Piston Slap: Two Steps for Mold-Free Winter Storage
Suzanne writes:
Could you discuss cleaning off mold from leather seats? I have had to move my car from heated storage into an aluminum garage. This has resulted in mold on my leather seats. For economic reasons, I can no longer afford heated storage. Also, will a fan, dehumidifier, or something else help? This is the size of a regular-size double-car garage. I could really use some help here.
Sajeev answers:
There are several solutions to your situation, so fear not! Losing climate-controlled storage isn’t the end of the world—you only have to remove the mold and keep it from coming back with a few affordable, easily sourced products.
Step One: Spray It Away
Because mold can grow on places besides the seats, I recommend cleaning everything. This is a two-step process, and the first is using one of the many cleaning and protecting sprays available on the market. There are way too many brands out there to recommend, so I’d choose one that promises an easy way to clean off mold and then protect from future growth for months. (You will need to test the product in an inconspicuous location inside the car to ensure it doesn’t discolor the material.)
Whatever cleaning spray you buy must then be removed from the interior. You can do that with a hand towel, but there’s no better way to eliminate mold than with a steam cleaner. Steam cleaners are easy to operate, but do require a little knowledge to ensure you don’t damage the materials. Here’s a video from one of my favorite car detail YouTubers to show how it works on leather seats (and the rest of the interior).
But don’t fret if a steam cleaning machine (or service) is out of the question, as the aforementioned cleaning sprays will likely get the job done with a clean towel. I am mostly recommending steam cleaning because it is so thorough, leaving nary a streak or trace of residue on your interior. It’s a very effective solution, but it’s not mandatory.
Step Two: The Desiccants Of Modern Society
With a clean interior ready for storage, let’s now address the preventative measures needed to keep mold away. Products from DampRid (or its competition) will protect your car for at least a month, probably longer if you buy the items designed for large rooms, not closets. This is what our resident Hack Mechanic learned when addressing his storage mistakes and removing the mold that came from it.
So fixing the problem is pretty simple, if a bit time-consuming. But once it’s clean, using something like DampRid will keep it dry. You will have to check up on your DampRid, ensuring you haven’t run out of desiccant. It may not last the entire winter, depending on where you live and how much rain you get, but luckily adding desiccant is a snap.
What say you, Hagerty Community? Got a better way to remove mold and keep it from coming back?
I live in VT way up in the mountains next to a brook and had worked in a marinas for years and mold is always an issue.
Something I’ve used for both boats & cars is one of the square 2 ish gallon plastic pails like deck screws come in and fill it about 1/4 the way with calcium chloride and you’d be amazed just how much moisture that pulls out !
It’s way more effective than those ” mildew bags and the small moisture absorber thingy’s . Dirt cheap too , whats a small 5 lb bag of calcium chloride run,,4-5 bucks , maybe? Just keep whats left of your open bag stored in a sealed container though or that will suck in the moisture as well obviously . On a boat obviously check it more often as there is inherently more moisture to start with.
I’ve done this on all my cars and boats for probably 55+ years now and never had mold issues. That works especially well on shrink wrapped boats too , just have a door installed on the shrink wrap so you can empty the bucket more often and use a 5 gallon bucket.
You’ll thank me later for this tip. Works Fantastic !
Calcium Chloride is exactly what Damp-Rid is made of, plus with a little scents.
I use regular charcoal. I live in rural Ontario Canada and get temp swings all winter. Get a bag of regular charcoal, not the bricks, and fill up aluminum pie plates and stick 2 in the front and 2 in the back seat area and it will soak up most moisture all winter where we live.
Here is what I use even in my heated garage.
https://humidex.com/en/products?filter_38=5&cc=p
It is a vent that keeps the flow of air moving in the building. It is mounted low to the floor and draws the air in the vents on the roof to move air and keep things dry.
Heat or not heat these things work. They were designed for homes in Canada that have heated floors to melt the snow and ice. This helps dry the space.
I have had mine in since 2012 and it runs slow to keep animals out when not in use and when the humidity goes up the fan speeds up to increase flow. One fan works in my 24×36 Shop.
This is a very good tool and cheap to operate.
I installed a dehumidifier in my storage area which is within 3 blocks of the ocean. This stopped my mold problem totally. Area is not heated but cars are left idle in the summer which has high heat and humidity.
et a Car capsule. I’m in Manitoba, Canada. If you have a special car you’ve invested money in, what’s another $1000.00 to protect the car forever. Zip it, plug it in and don’t worry about anything. Come spring, unplugged it, unzip it and it’s like you washed and parked it yesterday. They cost pennies a month to run. They have indoor AND outdoor capsules. I have both as I store some cars inside some outside and have had them for years; they still work like new. I even store my current parts car outside in one. I have 6 of them. Only thing that makes sense. Over the years you’ll spend that much on all the gimmicky stuff and repairing the resulting damages.
If you have electrical power try cracking open the windows a fraction and hanging a light bulb. The warmth will help circulate the air. Lots of boat owners do this in the winter.
I have a small garage 450 Sq ft where I keep my C2, I use a room dehumidifier and leave it on constantly and it only runs when it needs to. When the humidity is high, it can make a couple of gallons of water in a very short time. No mold or mildew.
My classic truck takes winter naps under a carport in my backyard with a cover over it. I use a chicken coop heater to keep some warmth in the interior (Pacific NW winters don’t get too cold). These are safe because they radiate heat but there’s nothing to catch fire. I worry about mice so every few weeks I check it for mice and mildew, wipe it down if I see any mold. Also fire up the engine a few times a winter.
Need help for my aluminum alloy wheels. I have a 2014 Ford Edge with aluminum alloy wheels the problem is the tires keep losing air. I had it to a tire store and they cleaned the inside of the rim’s with a wire brush, but 5 or 6 months later its doing it again. Any suggestions to stop this.