BlueCar
Member
Mildew, a pervasive thing, a fungi or algae... Unrelenting, also happens on horse tack. What can keep it at bay? Something like a roach bomb, but for mildew? Probably need to gut the interior.
Thanks
Thanks
Mildew... What to do?
- Thread starter BlueCar
- Start date
PM to Peter Coomaraswamy. He tackled this issue.
BlueCar
Member
I put this in the wrong place, how can I move it?
Honolulu
Well-Known Member
Mildew and mold require moisture; eliminate the wet and it won't grow.
Now that last picture, that's MOSS and one can only imagine there's a waterfall close by to put all the needed water in the air.
Now that last picture, that's MOSS and one can only imagine there's a waterfall close by to put all the needed water in the air.
PaulinPa
Well-Known Member
Talk about going "green"!
I bought two large damp rid buckets and left them in the car for over a month. I removed my seats and let them sit in the sun. I also let baking soda sit on the seats for a few weeks. I sprayed the headliner with a bleach-like marine cleaner and wiped clean. Remove your arm rests and check for moisture. Mine had visible mold/mildew on them. I will be rebuilding them using a plastic instead of wood.
My car is definitely moisture free but still smells like mildew. I will be gutting the interior over the winter.
My car is definitely moisture free but still smells like mildew. I will be gutting the interior over the winter.
restart
Well-Known Member
I bought a set of seats from an '88 Porsche back in about 2005. They were in a car that had been parked in wrecking yards with the door windows about half way down for a year and a half in PA and MD. The mold and mildew were about 3/8" thick over ALL the leather.
I followed an example I found on a Ferrari site about that time. Briefly it was:
WASH the leather thoroughly with a good detergent and water - 3 to 5 times. Be sure the leather is thoroughly dry.
Take a white towel/rag/cloth and cut it into about 8" squares. Soak a square in lacquer thinner, then be agressive in the way you wipe the leather. Keep wiping and replacing the 8" squares until NO MORE of the 'dead' paint that is used to dye the leather comes off on the cloth. When the cloth color is unchanged after about a minute of wiping in an area, move to another panel or area. Continue until ALL the leather has been treated. (use protection for your hands and lungs, and do it in a well ventilated area).
Let the leather dry for a day or so, then start using leather softener on it (I use Leatherique products, or something called 'Soffener' from ColorPlus). When the leather softener does not soak in for about 24 hours after a treatment (it took me about 6 treatments to get to that stage), the leather should be good and soft. Let it set for about a week.
Get more 8" square pieces soak them with lacquer thinner and lightly go over all the leather once or twice to remove any surface 'softener' that is still on the surface, and to open the surface up to receive a new color treatment.
I then re-treated the leather with a 'dye' (actually paint) from ColoPlus (www.colorplus.com) in the color I wanted for the interior. I changed from brown seats to very light grey. I apply the 'dye' as I do stain on wood that I'm re-finishing - wipe it on lightly with a rag, let it dry a day, then another light coat until the color is uniform. One or maybe two more wiping treatments should make it look nearly like new. Let it set at least week, and it should be dried and ready to use. A full month is even better before using. If done carefully the seats will look nearly new.
I used seats 'restored' by this process for 4-5 years before the car was sold, and they still looked great.
Just my experience!! I'm using the same procedure on e9 seats that were in pretty poor condition that I recently purchased.
I followed an example I found on a Ferrari site about that time. Briefly it was:
WASH the leather thoroughly with a good detergent and water - 3 to 5 times. Be sure the leather is thoroughly dry.
Take a white towel/rag/cloth and cut it into about 8" squares. Soak a square in lacquer thinner, then be agressive in the way you wipe the leather. Keep wiping and replacing the 8" squares until NO MORE of the 'dead' paint that is used to dye the leather comes off on the cloth. When the cloth color is unchanged after about a minute of wiping in an area, move to another panel or area. Continue until ALL the leather has been treated. (use protection for your hands and lungs, and do it in a well ventilated area).
Let the leather dry for a day or so, then start using leather softener on it (I use Leatherique products, or something called 'Soffener' from ColorPlus). When the leather softener does not soak in for about 24 hours after a treatment (it took me about 6 treatments to get to that stage), the leather should be good and soft. Let it set for about a week.
Get more 8" square pieces soak them with lacquer thinner and lightly go over all the leather once or twice to remove any surface 'softener' that is still on the surface, and to open the surface up to receive a new color treatment.
I then re-treated the leather with a 'dye' (actually paint) from ColoPlus (www.colorplus.com) in the color I wanted for the interior. I changed from brown seats to very light grey. I apply the 'dye' as I do stain on wood that I'm re-finishing - wipe it on lightly with a rag, let it dry a day, then another light coat until the color is uniform. One or maybe two more wiping treatments should make it look nearly like new. Let it set at least week, and it should be dried and ready to use. A full month is even better before using. If done carefully the seats will look nearly new.
I used seats 'restored' by this process for 4-5 years before the car was sold, and they still looked great.
Just my experience!! I'm using the same procedure on e9 seats that were in pretty poor condition that I recently purchased.
Last edited:
restart
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the info on cleaning,and conditioning. sounds thorough. Do you remember the procedure for fabric,carpets, headliner etc?
I actually bought that Porsche and parted it out. The only interior parts I saved were either vinyl (dash, etc.) or leather. No experience on fabrics or carpets - sorry.
There is a product sold by some paint stores for removal and prevention of mold/mildew on painted surfaces. The people in those stores might have suggestions.
There is a product sold by some paint stores for removal and prevention of mold/mildew on painted surfaces. The people in those stores might have suggestions.
MMercury
Well-Known Member
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Is fresher better?
No color chart handy, but this looks like a first coat of Taiga with quite a bit of needless overspray. :roll: Probably a lot of dust and pollen in the spray booth too.
This special order could probably do with one more coat of primer and then on to clear. Are asbestos visors still NLA? (Better than a no. 10 welding glass?):???:
