Fraser Valley – FVN Fraser Valley, encourages promoting small business in the Fraser Valley. FVN prides itself as a small media business since 2015, serving the Fraser Valley as an Independent outlet.
As the rainy season settles over Metro Vancouver and the
Fraser Valley, local auto detailers are seeing a surge in an unwelcome
passenger: mold growing inside parked vehicles.
“It happens every fall,” says Vic Bhaskar, owner of D&V Mobile Auto
Service in Surrey. “Cars sit in driveways for days in the damp, the
cabin never fully dries out, and within a couple of weeks you’ve got
mold in the seats, the headliner, even inside the ventilation system.
Most people notice it first as a musty smell when they turn on the
heat.”
The recipe is simple: moisture from wet shoes, umbrellas and rain
seeping past door seals, plus daytime warmth, plus organic material
like crumbs, leaves and dust, gives mold everything it needs. Vehicles
that sit unused for days — a common sight in suburban driveways — are
the most vulnerable.
Beyond the smell, there is a health angle. “If you’ve got allergies or
asthma, or you’re driving kids around, breathing that in every day
isn’t great,” Bhaskar says. “We get calls from people who’ve been
sneezing for weeks before they realize the car is the problem.”
His prevention tips are straightforward: run the air conditioner for a
few minutes before parking to dry the vents, crack the windows on dry
days, shake out floor mats regularly, and deal with spills and wet
items right away instead of leaving them in the car.
For vehicles already affected, D&V’s recent work includes a full mold
remediation on a Chevrolet Cruze in Surrey — deep shampooing of every
surface followed by ozone treatment to kill remaining spores. The
attached before-and-after photos show the door panel, front cabin and
back seat going from visibly mold-stained to clean.
“Fall is our busiest season for this,” Bhaskar says. “The best advice
is: don’t wait until you can see it. If your car smells musty, there’s
already mold somewhere.”
D&V Mobile Auto Service is a family-owned mobile detailing and
mechanic company serving Surrey, the Fraser Valley and Metro
Vancouver.
Links:
– Mold removal case study (with photos):
https://mobileautoservice.ca/severe-car-mold-removal-in-surrey-bc-before-after-case-study/
– Car mold removal service:
https://mobileautoservice.ca/services/car-mold-removal/
