I have a customer who called me today who said that her car was flooded from all the rain we've been having here in so cal lately. ( im sure youve seen the mudslides on tv) anyways, she said there is a mildew type smell. I am completly clueless as to what to do. I have a shop vac and a little green machine. I am doing the car tomorrow as well. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated asap. thank you
Flooded car
- Thread starter HBblazer
- Start date
Scott P
New member
I almost think it would be best to replace the whole carpet and backing. That much water can't be good. I don't thnk you could ever get the smell out.
rollman
Professional Detailer
:yeah .With that much water the mildew is probably everywhere. Its not like small area's of problem mold. Better to just replace the carpet and backing .
maximv1
New member
try calling a few parts supply stores for a new carpet. you can get a nice piece that looks very close to oem, but alot cheaper than a dealer.
AMDin93103
I like cheese.
Does she have a leak in her car or did she park in a spot where her car took on water via the door frames? If it is a leak, she need s to fix it before next week rain, it's coming. :wait If the moisture was localized to a certain area/side I would pull the carpeting out of the vehicle and blot dry/ vac as much moisture out of the pad and let it sit in the sun, use a heat gun (hair dryer), or air-mover for a while. We don't live in a humid climate and the chances of there really being a future mold problem are negligible IMO.
If you/she are worried about mold propagation I would only replace the particle-foam backing that is spot glued to the carpet. This is the material that holds the vast majority of the moisture and/or spores as opposed to the carpet itself.
I could be wrong but that is how I would probably handle it knowing what you shared. Have fun.
If you/she are worried about mold propagation I would only replace the particle-foam backing that is spot glued to the carpet. This is the material that holds the vast majority of the moisture and/or spores as opposed to the carpet itself.
I could be wrong but that is how I would probably handle it knowing what you shared. Have fun.
Just wanted to add, take the necessary precautions before cleaning it all out because anytime you deal with mold and mildew your health is possibly at risk. At the least, some gloves, eye protection, and some breathing protection.
I could be wrong though, but it never hurts to go the extra mile to ensure your personal safety.
I could be wrong though, but it never hurts to go the extra mile to ensure your personal safety.
Don
Darth Camaro 12/27/15
I agree. If it was a 'flood car,' ie: where the interior was fully soaked, the only treatment is to completely remove the interior carpeting and seats...all the lower trim might not be a bad idea either. As we all know, water gets everywhere.
It might be possible to spray the carpet backing with an enzyme type cleaner to kill any mold before it has a real chance to get a grip on the area and use a mild bleach mixture on the metal floors.
On cars where I have shampooed the entire interior and really needed to speed up the drying, I've used a regular household dehumidifier set on the floor with the extention cord either rolled up in the window or closed in the door to seal off the interior while the dehumidifier does its job. If it's a car with a large rear storage area (SUV, station wagon) the rear compartment will hold the unit perfectly. Or if the interior has been removed, the unit fits nicely on the floor.
It might be possible to spray the carpet backing with an enzyme type cleaner to kill any mold before it has a real chance to get a grip on the area and use a mild bleach mixture on the metal floors.
On cars where I have shampooed the entire interior and really needed to speed up the drying, I've used a regular household dehumidifier set on the floor with the extention cord either rolled up in the window or closed in the door to seal off the interior while the dehumidifier does its job. If it's a car with a large rear storage area (SUV, station wagon) the rear compartment will hold the unit perfectly. Or if the interior has been removed, the unit fits nicely on the floor.
Inspector1
Honda on the Brain
Water damage in car interior will depend on how deep the water was in the car. If she had say 6" of water in interior you may have a problem with door panels, seats and more..As Don said!
Just use caution when doing because you don't want to spend a lot of time on carpet and not solve the problem, if the seat bottoms and door panels have been soaked also. Has she made a claim with her insurance co.?
Just some heads up from previous experience... mold is the least of her worries if the water got deep... electrical nightmare...
I1
Just use caution when doing because you don't want to spend a lot of time on carpet and not solve the problem, if the seat bottoms and door panels have been soaked also. Has she made a claim with her insurance co.?
Just some heads up from previous experience... mold is the least of her worries if the water got deep... electrical nightmare...
I1
Since I haven't taken the seats and carpet out of a car for a loooong time, I'm not familiar with a lot of the problems that can result from water. I think there could be several. My van supposedly has the airbag controller under the passenger seat and that might get interesting.Inspector1 said:Just some heads up from previous experience... mold is the least of her worries if the water got deep... electrical nightmare...
I1
Even my 1981 Vette has some electrical components under the carpet near the firewall.Flood/water damaged cars are often totaled by the insurance company and most used car dealers will steer clear of them. It kills the resale about as bad as if it were a builder.
Charles