Removing damp from car

Mumof2_2

Does anyone know any OS way of getting rid of excess moisture from a car? Our car always seems to be damp on the inside of the glass so I wondered if there is anything I can do to stop this.

Many thanks.

WestonDave

Damp inside cars is fairly common at this time of year because you tend to be getting in with wet coats etc on, which then evaporate into the car, only for the car to be left so the moisture condenses out. Its worse if you do a lot of short runs - e.g. picking the kids up from school. Best way of clearing it is to ensure you have some ventilation whilst you are driving (windows open a crack) and then crank the heating up (especially if having the window open makes it cold!). The combination of heating and fresh air will start to dry it out - and it costs nothing because you are just using the waste heat from the engine to run the car heater.

joeblack066

I have had a terrible problem with damp in my car, and I cured it with 2 opened bags of cat litter in the boot for a week, and spent 1 day with the heater and the air con on, as the air con is a dehumidifier, and so drew the moisture out. If no air con, WestonDave's solution should do just as well! :-)

PasturesNew

Get a huge bag of cheapo cat litter - I saw some in Lidl for about £1.30 I'm sure. Get some plastic trays in the car and pour in some cat litter, it's what a lot of caravan owners do when they lock up/store their caravan for the winter. You might like to think about using lidded boxes so you can quickly lid them and chuck them in the boot if you have other people in the car + I don't know if the litter turns to water or just gets mucky/mushy. This is on my "To Do" list, just not got round to trying it yet.

Penelope_Penguin

Mumof2 wrote: »

Does anyone know any OS way of getting rid of excess moisture from a car? Our car always seems to be damp on the inside of the glass so I wondered if there is anything I can do to stop this.

Many thanks.

Get your car into a garage We had a similar problem, and they found that the seals at the front of the car had failed and water was coming into the car :eek: Unless you remove the source of the water, you'll never sort the problem, and it will only get worse.

Mumof2_2

Thanks very much everyone.

Penelope_Penguin

As this has fallen from the front page of OS, I'll move it to the motoring board where the experts may be able to assist further.

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dori2o

Get some silica packs that you normally get in shoes and electrical goods. Keep them in the door pockets and they will helpto reduce the moisture in the car.

If you can (if the car is left in a dry place) leave the window open a crack overnight, this will allow the moisture to escape.

Before you go to bed go out to the car and wipe any condensation that has already surfaced on the windscreen/windows/plastic surfaces with a microfibre cloth, and take the cloth back into the house.

Cat litter has already been said. You only need a small amount, i.e. a small breakfast bowl.

If your car mats are wet, take them out of the car and dry them inside.

Rub the rubber seals around the door with vaseline, this will stop them from cracking and keep life in them for longer.

Make sure there is nothing stopping water from draining out of the well at the bottom of the windscreen. check there are no leaves blocking the outlet.

YORKSHIRELASS

Whatever you do dont buy hanging moisture removers from Lakeland at £10 for 3 - what was I thinking ???!!! They dont do anything. Our car only suffers from this when its really cold for some reason. OH brought in the car mats which were damp after the snowy weather and we dried them out but its made no difference. We regularly leave the windows open and try to make sure nothing wet gets left in the car (football boots etc) but its made no difference.

As someone suggested I do think it doesnt help that our car only ever goes on short journeys so doesnt often get a chance to get really warmed up inside. Going to try the cat litter, thats a great idea and at least it will cost me less than my moment of madness in Lakeland.

only_mee

Try these

http://www.tooltime.co.uk/shoppingcart/products/Twin-Pack-Rechargeable-Reusable-Dehumidifier.html

Viper_7

Forget the silicon ideas and buying things to sort it out. The first response is the best thing to do, open the windows an inch and crank up the heating/fan speed, this will force the moisture out the car.

Once things are sorted and you should results within a few days just do the same for the last 5 minutes of a journey before you park up occasionally and the problem should not return.

IF this does not sort it, then yes there could be a problem with water ingress other than just wet hair/shoes/clothes etc.

Also - check that you don't have the air control set to re-circulate (if you have that option) This should only be used sparingly to speed up warm up time, if left on all your breath and existing moisture is re-circulated back into the cabin.

Vipes