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Mildew Smell


MitchLS430

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Hello To All,

This is my frist time in the forums and I'm happy to be a part of it!

I have 01 LS430 and I replaced the w/shield (3 mos.ago) due to a leak that ran inside under the passenger side carpet. It got very wet and I spent a weekend drying it out and spraying it w/ Lysol. I cleaned the carpet on the top as well and sprayed top w/ Lysol too. After a touching the old nose to the carpet reveals no mildew smell, I still have a midew smell in the car. I've checked the carpet everywhere in the car as well as the trunk and there are no signs of dampness anywhere. Therefore I fell the windshield isn't leaking anymore. The A/C drains are working properly although the driver's side drains alot less than the passenger. Any suggestions would be Greatly Appreciated! I don't smell odors out of the A/C vents, but after riding in the car I can smell the odor on my Clothes. I have cleaned the seats as well.

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I live in Houston, the most humid place on earth-except maybe for New Delhi and Panama. I also have worked in Charlotte, which is not as bad, but is certainly in the humid southeast part of the US. Regarding your mildew smell, there is no doubt that if you cannot determine a mechanical or defect reason for the odor, then you need to make sure that you give the cabin the time to "air out" to get rid of all moisture. This means leaving all the windows down during the day-and evening, too. I hope you have a garage to leave the windows down safely at night.

I've found that carpets and other fabrics retain a smell from moisture which does not go away simply by spraying Lysol and other chemicals, since the cabin is such a closed environment. While the smell may eventually go away with patience, I recommend replacing all the floor mats. Throw the old ones away. The carpet on the firewalls and floor is probably where the smell will still reside-Just keep spraying stuff on the carpet. The key is to let air reach the affected areas.

Just so you know, I've been through 2 floods in Houston, and have been able to get rid of that rotten smell. ...It just takes time.

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Also keep in mind about what baking soda does.

Seems to me that you might have to go so far as pulling the front pass. seat up and pulling the carpet up as far as you can and do whatever you have to to the carpet.

You probably have 'tons' of insulation there that might take months to dry out otherwise.

have you drilled holes in the floor there??

Ask Ed McMahon about mold!!!!! Bad stuff-even for the dog.

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It's also possible that because your A/C has been having to deal with a lot of moisture, it has developed mold or mildew. I don't know the name of the product, but there is a spray do get rid of it. Also, you might want to change your A/C filter to be on the safe side. When you park in the sun with your windows up, do you see condensation on the inside of the windows? If not, your carpets are probably pretty dry, as you said.

Mike

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Try Fabreeze in the air intake vents both with the air conditioner running and without. Spray heavily till you smell it in the car. I have tried everything else, from the auto shops to the pet stores for weird odors and fabreeze tops them all. It's easy to find at the grocery store by the laundry detergents and it smells a heck of a lot better than Lysol too.

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