The recent rains and general dampness in Qld has reminded us of some of the perils facing car owners.
Whenever we get heavy rain we are sure to get calls the following day because a window has been left open and water has flooded the vehicle. Our vans are equipped with an extractor shampooer and a wet/dry vacuum, both of which are capable of sucking out the excess water. Once we have removed as much of the water as possible, vehicle owners are reminded to ‘air’ the vehicle for as long as it takes for the seats & carpets to dry completely – park in the sun if possible and leave doors open or windows slightly down. If the vehicle is not allowed to dry it will soon get that ‘musty’ smell which will need additional work to rectify.
The river flood waters that inundated cars brought their own special problems – along with the water came smelly, sticky mud, and lots of it! Depending on the level of inundation, the carpets (and seats in severe cases), will have to be removed to be cleaned and/or replaced, or if not too severe, will be cleaned while still in the vehicle
We have also had a number of vehicles over the past few weeks that have had mould all over the interior. Vehicles have been locked away in a garage, some for just a few days while others for longer. With windows tightly wound up, the humid conditions coupled with summer warmth have proved happy growing conditions for mould. A good idea would be to leave the windows slightly down (just a centimetre or two), which will allow some air flow and help prevent the mould taking hold.
