I have a 2005 Honda S2000; in excellent shape except for a couple of scratches and dings in the paint; and except for persistent moldy smell when it gets damp. The old roof leaked and was in very hard rain when we lived in Maui. There’s a new roof; I’ve sprayed mold and odor killer stuff around the car, but when the roof is up and it’s been sitting in the garage in damp weather, the odor returns.
Are there any products you have found useful in dealing with this?
Any particular areas I should look at such as floor mats?
Now that we’re in San Diego it usually isn’t a problem but this winter has been extremely rainy.

Ozone generator.

Well, I’ve got one of those—in storage somewhere, unpacked since we moved. I’ll try to find it.

Is that a temporary or permanent solution?
And won’t it damage all the rubber in the car?

Ozone generator may help.

I have a friend who had a similar problem. He bought a bunch of dry ice and let it sublimate in his closed up car with the idea that the carbon dioxide would kill anything growing in there. It worked well, although he tried many other things, including ozone, so I can’t say for sure what actually helped the most. Worth considering.

If the smell is coming from the vents, there are aerosol foam products to spray into the vents. It will eliminate the smell and possible mold within the vents. The smell is usually caused by the a/c leaving moisture in the vents. An easy way to keep it moderated is to turn off the a/c for a few minutes before shutting off the car. The warm air through the vents will help evaporate the moisture. Just have to get into the habit to remember to do it.

Smell from moldy carpet is best remedied by replacement.

Drive it with the top down...

quote:

I’ve sprayed mold and odor killer stuff around the car, but when the roof is up and it’s been sitting in the garage in damp weather, the odor returns.

Seriously, you may never completely get rid of it. But you might try this:

I bought a 4Runner out of Houston that had been through Hurricane Harvey. It was in otherwise great shape except water got above the bottom of the door and the carpet got wet.



I used a spray bottle of OxiClean and a little bit of watered down liquid laundry detergent to spray the carpet (not to much) and then rub vigorously with clean rags (like old t-shirts).
Then I sprinkled a bunch of baking soda, let it sit a couple hours, then vacuum.
I repeated this process a few times and it smelled much, much better.

Ozone doesn’t kill mold and yes, too much of it can damage seals and if lead to a bleaching effect of certain materials if they’re wet. It will reduce the odor, but it will return. Letting it dry out thoroughly is the best option as mold requires moisture to stay alive, like all living things. To completely get rid of it you’re probably looking at pulling back the carpets and maybe going as far as replacing them along with any padding underneath.

I’d start with letting it dry out the best you can, leave it open if you have a garage and provide some airflow to the upholstery/carpets for a few days.

You'll need to remove the entire carpet and spray mold killer on the floor pan and then replace the carpet with a new one.

A body shop should be able to do this if you don't want to/don't know how to do as you may have to remove the seats.

I had a car that was parked at the Jersey Shore and there was a summer thunderstorm and the water rose up higher than the curb and got over my door sills. Within a few days it was bad and when the carpet came out, it was full of mold on the floor pan.

I wonder if the headliner might also need to be replaced?

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
You'll need to remove the entire carpet and spray mold killer on the floor pan and then replace the carpet with a new one.

A body shop should be able to do this if you don't want to/don't know how to do as you may have to remove the seats.

I had a car that was parked at the Jersey Shore and there was a summer thunderstorm and the water rose up higher than the curb and got over my door sills. Within a few days it was bad and when the carpet came out, it was full of mold on the floor pan.

This, the carpet or padding under the carpet may even still be damp, but definitely will be moldy. You're going to have to remove it at the very least and clean the floor pan etc. Replacing it would be your best bet.

An ozone generator would help quite a bit.

They make products to waterproof the convertible top fabric. We use the same material for Bimini tops on boats/yachts and have to do it after a few years and then every year or two. It's easy to do, make sure the top is completely clean and dry and simply brush on a light to medium coat with a foam brush. Starbrite waterproofing agent is what you want to use and marine stores like West Marine sell it and a quart will be plenty do a top that size.

quote:

Originally posted by az4783054:
Smell from moldy carpet is best remedied by replacement.

This is probably the best bet, I'd try removing the seats, console and then remove the carpet and pads, You might be able to clean them up.

you may have mold growing in the padding as well, order up a replacement set.

When you can smell mold, it means that a live mold colony is growing.

Mold needs water (in some form) and food, usually a saphoritic material. Mold is similar to a vampire in that it doesn't really die. So, stop trying to kill it with chemicals and gasses. Waste of time and money ! It WILL come back.

If you want to remedy the situation, you remove the mold by removing the colonies by removing the moldy substrate or abrading the mold away (vigorous scrubbing).

First find out where it is growing. I would hazard a guess and look at carpet and padding . Carpet could be pressure washed, but padding is all but hopeless. This is a guess on my part, it could also be in the seats and headliner.

Best of luck on your endeavor !!!

Registered Sanitarian and 14 year Air Quality consultant to the Department of Health, State of Florida

3% Hydrogen Peroxide. It will kill mold and mildew. It should not bleach the carpet but test in an inconspicuous area.

You may find things that will help but short of tearing out ALL the fabric in the interior, every bit, down to the metal, nothing will make it go completely away.

I’d check with a really good high end detail shop and see what they say.

They’ll be able to replace carpet and mat, etc.

Good luck to you.

Thank you all for your excellent advice!
I’ve watched YouTube videos on taking out the seats (no big deal) and replacing the carpet (much bigger deal).
I’m going to go to a local automotive upholstery place and see what they say about replacing carpet.

Odornix is the best stuff I’ve ever used. My understanding is it was invented to neutralize the odor of dead bodies at the “body farm” research facility at the University of Tennessee. Not withstanding the Vols still stink, it’s worked on some pretty bad smells for me. You could get it at Walmart last I checked or just order on line.