[pelicanv8]

Hi everyone, I recently discovered that water has been leaking into the interior of my cabin from rain and/or condensation. I'm still unsure if it's the AC vents (it does seem localized to the AC vent areas) or a roof leak. I plan to take it to a dealership to get the AC vents checked out and fixed if there's a problem, and if not, a body shop to fix the roof leak.

Once I do so, I'd need to clean out the mold that has now appeared under the floor mats. It's white stuff. I do not have a garage and it will be very difficult for me to take out the seats, so I'm hoping to work around them and clean the stuff up. Otherwise I'll have to figure something else out.

Two questions:
-It'll take me a while, a couple weeks, to get the leak sorted out. Is it okay to leave the mold till then or should I do something to kill it right now as a stopgap while I get the leak fixed? It's not going to rain again for a while so that shouldn't be a problem.

- How do I kill the mold, preferably without taking out the seats? I can work around them, lift up the carpet a bit, etc.

I have a 2005 E350 passenger van. The floors are dark grey vinyl, not the soft stuff.

Thank you.
EDIT: I am near Bend, Oregon.

 

[Action]

Remove all water or moisture. The mold needs moisture to stay active.
At all opportunities lower windows and let air circulate.

As to the questions -
Different people have different reaction to some mold types. The reaction can be nearly un-noticeable to severe. So severe it becomes a hospital event. Leaving the mold is a choice you need to make.
For painted metal a weak solution of bleach and hot water does the trick. However, any amount of bleach on carpet or other cloth material will damage it.

I am unclear as to the floor covering. You state it is carpet and then vinyl. The floor covering choices were rubber mats or carpet choices.

Has the moisture gotten to the metal floor? If yes the only way to effectively get the moisture out is remove the floor covering The only way to remove the floor covering is to remove the seats.

If there is moisture is under the floor covering
Not removing the seats runs the risk of creating rust on the metal floor panels
Or causing rust in the welded floor joints
Or causing rust for the seat mounting bolts. Left to run to extreme the seats will not come out without cutting the bolts or cutting the floor.
And left for long periods of time, mold is going to go away. The destruction to the metal will not.

The front seats of a van are rather easy to remove. At least easier than a bench seat of a pick up or a car seat, You can wait until the weather is warmer. And you might as well wait until the repair is made.

Action

 

[pelicanv8]

The mold appears to be UNDER the floor mats, because the moisture seeped under the floor mats. There isn't visible mold on the mats themselves. I'm guessing this means I'll have to strip it all out.

Not sure how to get the moisture out from under there. Probably silica gel or wet/dry vac but the wet/dry vac won't reach there...

 

[Action]

Also there may be wiring that runs under the floor covering. With enough moisture the wiring may develop issues.
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