How (not) to grow shrooms in your Miata?: Grassroots Motorsports forum: Grassroots Motorsports Magazine

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April 21, 2009 1:46 p.m. Tyler H Dork

I picked up a 'recession-friendly' Miata project last weekend. It has been sitting in a shed, without a top, for over a year.

The inside smells like a mixture of mushroom, soil and mildew. If you've ever been to a junkyard (who hasn't?) then you know exactly the smell I'm talking about.

What is the best way to eliminate this funk and keep it from returning? (Aside from fire.)

I'm thinking about taking out the seats/interior and pressure washing them. I was inspired to do this by a post or article I read on here. If you recall the issue or the post, please post up.

Similarly...if you have experience pressure washing interiors, let's hear about it.

Thanks!
April 21, 2009 2:02 p.m. belteshazzar Dork

yup. take 'em to the local diy carwash and go to town. Then leave them out in the sun as long as possible.
April 21, 2009 2:04 p.m. YaNi Reader

I would pull the entire interior and pressure wash it. I used the carpet machine cleaner, a pressure washer, and a stiff scrub brush. You could probably use Woolite instead. Rinse off carpet, spray on soap/cleaner, scrub til your arms fall off, rinse again. The carpets in my RX-7 are as clean as they're ever gonna get, just need to get it running now...

You might want to clean the floorpan with something while you have the carpet out. Something could be growing on the tar sound deadener.
April 21, 2009 2:06 p.m. bludroptop Dork

June '07 - Trash to Treasure issue
April 21, 2009 2:20 p.m. Tyler H Dork

Perfect...I'll go pull that issue. Thanks!
April 21, 2009 6:42 p.m. RossD Reader

It might be worth it to get the covers off the seats and get them nice and cleaned up (dry cleaners?) and then you can get to the smelly foam that it was covering. Or maybe its not worth it, I've never had to reassemble a seat.
April 21, 2009 9:07 p.m. InigoMontoya Reader

Also the bissel little green hand held cleaner does wonders. Do also look into cleaning out any of the AC/heating system vents, you want to make sure some of the funk is not coming from those as well.
April 21, 2009 9:15 p.m. Tyler H Dork

Pressure washer did wonders. This seat fabric has held up well to be 20 years old. Maybe it was to cocoon of funk they were encased in? Kinda like funky cosmoline.
April 22, 2009 6:58 a.m. RossD Reader

I watched Wheeler Dealers last night and apparently Edd China throws out dank miata seats and just replaces them from different miata.
April 22, 2009 8:45 a.m. Kramer Reader

OxyClean bleach alternative kills mold and mildew, just as regular bleach does, although the OxyClean won't kill the color. I've used this stuff to clean grout on my bathroom floor. It would probably help in your sitch.
April 22, 2009 9:33 a.m. Joe Gearin Associate Publisher

When I bought my rat miata it was pretty odoriffic. After taking the seats out, I shampooed the carpet, scrubbed, rinsed...repeat, then repeat again. My car still had a top though, and the carpets came clean without too much effort. This helped get rid of the odor, but a really thorough detail was needed as well. There was gunk, and stick goo in every conceivable place.

It may be a better idea for you to remove the carpet, and replace. Mold can be nasty, unhealthy stuff.

There's plenty of cleaners and products that will work, but there is no getting around the elbow grease part of it.

Also, make sure the drain pipes that empty near the rear wheels are unclogged. We just had a NA Miata stop by the office with nasty rust holes caused by clogged drain pipes. It is a pretty common problem, and an easy fix.
April 22, 2009 9:50 a.m. Duke Dork

Also, get giant cans of aerosol deodorant like Right Guard and go to town on the undersides of the seats, the carpet padding, etc.
April 22, 2009 10:12 a.m. Tyler H Dork

RossD wrote:

I watched Wheeler Dealers last night and apparently Edd China throws out dank miata seats and just replaces them from different miata.

That would be nice, but I'm balling on a budget. :D If you get over a couple hundred bucks in rehab expense on a $850 car, it becomes better to buy a parts car.
April 22, 2009 10:14 a.m. Tyler H Dork

I think it is just barn must. After a thorough cleaning and drying, it will go away.
April 22, 2009 10:17 a.m. belteshazzar Dork

Staying dry and letting the sun kill everything oughta be enough.