Selling a car with mold, odor or hoarder damage

Work through it in that order and the choice between cleaning it and selling it as it sits usually makes itself.

Start with the water, not the mold

Mold grows where things stay wet. So the first job isn't scrubbing. It's finding out why the cabin got wet and making sure it stopped: a leak, a window left down, a flood, or wet clothes and towels left sealed inside for months.

Speed matters here. The CDC says to dry everything as quickly as you can, within 24 to 48 hours if possible. It also gives a blunt rule: if a flooded item couldn't be dried within 24 to 48 hours, assume mold is growing on it.

Water that sits keeps doing harm after the event itself. The EPA calls standing water and wet materials after a flood "a breeding ground for microorganisms, including mold," and notes they can go on damaging materials long after the flood.

When the cleanup is done, the CDC's last step is to check that the moisture problem is really gone. A car that is still taking on water will grow mold again, however well it was cleaned.

What a cleanup can save, and what it can't

Mold splits a car's cabin into two kinds of material.

Hard surfaces. Dashboards, door panels, plastic trim and metal can usually be saved. The EPA says mold on hard surfaces is scrubbed off with detergent and water, then dried completely. The CDC's version is the same three steps: clean with water and a detergent, remove all visible mold, and dry right away.

Absorbent materials. Carpet, padding, seat cushions and fabric are porous. The EPA warns that absorbent or porous materials, such as ceiling tiles and carpet, may have to be thrown away if they become moldy. The CDC says to throw away anything that can't be cleaned and dried.

That second group is where a cleanup gets expensive. If the carpet, the padding under it and the seat foam all soaked up water, getting rid of the mold can mean stripping much of the interior.

Two more cautions from the CDC change how you do the work:

• Don't point fans at mold that is already growing. The fans may spread it. Fans and dehumidifiers are for drying out moisture, not for blowing across a moldy surface.
• Mold can hide. You may see or smell it on things, but it can also be out of sight. A clean-looking seat surface doesn't prove the foam underneath is dry.

What about testing? The CDC says sampling for mold isn't usually recommended. If you can see it or smell it, treat it as mold and act on that.

The health side

Before deciding to clean it yourself, think about who will be breathing that air. The CDC says mold exposure can cause asthma attacks, eye and skin irritation, and allergic reactions. If you or someone in your home has asthma or allergies, that alone may tip the decision toward selling the car as it is.

A car that was packed full of things

A car used as storage brings two separate questions: what's in it, and what happened under it all.

Empty it before anyone looks at it. Go through every bag for papers with your name, address or account numbers on them. Then look at what the pile was hiding. Clothes, blankets and paper hold moisture, so a car that was crammed full and sealed up can have damp carpet and mold underneath, even if no water ever came in from outside. The CDC's point that mold can be hidden applies here.

Smoke and pet odor raise the same issue. We found no official guidance on how odor damage affects a car or how buyers treat it, so we won't put a number on it. The honest approach is to describe what's there in plain words and let the buyer judge.

When the car sat in a yard for years

A car that became a storage unit has often also stopped being driven. If a notice about it has already arrived from your town, settle the car's future soon, whichever way you go.

If a flood caused the mold

Insurance and the title both come into play when the water came from a flood.

For the car itself, the Insurance Information Institute says flood losses are covered under the optional, comprehensive part of a standard auto policy. If you only carry liability, that coverage isn't there.

The III also explains how flood insurance policies treat mold (III). Mold or mildew caused by a flood is covered and decided case by case. Mold that was there before the flood isn't covered. And after a flood, the policyholder has to take reasonable steps to get rid of mold and mildew.

If an insurer paid a total loss on the car, your state may have branded the title. Here is how each state treats water damage or a total loss on the title, from the state's own pages and laws.

A brand only appears when the state's rule is triggered, often by an insurer's total-loss payment. A car with a mold problem from a slow leak may have a clean title. The flood-damaged car and salvage title guides go further into branded cars.

Telling the buyer

We didn't find an official source that spells out whether a private seller has to disclose mold, flood or odor damage, so we won't tell you the law requires it in your state. What we can say: a branded title already tells the story for you, and hidden mold tends to come out once someone sits in the car on a warm day. Describing the problem in writing protects you and saves a wasted trip for the buyer. Our as-is guide covers putting faults on paper.

Clean it or sell it as it sits

Cleaning can make sense when:

• the water source is found and fixed
• the mold is on hard surfaces you can scrub and dry
• the carpet and seat foam stayed dry
• the car runs and is worth more than the work

Letting it go as it is tends to be the better call when:

• carpet, padding or seats soaked up water and would have to come out
• the mold followed a flood, or the title is already branded
• someone in the household has asthma or allergies
• the car hasn't run in years and the cleanup is only the first bill

Put a cleanup estimate beside what the car is worth in its current state. Our junk car value guide shows how that number is built.

Selling it to us

We buy whole non-running and junk cars, and you can sell the whole car as it sits, mold, odor, leftover belongings and all. Pickup is free anywhere in the US.

Useful details to send with your request:

• where the mold is, and whether you can smell it
• what let the water in, and whether that's been fixed
• whether there was a flood or an insurance claim
• whether the title carries a brand
• whether the car runs, plus its year, make, model and mileage

Clear out anything you want to keep before pickup.

Rather talk it over first? Call (877) 421-6008.