Removing Mold Smell from Seats

[Dimm6]

I recently bought a set of front and rear seats from a 5er that’s been sitting outside for years. The seats themselves and the leather are in fantastic shape. The smell, however, is terrible. I’ve used ZEP, leather cleaner and this other brand of cleaner and the outer surface looks great, but the smell from the underside of the rear seats that has the padding and filling stuff, still smells bad. I’ve also poured a couple of big boxes of Baking Soda into all the crevices on the underside of the seats and vacuumed it up. I added a bunch more Baking Soda to sit overnight. Let’s see how it is in the morning. Also I’ve been leaving them outside in the sun to get rid of any moisture that may be trapped in them.

If anyone has any suggestions or past experiences with this, it would be greatly appreciated. I want to put them in the car already.

[Panici]

Are they horsehair or foam backed?

Haven't had my E28 seats out, but my E30 rear seat is foam lower horsehair upper.

[Dimm6]

From what I can see it looks like foam directly under the leather and horse hair type of material under that. So when you look from underneath or the backside, you see the horsehair first. I’m not sure if it’s called horsehair. It actually looks like the outside of a coconut. It’s thick and brown strands of hair-like material.

[Panici]

I’m not sure if it’s called horsehair. It actually looks like the outside of a coconut. It’s thick and brown strands of hair-like material.

Yep that's horsehair.

As to your mold smell issue, have you tried one of those Ozone spray bombs commonly used for cars that have been smoked inside? Seats would have to be in a confined area to trap the ozone.

[stuartinmn]

There is a product called Atmosklear that works pretty well for eliminating odors. It's made in the Minneapolis area so I can find it at my local hardware store, but it's also available from their website or on Amazon. https://www.maryellenproducts.com/atmosklear.html The smell probably is trapped in the padding so treating the top surface may not help, you'd have to apply it to the underside of the seat.

[athayer187]

I had fantastic results with a cheap Amazon.com ozone generator. My brother left his sunroof open for 3 weeks outside in Georgia in April. Car stunk - even after drying out in a garage with dehumidifier and fan. Ozone generator overnight made the car smell a little "chemically" for a day, but once it aired out it was perfect.

[Dimm6]

There is a product called Atmosklear that works pretty well for eliminating odors. It's made in the Minneapolis area so I can find it at my local hardware store, but it's also available from their website or on Amazon. https://www.maryellenproducts.com/atmosklear.html The smell probably is trapped in the padding so treating the top surface may not help, you'd have to apply it to the underside of the seat.

I might order this stuff. It sounds legit because it has actual enzymes working.

[Dimm6]

I had fantastic results with a cheap Amazon.com ozone generator. My brother left his sunroof open for 3 weeks outside in Georgia in April. Car stunk - even after drying out in a garage with dehumidifier and fan. Ozone generator overnight made the car smell a little "chemically" for a day, but once it aired out it was perfect.

I think I’ll leave this as a last resort method. I didn’t know about these machines and they’re a bit pricey. But I guess I can use this for many different things around the house as well. Thanks for the tip.

[stuartinmn]

I just watched a video from a car detailer called AMMO NYC. He used a product I haven't seen before for odor removal, some tablets called Odor Out. Go to 30:52 in the video to jump to the section about them. He also used an ozone generator and baking soda, this was a mouse-infested car. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoIdHKSjN3s

[Mike W.]

Usually, I try not to use chemicals in the car.
Vinegar and Baking soda are natural products that can help.

Yeah, as a general philosophy I can agree with that. But the car was manufactured with lots of really nasty stuff, just tanning the leather seats uses stuff I wouldn't want to be in contact with, let alone whatever goo they use to hold the horsehair together. I don't disagree with where you're coming from, but I don't think it's practical.

[Shawn D.]

I had fantastic results with a cheap Amazon.com ozone generator.

Do you recall the exact item?

He used a product I haven't seen before for odor removal, some tablets called Odor Out. Go to 30:52 in the video to jump to the section about them.

20:50, that is. 30:52 is the end of the video.

By Simoniz, a well-known brand.

[Blanrimel]

I know this reply is a bit late, but I thought I'd chime in in case someone else has the same problem. I had a similar issue with moldy smell in my car seats, and I found that using a mixture of white vinegar and water worked wonders. You can spray it on the affected areas and let it sit for a few hours before wiping it off with a clean cloth. It might take a few applications, but it's a cheap and easy solution to try.

[Dimm6]

To respond to my original post. The only thing that seemed to work for me was using a bleach spray mixture. I just used a store bought bleach spray. I sprayed the horse hair every few days and left the seats out in the summer heat whenever I could. I ended up installing the seats about 2 months after I bought them.

I used an ozone generator after I installed the seats as well, but I think the bleach spray did the best job.