Mould / algae remover

[Telegram Sam]

The car stands outside and over time green growth accumulates in the nooks and crannies. Brushing can remove some but not all of this. Anything like a cleaner dissolver solvent that I can use that won't attack the paintwork?

[Cavalier342]

I've always found an old soft toothbrush is useful, pour a small bowl or mug of car shampoo with hot water, and go around the green areas with the brush, then rinse the car off with clean water. You can get good access to most of the areas where green mold appears with a toothbrush.

[Telegram Sam]

I agree that used soft toothbrushes are an excellent invention for such tasks. If the growth is stubborn I have some bicarb of soda. Would using that diluted risk damaging the paintwork and / or trim?

[Cavalier342]

I have no idea to be honest, I wouldn't try it myself, and would just stick with good car shampoo and hot water.

[Telegram Sam]

Oral-B or Colgate?

[Cavalier342]

I'm not an expert but I believe they go on teeth.

[Robsey]

You are asking about liquids and pastes that are not pH neutral or may contain salts or other chemicals that may encourage corrosion or denaturing of the various car parts.

As Andrei says, use a proper car shampoo.
Warm water will simply soften any crusted on dirt a bit quicker, and the shampoo cleans and protects.

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Not recommended, but the chap next door to my mother in law regularly cleans the whole of his car with Mr Muscle.

No idea which of the Mr Muscle squirty bottle range he uses, but it is definitely Mr Muscle.

His cars are always clean, but I would suspect that he is stripping off protective oils at the same time he is washing the dirt off.

[tom50]

I have used a product called MMC pro, for clearing paths and driveways, but it works on the cavi too, you dilute it with water , no damage to the paintwork or plastic /rubber trim ect

[James McGrath]

Can't believe i didn't see this when it was first posted!

I'm a conservator for the national trust so preventing and treating mould on historic objects is part of my job.

First of all, make sure you always wear a mask when dealing with mould.
Then you want to deal with the visible part of the mould. There are many way of doing this depending on the situation.
One of the best ways to remove it is with something called a smoke sponge. It's basically a rubber sponge that you wipe over the surface to remove all of the impurities. Its main advantage is that it traps all the mould within it and helps prevent the spores from spreading.
Another option would be to simply brush it off with a soft brush directly into a hover with a HEPA filter.

Next you want to treat the spores left over. Again there is more than one way of doing this but I would suggest using a 70/30 mix of ethanol and water (70% ethanol) and simply wiping it over the surface with a lint free cotton cloth or cotton wool.

This way you are least likely to damage the surface you are treating.