How do you prevent mould on upholstery in a stored car?

janie-c · Post by **janie-c** » 24 Nov 2005, 07:03

I have a car that's been stored outside, covered with a car cover but when I pulled the cover off to look, all the upholstery was mouldy! I want to keep the car covered through winter to prevent minor damage, so what product can I put inside the car to prevent the mould from reappearing? I don't really want to leave the window open because mice will get in! Any suggestions?

fastandfurryous · Post by **fastandfurryous** » 24 Nov 2005, 10:27

There was a product available a few years ago called carcoon. It's a big plastic bag that the car goes in, with dry air being circulated all the time. A touch pricey (about £200 from memory) but they completely dry the car out, and prevent mould, corrosion etc..

Depends how much you like the car I guess..

micitroen · Post by **micitroen** » 24 Nov 2005, 10:49

As can be seen from my signature I have a BX that lives in France and doesn't get used for months at a time (shortly to be remedied). Anyway I use a dehumidifier that is easily available in France and probably over here as well. It consists of a large plastic box about 12" by 10" by 12" which has a perforated tray about 2" deep, situated in the top of the box. This tray has a bag of dessicant (silicone I think) placed in it and it absorbs the humidity from the air and lets it drip down to the 'reservoir' under the perf. tray. In the BX it lasts for at least 4/5 months before it needs emptying and then quite often you can get another few months out of the bag of dessicant. I never have any mould etc in the car. The dessicant is available as a refill so you only have the major outlay for the box once. (I say 'major' but its only about 15 euros for the initial kit and some of them come with 3 or 4 bags of dessicant). You do have to remember its there though, as if you forget and drive off without emptying it, the 'water' makes a huge mess and is not just water if you know what I mean. I'm sure that you can find them over here just not certain of the price. In France they are very popular probably due to the number of old houses that are lived in and the amount of dampness that exists...........because these are not sold as car accessories. They are however perfect for caravans and moble homes etc. in storage. Make sure that you don't leave the window open or the device will try its best to dehumidify the world!

janie-c · Post by **janie-c** » 24 Nov 2005, 16:17

Thanks to both of you--I'll try the dehumidifer tray if I can find one. Cheers

micitroen · Post by **micitroen** » 24 Nov 2005, 16:54

As with all these fixes most of us have a reason that we know..... yes I had the same problem and used the tray as I already had one from my caravan. What you need to do before trying the tray is to wipe the mould from the upholstery and steering wheel (mine was thick with it) with a light dilution of bleach so as to kill off any spores etc that might be there. I would think Robert Dyas (hardware store) might be a good bet or failing that a caravan sales/parts/camping store.