Mildew prevention during storage.....

T

TurboJim

JCC Racing Member Forum Tech Advisor
Staff member
Joined
May 24, 2001
Was tinkering yesterday and hopped inside the car to check something and noticed "age spot" looks spots on only the vinyl places of the interior. Like the dash, the door handles and armrests in the doors. I assume it was mildew. My car has been in the garage for some time....

Anyway, is there a way to prevent this? I mean I know, it is caused by dampness, but is there anything I can put on those surfaces to try to keep this mildew from growing? I thought about leaving some bleach in a cup in the car, but jeez, if it spilled....and then I wondered about the vapors actually bleaching or otherwise damaging the fabric. Then thought about baking soda, but doe that really absorb moisture??

Anyone got any thoughts/solutions?
 
Most commercial "so-called" vinyl protectants are water-based, actually contributing to the problem.

The best vinyl protectant we've ever used is the 3M Marine Vinyl & Plastic Protectant. No close second to this product! You'll find it in the Camping/Boating section at Wal-Mart.

Simply putting down 3-5mil polyethylene down on the garage floor beneath where the car is parked stops the "moisture-wicking" from below.

Put a barometer in the garage, and whatever you can do to lower the ambient humidity will help.

Get the car out into bright sunlight as often as possible.

HTH :)
 
Originally posted by Two Lane
The best vinyl protectant we've ever used is the 3M Marine Vinyl & Plastic Protectant. No close second to this product! You'll find it in the Camping/Boating section at Wal-Mart.
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For vinyl as well as tires, I love 303 Aerospace Protectant. I haven't seen it at Walmart here, or other places, so I usually order from http://www.properautocare.com/ along with some other goodies I can't get here. Don't know about mildew-proofness specifically. This stuff is great, I hate it when I run out and have to use something else for the day. Nice flat finish, "new car/tire" and show car look.
 
Yup,

303 works very nicely on tires & other areas not prone to mildew.

303 is becoming more widely available, as we picked our last
bottles up at a local parts store...first we didn't order from Classic.
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Obviously, the 3M Marine Vinyl & Plastic Protectant is especially formulated for use in wet/damp environments...ideal for mildew.

HTH :)
 
the 3m stuff is the ticket, my brother uses it on his boat which we never use anymore. all is it does it sit. he also got ex fans running in there. jim , you could just put your motor in and then you would be able to drive it once in a while and not worry about that. lol :D :D :D :D :D
 
I used baking soda in my TTA which actually sat outside and it worked perfectly..

just my $0.02
 
We all know Jim is old and moldy. He is really asking these questions for himself.

Whit
 
hehe

well for work all i do is mold... removal from houses, businesses etc..

the bad stuff wearing the suits...
1 thing that works very well and keeps the mold from coming back is this liquid called microban... dont know how cheap it is but it abosrbs into almost everything and supposedly doesnt bring back mold ever to wood, cements, drywall... probably vinyl too

just my useless .02 $
 
Originally posted by Rogue Leader
I used baking soda in my TTA which actually sat outside and it worked perfectly..

just my $0.02
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Did you sprinkle it in the carpet or on the seats too? Leave an open box? Did it help eliminate the used car type smell? Sounds like a good idea.
 
Originally posted by GN One Day...
Did you sprinkle it in the carpet or on the seats too? Leave an open box? Did it help eliminate the used car type smell? Sounds like a good idea.
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When Id "store" the car for the winter I covered all the seats in plastic and just left 3 or 4 bowls of it in the car in various places (on each seat, in the hatch area).

didnt dump it on anything but when I got back in the car 6 months later, no mold or mukiness smell, and it smelt nice... and this was sitting outside under a car cover thru a New York Winter...
 
I use a bag of silica based stuff that you use in shipping containers. I put 2 (3lb) bags of it in the car to absorb the moisture in the air, also I have put an epoxy covering on my garage floor. So far so good I haven't had a mildew problem yet and I live in a very moist area.
 
I am worried about keeping the mice out of my car. Anyone got any suggestions for that? DO moth balls keep the mice away?
 
Jim, personally I run a dehumidifier which helps the storage and makes the garage more pleasant to work in.

Definitely avoid the bleach. I understand chlorine vapor will eat plastics if left in a closed environment. 303 sounds like a safe bet. Another trick I've heard is a "bowl" of vinegar. It supposedly absorbs odors like smoke, etc.

Finally I would suggest a fan. Professional walk-in refridgerators have big blowers to prevent mold from settling. Like when they age beef. Above all, I would leave the windows open a bit to get ventilation.

Hope something there helps!


[:)
 
for the oder question: I split open a bag of charcoal briqutes dumped them into 2 boxes. placed then on front & rear floor.

For the Mice question place some RAT POISIN trays under the car.
Or those sticky traps.

I see the original question has been answered about using the 3m stuff.
 
Originally posted by turboscott
I am worried about keeping the mice out of my car. Anyone got any suggestions for that? DO moth balls keep the mice away?
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I used to cover basically anywhere they could get into something with plastic bags and rubber bands that i sprayed with bug spray and I never had a problem...
 
If you go to a place that deals in large pleasure boat supplies/accessories . they have a product that comes in different size cans or plastic containers. that is used to keep interiors of boats mildew and moisture free during long term storage conditions . :)
 
Originally posted by KWIKR 1
If you go to a place that deals in large pleasure boat supplies/accessories . they have a product that comes in different size cans or plastic containers. that is used to keep interiors of boats mildew and moisture free during long term storage conditions . :)
Click to expand...

that is the silica stuff I use for my cars, if you are close to Charlotte, NC I can give you some....
 
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