How to clean mildew/mold on rubber trim?

**dimedrol** · 03-31-2005, 09:27 AM

I need something that will remove the nasty mildew/mold and grows on exterior trim. Usually it is on the roof (two rubber lines that go parallel with the roof), door window seals and windshield seal. I have tried APC but the mold is still there. Anyone had any luck with removing it? What did you use?
Thanks,
Dzmitry

**stainbuster** · 04-01-2005, 09:17 PM

dime,

If APC, stiff brush... do not work, then refinishing is an option. See this a lot on Ford Rangers and the like. The window sills get real nasty.

Sometimes, we will bring this to the customer`s attention right off the bat. They`ll say do the best you can with APC, dressing.... then when vehicle is complete they either go "I thought it would come out", then rave about how great the rest of their vehicle looks. OR, they will tell me spend the extra time to make it look 100%.

Do you have any pics? Here`s a couple of a ranger I did last fall.

Regards,

Mike

**kimwallace** · 04-02-2005, 07:13 AM

If it is in fact mold or mildew, Bleach will work to kill it. Start out mixing it 50/50 with water and spray or wipe on a small area and brush if needed to remove the residue. If that doesn`t work you can always use it full strength.
CAUTION: wear gloves and make sure to keep the bleach off of your clothes and any cloth interior.

**dimedrol** · 04-02-2005, 05:52 PM

stain: I was thinking about repainting it or redying wiht "forever black", but was not sure if I needed to kill mildew first. I will get pics tomorrow.

Kim: Have you tried bleach, I am a little worryed about it bleaching the trim.

**nickis** · 04-02-2005, 08:38 PM

I had a mildew problem on the window trim of my Grand Prix last summer. Every time I rolled down the windows there was a really intense mildew smell, and I eventually tracked it down to the seals around the window. I tried a bunch of different things to kill it, but nothing got rid of the odor until I used a bleach mixture (50/50 I believe). I was worried that it might dye the felt-like parts of the trim white, but it was absolutely fine, and it totally wiped out the bleach smell first time around. It was replaced with a light bleachy odor for a few days though, so be warned if you use it on a customer`s car. The long-term odor removal was definately worth it for me though. I didn`t really have a visual problem, but I assume if it actually kills the mildew/mold it would work for that as well.

**kimwallace** · 04-02-2005, 08:40 PM

Originally Posted by dimedrol

stain: I was thinking about repainting it or redying wiht "forever black", but was not sure if I needed to kill mildew first. I will get pics tomorrow.

Kim: Have you tried bleach, I am a little worryed about it bleaching the trim.

Yes, I have tried it and didn`t have any problems ... I didn`t let it sit on the trim very long before rinsing. Bleach is the first thing I reach for when dealing with mold and mildew stains.