Easy 3-Step Guide On How To Clean Mold Off Leather Car Seats

Molded car seats are a nuisance and unhealthy, and knowing how to clean mold off leather car seats is just the info you need. Molds grow most of the time in places where there’s present moisture and organic material to feed off of. Car seats made out of leather can be classified as an organic material as they are produced using animal skins and hides that were chemically treated to prevent decay.

Out of all the things inside a car’s interior, the car seat is one of the places where skin contact is very much occurring. Aside from skin contact, cars are enclosed spaces that mean that the vehicle’s air is constantly cycling within.

As a type of fungus, molds spread using spores that scatter in the area and grow in contact. Not only can molds spread fast, but they can also cause health issues depending on the type of mold and their medical condition. A moldy car seat can become a pretty severe problem when overlooked and untended for an extended period.

How Do You Keep Mold Out Of Car Seats?

Moldy car seats are something that you don’t want to see in your car, and learning how to clean it off ultimately would be pretty helpful to you if you ever spot one. So, here are the steps that you need to do to remove any mold colony terrorizing your car seats.

Step #1. Preparation

First of all, you need to be prepared to tackle the issue. You must prepare your cleaning tools, some mold removing solutions, safety equipment, and, more importantly, your car. For your cleaning tools, some spray bottles, a couple of clean rags or sponges, and, if possible, a vacuum cleaner are some of the things that you need.

As for the mold cleaning solution, you can buy some in your local store, or you could always try to use some home remedies such as vinegar, baking soda, and lemon solutions. If you are still quite unsure, you can always do some research or consult a specialist about what you could use appropriately for your car seat.

Now, for safety equipment, the very first thing to have is a mask. A mask would help you avoid inhaling some possible floating spores in the air that could harm your health. Another thing would be gloved so that you can avoid touching the mold itself.

It would be advisable to move your car to where there is sunlight present and open space. As bizarre it could sound, sunlight is one of the mold’s natural enemies as it thrives in cool, damp places.

Step #2. Clean the mold colony

After completing the necessary preparations, it’s time to tackle the main issue, which is the mold colony. In cleaning the mold, you can start to remove the clusters of mold using an old toothbrush or a bristle to remove the colony. If you have a vacuum cleaner, you could try to vacuum the colony itself to avoid getting a lot of floating spores around.

After removing the physical colony, the next thing to do is apply your mold solution and altogether remove the underlying molds. Apply your selected solution as the instruction dictates you to do. If you are using some home remedies, you can look up how to apply them to your mold problem.

Now that you have applied your mold cleaning solution, rinse the surface using warm water. Wipe the surface using a sponge or a cloth dipped in warm water. Warm water can also help prevent mold growth in the future.

Step #3. Finish up

Now that you have removed the mold infestation in your car seat, it’s time to recondition them to restore them to what they were before. You can browse some local automotive shops or merchandise for leather conditioners.

If you like making DIYs, you can also research and create some homemade leather conditioners. Most of the things you use on your car can be used for other things. If you’re interested, here’s an article on how to clean white leather chair. 

Just to ensure there is no mold smell or some other unwanted odors in your car, you can try to leave it out open for some moments to let the air circulate inside. If molds are coming from your car’s air-conditioning parts, here’s an article on how to prevent molds in air conditioner.

Is mold in a car covered by insurance?

The short answer would probably be no. Sadly, car insurance companies hold car owners responsible for cleaning out the mold infestation themselves and not considering car damage. The responsibility of having their car mold-free is one of the jobs that a car owner should shoulder.

Not only is mold harmful to one’s health, but it can also cause a car’s value to depreciate. It might be good to invest in an auto detailer to help maintain your car interior clean regularly than to wish on insurance for a molded car.

Conclusion

Now that you know how to clean mold off leather car seats, you can now do your part in maintaining a clean driving setup for your car. Remember that you always have two options when encountering a problem like this; do it yourself or hire someone to do it for you.