An Australian family received a horrible, unexpected and potentially very expensive surprise in their garage when they recently returned from a trip abroad.
They found mold in their car, which had spread throughout the interior, including the seats, steering wheel, center console, floor and doors.
The Sunshine Coast mother posted pictures of her car on Facebook asking for advice. She had little left of her car but downplayed the damage, writing: ‘it’s so bad’.
She received a lot of advice from people who had had similar, unwanted experiences, some telling her that they thought the car was beyond saving.
“That’s a huge write-off,” one person wrote, while another added, “Even if you could get that clean, I still don’t think I could trust it to be safe.”
Others said that when the same thing happened to their car, the insurance company wrote off their vehicle.
According to Anthony Johnson, mold removal expert at Green Mold Solutions, under the right conditions a car can be an ideal breeding ground for the rapid spread of mold.
“This happens to people a lot and they get a huge shock when they see it,” he said Yahoo News.
A family returning from abroad discovered their car (pictured) was infested with mold that had spread throughout the interior, including the seats, steering wheel, console, floors and doors
He said that if a car has a window open a little, a little bit of water can get into the interior.
The temperature inside can then create humidity, allowing mold to grow and spread quickly.
Once it gets into the fabric and leather upholstery, it is difficult to control.
According to Mr Johnson, it can take just 48 hours for a car’s interior to be completely taken over by mould.
It can be removed, but this requires someone with the right equipment.
“A professional should be called in to use the correct cleaning solution on the different surfaces of the car so that the mold is completely killed,” he said.
“You can use a machine to remove the mold in the air, but the key is to treat the mold on the surface. Otherwise it can easily grow back and spread again.”
The woman received a lot of advice from people who had had similar unwanted experiences, with some delivering the very bad news that they did not think the car (pictured) could be saved.
The specialist said that mold is a common problem in homes, cars and the workplace and that mold spores must be handled with care to remove them safely.
According to Mr Johnson, it is vital to engage a professional who knows how to deal with this, ‘because it can put people’s health at risk’.
Many mold spores can only be seen with specialized equipment, he said.
The best way to prevent mold is to keep the environment clean, dry and well ventilated, Johnson says.