How do I get rid of the damp smell in my car? Here is how to remove a car’s musty mildew odor due to mold.
When mold growth appears in cars it leaves behind its characteristic musty odor. Now getting rid of such odors can be a bit difficult if you don’t know what or how exactly to go about it.
How to Get Rid Of Mildew Smell In Car
Here, we’ve provided several helpful tips to get the job done. With the right knowledge, your mold smell problem doesn’t have to last a single day more.
Also to be discussed are the common causes of moisture presence in cars and how the problem can be fixed.
By understanding these points, you’re able to adopt a holistic approach towards resolving odor issues presenting themselves. Future prevention is also guaranteed through adequate preventive action.
Musty Mildew Smell In Cars Arise from Mold Growth
If your car has a musty mold-like odor, chances are that there’s mold presence in the car. Such should be visible when taking a look around. The musty smell you perceive is simply a result of ongoing mold presence.
Also, mold removal doesn’t guarantee immediate relief from such bad odors.
Removing such odor can be expedited by taking definite actions which we’ll be discussing shortly. A car left unused for a long is likely to develop leaks. Such leaks result in a buildup of humidity.
To prevent this chain of events, proper care of your vehicle’s interior is required.
It Begins with Mold Removal
Efforts aimed at mold smell removal in cars depend on the actual removal of the mold causing such a smell. After successful removal, further action needs to be taken to eliminate moisture presence.
Of course, there are odor treatments that can help freshen your car’s interior by eliminating any odors.
One of the easiest ways is to call for competent help. Experienced mold removal experts have a variety of solutions for mold removal. You can also carry out a car detailing procedure targeting the interior.
Some detailing services offer mold treatment for car interiors.
However, if you want to get the job done yourself, there are multiple options at your disposal. You can begin by searching the car for any food sources as these could lead to mold growth, hence musty odors being perceived.
Even food particles dropped within the car can cause mold growth.
Also, consider introducing some heat. Mold won’t tolerate or withstand heat beyond a certain limit. With this knowledge, you can either use your steam cleaner to treat interior surfaces or simply heat the car interior.
By increasing the temperature to above 140 degrees F, you effectively destroy mold growth.
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Car Odor Removal Vinegar
Vinegar is another possible solution that can be adopted to fix your mold issues.
A solution containing equal parts vinegar and water should be mixed and sprayed onto affected surfaces. This kills off any mold as well as spores around treated areas.
Proper drying of the car interior is also vital.
Without this action, it’s only a matter of time before new mold growth appears. One of the ways to prevent this from happening is by opening all car doors on sunny days to allow for proper aeration and drying.
There are ready-to-use products designed for this purpose. These can be purchased from your nearest hardware store and used as instructed on the label.
The results obtained large depend on how well they’re applied.
How To Remove Mold Mildew Smell From Car
The methods for mold removal outlined above will serve the purpose of musty odor elimination to some extent. For more comprehensive odor elimination, certain steps or procedures will have to be followed.
One of the easiest ways to get rid of mold smells includes using car mold removal products specially formulated for odor removal.
Some of these include Odor-X Spray, Turtle Wax Power Out!, Chemical Guys AIR, Zero Odor Multi-Purpose Odor Eliminator, and Meguiar’s Whole Air Re-Fresher.
Other similar products to use include Armor All, PURGGO Car Air Freshener, and Zep Odor Eliminator.
There are tons of others that we won’t be mentioning here due to time and space. However, those mentioned will give you real value for money. It must be stated that these won’t guarantee success unless used properly.
Plus, they’re best applied only after mold has been eliminated from the car.
Stop Mold Smell in Car from Returning
With successful mold smell removal, you might have such returning in the future especially when adequate preventive measures aren’t taken.
Things like forgotten clothes, food, and moisture can lead to, or cause a repeat of the musty odor problem. Let’s explain;
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Forgotten Clothes
Excess sweat in clothes or water in towels, when forgotten in the car, is likely to cause mold growth and smell. You’ll have to be more deliberate in emptying your car of all such clothing when home.
These items have to be properly dried out.
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Forgotten Food
Leaving behind food in cars is common practice for a lot of people. The problem is that food left behind is likely to cause all sorts of issues especially with mold growing on them.
The longer it takes to get it out of the car, the worse it gets. Also, spilled beverages on car seats and carpets are likely to result in mold growth.
Ensure no food is left behind and spilled beverages are properly cleaned and affected areas dried. With such action, cases of musty odors in cars are significantly reduced.
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Moisture Presence
This is the primary cause of mold growth which leads to musty odors in cars. So, watching out for moisture is one way to prevent or keep the problem from happening.
Moisture presence in cars arises from weather conditions as well as leaks. As cars age, their ability to withstand moisture penetration reduces.
Car owners may also forget to close their sunroofs or windows. The car interior is likely to get wet when such happens. When the interior isn’t dried on time, mold growth is bound to result.
To prevent all of that from happening, you’ll need to ensure your car interior isn’t taking in any form of moisture.
Removing mold smell in your car will require doing it the right way. We’ve mentioned several actions you can take including taking precautionary steps to prevent mold growth in the first place.
This makes it less likely for musty odors to result.