Mould on seat belts?

[interloper]

My eighties BMW seems to get a bit damp, its left outside and can be parked up for a couple of weeks, possibly longer at a time. I keep getting spores or something appearing on the seatbelts and steering wheel. I will clean them off with a bit of fairy and some kitchen towel but I'm loathed to use anything stronger because I don't want to damage the belt material.

Sadly a garage and a carcoon are out of the question, any suggestions on cleaners that would work better on the belts and not potential damage them?

[Russell Mc]

Some sort of kitchen antibacterial spray. I used Dettol on a steering that kept going mouldy, seemed to do the job.

[na]

this winter (not that we had much yet) has seemed to be more damp

until you dry out the car interior and wheel and belts thoroughly you will have this, wet cleaning them without thoroughly drying afterwards might be adding to the problem

easiest way would be to clean them up and use the car frequently

otherwise you could try vacuuming the belts and wheel - using a vacuum with filtering in and out is best as some people don't get along with some spores so well - then sponge clean using mild (not scented or bleached) soapy water, don't have the sponge dripping wet, you could also use an old nail brush to gently work the worst out and sponge again, keep rinsing the sponge and nail brush out in a bucket or bowl of clean warm water, once you've done the whole belt or wheel leave to dry, belt fully extended - the seat belts must be fully extended to dry or they'll hold moisture where they overlap - once dry vacuum again

to dry out the belts and wheel obviously the interior of the car needs to be dry - so you may need to dry out and dehumidifier the interior first, when doing this have the seat belts fully extended - the seat belts must be fully extended to dry or they'll hold moisture where they overlap

once the wheel is fully clean and dry, unless it's hard plastic, you could try a bit of leather feed on it obviously don't over do it or the wheel could slip through your hands whilst driving

to keep the moisture out of the car once it's dried:
JanineLT wrote - 'I currently have 2 dehumidifier eggs (containing silica and rechargeable in the microwave) that I place on the dash when I get out of the car in the evening' - you can get bags too, obviously these need recharging each day to work (or have four and cycle them)

parking the car somewhere else, other way round, x amount forward or back can sometimes help depending on where it's parked

if it's water getting in, a leak, rather that just condensation/damp then this needs sorting or you're fighting a losing battle if the car doesn't move for weeks on end

good luck

Edited by na on Sunday 27th January 09:41

[interloper]

If I'm being honest there is more of a leak than a moisture issue, the seal on the boot is crap and the underneath is rusty. Long term I plan to sort this but its not an easy five minute fix.

In the mean time I will try and dry it out completely and possibly think about a car cover (I don't really like those things though) to stop any more water getting in.

[na]

a cover will help reduce the amount of water getting in through a leak as most wick or need to be ventilated somehow

covers are best for cars off the road otherwise the the tax disc needs to be visible and the cover can attract idiots if the car is parked on the road

if you have a leak bear in mind the soundproofing material can hold a lake's worth of water so needs taking out of the car to drip dry for days, if that the case the treatment detailed above will be needed on the carpets too

[LordBretSinclair]

White vinegar is brilliant for getting rid of mould and leaves hardly any marks, you do need to air the car well though to get rid of the smell

[Pothole]

Loath. Although you may well be hated, too. Dettol worked in my old Morris Minor. You could also try leaving one of those plastic dehumidifiers in it.

[interloper]

Good point about the sound proofing, I had actually "vaxed" the carpets and the sound proofing but it would be better out of the car. White wine vinegar sounds like a good suggestion, it just doesn't smell like a good idea though!

[na]

vaxing will lift what's at the top but not so much the bottom plus you need the metal floor to dry out and check for rust

the soundproofing can take days to dry out fully even out of the car

I'm not so sure about vinegar as it's acidic but if you're really careful perhaps, even then you need to do a small test area out of sight and leave a while to dry in case it stains or discolours the belt

[56Lotus]

My car arrived mouldy from shipping (although supposedly in a sealed container). Did plenty of research into cleaning products and ended up using a dilute solution of vinegar, white vinegar not malt. Worked brilliantly and just waited for the smell to go. I used it on the seats, dash and the cloth wiring loom.

Jon

[Vince70]

Milton steriliser is the stuff to use, I've just used it to get rid of the mould on my soft top, it works a treat, just be careful if using it near chrome work as it can stain if its not washed off properly as I've just found out.

[john01]

56Lotus said:

My car arrived mouldy from shipping (although supposedly in a sealed container). Did plenty of research into cleaning products and ended up using a dilute solution of vinegar, white vinegar not malt. Worked brilliantly and just waited for the smell to go. I used it on the seats, dash and the cloth wiring loom.

Jon

is dettol anti mold spray any good as it has bleach in it

[nta16]

john01 said:

is dettol anti mold spray any good as it has bleach in it

any thing with bleach in it would possibly take the colour out of materials - try using it to clean an old piece of clothing and see what happens

I'd guess on seatbelts you can't use anything too aggressive as it might weaken the structure of the belt material

[benjj]

Vince70 said:

Milton steriliser is the stuff to use, I've just used it to get rid of the mould on my soft top, it works a treat, just be careful if using it near chrome work as it can stain if its not washed off properly as I've just found out.

I can second the Milton stuff.

I had the same on an old Saab. What I did was extend the belts fully out and put a clothes peg at the top. Then I treated the whole length of the belt with Milton and left them unrolled to dry completely. Then I did it again.

When fully dry you can then let the spool back into their housings.

Also probably a good idea to invest £15 in this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Twin-Air-Dry-Re-Usable-C...

It'll help keep it dry(ish) in there until you sort the seals. Each can be reused by drying out on a radiator.

[nta16]

IIRC cat litter has also been suggested to help with condensation

[fourfoldroot]

Milton is just bleach 1-2 % depending on formulation and a chunk of salt. This is why it is as effective as bleach!!