Mold Prevention in 2010 Kia Soul

[amberhaley10]

Hello everyone!! 
Long story short- I am moving out on an apartment with my cat due to a severe mold/fungus/coach roach problem after many water leaks and extended AC outages in very hot and humid Austin, Texas. I have been longing for stealth camping life for a while and now have a better reason to make it happen. To avoid any further mold-related health issues  to me and my cat what is the best way to insulate and ventilate? I am open to gutting the interior if necessary. I own the car and it has <60k and is in good condition. It is all cloth. It is just me and my little Luna so removing the seats shouldn’t be a problem. She loves the outdoors so I take her for walk daily so space isn’t a big deal for her as long as I have a perch for window gazing. Also, I’m 29 years old, only 4’10 and around 105 lbs. I also work at 24/7 business where employees sleep in their cars regularly so parking won’t be an issue. Probably hit a near by camping site on my days off. Saving up to travel full-time.

 

[highdesertranger]

Welcome Amber to the CRVL forums! To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips, Tricks and Rules" post lists some helpful information to get you started.

Most of our rules boil down to two simple over-riding principles: 1) What you post should provide good information (like your introductory post), and 2) Any response to someone else's post should make them feel glad they are part of this forum community.

We look forward to hearing more from you.

highdesertranger

 

[MrNoodly]

Run the A/C or defroster as often as you can. They dehumidify the air.

 

[bagabum]

 It is just me and my little Luna so removing the seats shouldn’t be a problem. 

Removing the seats and decking out the humps and valleys with some plywood will make it nice, cut hatches in the ply to access the low spots for storage,  staple carpet over all of it to make it nice and show pride in craftmanship. Order you a foam mattress on Amazon. I dont know anything about mole, etc while sleeping in a small car but I would think leaving a  small  gap on opposite windows for a cross flow of air exchange would help keep  the interior fresh.

 

[bullfrog]

First and foremost it is easier to insulate yourself for warmth or find shade for cooling. A good sleeping bag or two rated below the coldest temps you expect to be in is required to insure you stay warm no matter what. In small spaces preventing condensation is your next main concern in the winter, so if you can provide enough ventilation to prevent condensation and still stay warm your good. Most travel or change the elevation they live in to maintain acceptable temperatures. Many use a Prius as it can maintain temps inside the car while parked. Heating with propane creates a lot of condensation. If you can access grid power where you park a little ceramic heater works great as long as you can keep the area around it clear. It would help to know what kind of vehicle you have. Probably insulated window coverings would be the next consideration.

 

[nature lover]

Welcome to the forum Amber. And Luna too. Sounds like you’ll have a bunch of friends living near you in vehicles so when you need help you’ve got your caravan already. Ask for mold ventilation is the biggest thing. I’d rather have the air in the van be cold than to mold problems. One time I left my laundry pile up too long and I had a dampness smell with it but I never found mold. So I’m keeping up with that weekly now. My conversion van has lots of cloth ceiling and walls and I left them the way I found them so I keep my eyes open for mold etc. all the time. Again welcome to the forum you’ll find lots of friends and help here. God bless the nomads all of us

 

[sephson]

Welcome to CheapRVLiving Amber!

I road trip in a 2012 Kia Soul as time and money permit.

Based on your intro, it sounds like you're looking to take a different direction with your build than I did with mine, but here's a link to my build thread. Who knows? You might find some inspiration for your setup.

https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=9848