinfected] fan, stir up the
air inside the closed car for 15 minutes. Turn off and remove the fan. Place
one of our opened mold test kits in the middle of the passenger compartment and leave it there
it for one hour for any mold in the air to settle down onto the settling
plate [mold test kit].
Use do it yourself mold test
kits from a large hardware, home improvement, or safety store. Then seal the test kit closed and follow the other
mold test kit
instructions. Watch for mold growth over a 7 day time period. Do a car
heating/cooling duct test by holding a separate mold test kit in the direct
outward air flow [out flowing air directly hits the sticky surface of the
open mold test kit] from each heating/cooling duct register [running on fan
ventilation] inside the car [open windows are fine]. Do a 15 minute
air mold test for each
separate duct register. Then seal the kits and watch for 7 days. If you have
many molds in colony counts and types of molds growing, you have in your
hands proof positive of the existence of a serious mold problem. You will
also do [at the same time as your interior car testing] an outdoor mold
control sample test 5 feet away from the car. Read our mold test kit
instructions carefully at If you so desire, the mold test kits showing the
most mold growth can then be submitted to a mold lab for mold lab analysis
and mold species identification. In view of all the effort that has been put
into the interior of the car as to
mold
remediation, there is a distinct possibility that the remaining mold
smell is coming from mold growth still resident in your car's
heating/cooling equipment and in the duct work which carries heating/cooling
into your passenger compartment.
Q.
I have a mold removal question. My husband was doing some major repairs on a
friend's van. The van sat without being driven for a total of 9 months which
included the winter wet and raining season of the Seattle area. When the van
was able to be driven my husband then noticed the horrific mold problem.
This van is a conversion van so the entire inside is carpet and cloth fuzzy
seats. There is even cloth curtains that are not easily removed. We have
cleaned the van with carpet upholstery cleaned and then dried it out good.
This took care of a lot of the mold, but not all of it. There is still a
great deal of black spots and the inside smells very musty and moldy. The
owners of this van are highly allergic to mold. Is there any way to salvage
the inside of this vehicle? [May 28, 2003]
A.
No.
Serious mold growth in and on soft fabrics requires their removal and
discarding. After the
moldy car materials have been removed, all indoor surfaces need to be
cleaned in a thorough mold cleaning, with Borax laundry detergent, a natural
mold cleaner, in warm water. The hardest problem will be to disinfect the inside of
the car's heating and air conditioning ducts. Spraying hydrogen peroxide as
a fine mist for several hours into the hvac registers can help solve this
problem, but the best solution is to remove and replace the car's hvac
equipment and ducts [very costly]. For more information on mold remediation,
please visit:
Mold
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