how to clean mold out of car

There are numerous ways available for removal mold in your car; you will get different remedies to cope up with the situation. Nut the fact is, if you don't use the right process, then the mold in the car cannot be removed entirely. Steam interior cleaning is a method, which can be proved as the appropriate solution for this mold problem. So, no matter if you are doing it yourself or asking an expert, make sure the work is done correctly.

What is Mold, and is it dangerous?

Mold is a fungus that can be formed if your car has been left over for a long time. The presence of high temperature and moisture, more than the natural level, are the two main reasons mold occurs. People with lung diseases, skin diseases, allergy sufferers, and a low level of the immune system are especially sensitive to it. Exposure to mold can be dangerous for them, which is why it is highly recommended not to expose you to mold, even if you do not have any disease or have a robust immune system. Symptoms like wheezing, skin or eye irritation, nasal congestion, fever, shortness in breathing, etc. can be caused after exposure to mold, especially the dangerous Chlorohalonata species and Stachybotrys chartarum, also known as a black mold.

The origin of mold spores is humidity and moisture. To be very specific, if you left your car's sunroof open on rainy days or somehow any liquid left inside your vehicle and that is in damp weather, then that was the time when the welcome bell rang for the mold in yur car. Any moisture, even a little bit, can develop mold spores, and gradually it spreads all over the surface, mold growth takes from 1 month to 3 months.

mold spores completely covered car seats — White Mold covered car seats

Steam car wash

Steam car washing is an effective way to remove molds from your car. In this method, a steam cleaner is used to clean up the car's exterior as el, as interior car detailing. Most detailers use steam cleaners because it takes much less time than any other cleaning method and uses less water too. Additionally, steam cleaning has several health benefits also.

The steam cleaner are starts working after heating a certain amount of water in a boiler. Slowly the water turns into vapor and enters the machine through a nozzle. Then you need to set a temperature, depending on what you are going to do and similarly set a temperature. Likewise, your work will determine what ingredient you need to add in the machine to do the cleaning job properly. For example, after dry steaming the whole car interior, a detergent is used through the steam to get rid of the last bit of mold.

Fortador car wash steamers use high-temperature steam that not only removes grease and dirt quickly but also bacteria, viruses, and germs; thus, steam cleaning is an effective way to remove mold. The Fortador steam cleaner can produce high themperature pressure according to the amount of dirt and strain. For example, it acts tenderly on car paints at the same time that can break down large-sized dirt and can clean them within no time.

Advantages of Steam Cleaning

Steam cleaning is the most non-toxic way to get rid of mold and clean and sanitize the car surface. Apart from the effectiveness, it can kill almost all bacteria inside your car very quickly. Thus, steam cleaning is a safe, eco-friendly, healthy, and quick way to clean your car, top to bottom.
Steam cleaners use a minimal amount of water. That little water can clean the entire car, even without any scrubbing or rubbing
The steam produced by the machine does not require any chemicals in order to clean your car. So your sit fabric and leather, mats and carpets, windows, car paint, will be safe
You do not have to use multiple fancy or bulk-sized equipment or lots of efforts
Just like a regular car wash, the steam cleaning process can also be done in your yard, without extra hassles
Steam car wash is an effective way to clean your car, as well as it makes a complicated process like mold removal easier. Not only that, but the steam cleaning process can also be applied for both interior and exterior
Apart from using the dry steam of the steaming machine, one can use different nozzles to pick up dust and dirt particles from tough-to-reach places, like the footwell, between the dashboard button, etc.
Regular dusting and cleaning cannot give you relief from germs and bacteria, growing inside your car, but steam cleaning can kill mold and other bacterias

Can a steam cleaner remove mold from your car?

Mold is quite a thing to concern as it requires lots of effort to clean it. But did you know, mold removal process becomes much easier with steam cleaning? It happens because the steam machine produces a high-level heat which helps to kill the mold. Mold tends to die at a temperature between 150 degrees and 364 degrees Fahrenheit. Steam cleaning can effectively kill the mold spores from a surface, but steam should not be used on a non-porous surface as the steam can absorb the qualities of porous materials.

But there is one thing you should understand that somehow mold spores have an omnipresence. Even after steam cleaning the interior car detailing, it can again germinate on the surface. It requires oxygen, a nutrient source, and moistures to germinate, which is why if you leave your car in a closed, damp place for a long time, mold grows every day and therefore covers the inside surface of your vehicle.

How to remove mold from your car?

If you are interested in Fortador steam cleaning products, then the Fortador PRO Line machines is recommended. The machine has all the features that you could need for the mold removal process. Additionally, it is capable of providing two different detergents (for PLUS model) along with a hot detergent simultaneously with steam. Take a look at the following procedure and eradicate mold from your car.

1. Protect yourself

As mentioned above, exposure to mold should be avoided strictly. So make sure you have protected yourself properly before starting the mold removal process. Wear a surgical face mask or a particle mask, non-porous cleaning gloves. This reduces the chances of getting affected by any virus and makes sure you are exposed to mold.

2. Air out your car for some time

Sunlight and fresh air are the most useful tools that can be used against mold. Even not only mold, all types of fungus, or the other bacteria that grow in the presence of a high level of moist, can be killed to an extent by bright sunlight.

So choose a clean, sunny day and move your car out to a direct sunlight spot. Open the doors and windows, sunroof (if there is one), and let as much as sunlight enter the interior. Keep the car this way for a few hours. It will take the dampness out, and your cleaning process will be much easier.

car carpets with mold — Car carpets with mold

3. Use wet dry vacuum cleaner

Remove seat covers if you have them installed and now clean the whole interior with a wet dry vacuum cleaner and remove all the food particles or dust or anything else that is lying around. This is an important step that must be done before steam cleaning. Otherwise, the steam will make the dry dirt wet, and then later, they will be tough to remove.

Check recommended wet/dry vacuum for for car wash and auto detailing

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4. Air filter

The air filter must be changed as the mold particles have entered the air conditioning system. Changing it will make sure that the mold spores or particles are not returned to the car interior after cleaning it. Even after the cleaning process is finished, always take care of the air conditioning system because it tends to be dirty, very frequently.

steam cleaning of ventilaion system inside the car — Steam Cleaning of ventilation system to kill the mold

5. Steam your car interior

Now, it is time to use the Fortador car wash machine. The car leather and fabric is sensitive to water, which is why it is safe and efficient to use the steam cleaning machine, as the steam produced by the machine contains an insufficient quantity of water. That's the reason, the interior car detailing stays dry even after steaming. The car windows are also safe with steam cleaning because the steam does not contain any chemicals that can leave any streaks behind. You can dry steam the surface with 125C of dry steam and pressure of 235 PSI.

steam temperature by sprayed distance explained — Steam temperature by sprayed distance explained

6. Use detergent or white vinegar

After dry steaming the whole surface, detergent used to clean the surface again. Mold removal can not only be done with dry steaming. In the next step, put a good detergent into the steaming machine and then let the steam do the cleaning job. You can use more pressure where the dirt spot is wider or there is a grease spot, or the mold is much thicker.

After that, let the car dry. Then the steam cleaning experts treat the car with a special product to make sure that there is absolutely no mold left. They use a clean and thick piece of cloth to apply the product all over your car's interior, seat belts and floor matts, use a scrub brush on the surfaces if needed.

You can also make dilution 1:1 of white vinegar and using spray bottle and clean towel, wipe all surfaces with this vinegar solution.

7. Dry the car and get the remaining odor out

The individual product that was used after the steaming process will return your car's old shine and make it as beautiful as new. Move car to direct sunlight, then turn the car on and dry it using heat from the air conditioning for 20 minutes and put an ozone machine inside the vehicle to get rid of any remaining odor and bacteria for another 15 minutes.

The Fortador steam cleaning machine will surely do the mold removal process without leaving any trace behind. But if you are worried about food stains or salt stains from your car interior, you can use the Fortador scrub brush and spray bottle with White distilled vinegar or Fortador OXI shampoo. This equipment will take care of all the stubborn stains, and at the same time, your interior fabric and clothes will also be alright.

8. Take care of your car even after mold removal

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You must know now that mold can germinate again, and moist is the thing from what you should keep your car away. The first thing you have to keep in mind is that try not to eat and drink in the car, especially during the rainy season. Fast foods can dry out before growing mold, but spilled drinks may help mold to grow inside your vehicle. Another thing you must keep in mind is, do not ever get into your car wearing wet clothes or shoes or even when you have long wet hair. These precautions are mostly for rainy seasons because that is the ideal time for molds spores to grow.

Whenever you see the sun is shining brightly, get your car out from the garage and let the sun rays and fresh air come in your vehicle. It is very healthy for a car and, at the same time, harmful to the mold's life.
Keep your car clean. And try not to use lots of water to clean it. Use a vacuum cleaner to keep the sits, floor matts and carpets dust-free. Change the air filter time-to-time. A clean car is the enemy of mold.
When it is rainy weather or stormy for weeks, it becomes difficult to limit the moisture in your car. During these days, you need to be extra careful. Use things like rice bags or silica gel desiccant packets to absorb the moisture inside the car. Sprinkle a little baking soda on the carpets; let it sit for a few hours then clean it with the vacuum cleaner. Being a thick piece of cloth, it is challenging to keep carpets dry. Baking soda absorbs the moisture to some extent.
If your car is not running for a long time, buy a full-body car cover to prevent moisture from touching your car.
Your car's interior requires more than just moisture absorbents. Spray an antimicrobial cleaning product inside the car time-to-time. These products are made to kill mold as well as prevent mold from growing. When you are taking out your car in the rainy season, don't forget to cover the seats with protective cover and put waterproof floor mats on the floorboards.
Using air freshener inside your car will keep it fill fresh and clean. After removing the mold you can finalize with odor using our next guide for odor removal mold, smoke or food

Mold indeed looks like an impossible challenge, but with the right equipment and method, it can be cleaned, and your car will be again as good as new and no mold will coming back

Learn more about Car Steam Interior Detailing process