preventing condensation in my car

[heisthegaffer]

Dear all, any tips on preventing condensation building up in my car as it's a right pain. The blowers are pathetic so only clear a little bit of the windscreen at best.

Thanks

[Krikkit]

Open the windows, more often the better. Even if it's raining.

That, and make sure your windows are really clean - windex and newspaper to clean it is perfect.

[Mastodon2]

Make sure you're airing your car out. If it's getting a lot of condensation inside (and you're sure you don't have a leak), get it raging hot inside, as at least as hot as you can get to shift the condensate off the windows, then open the windows and swap the warm, humid air for fresh, cold air. Clearing the screens but not doing proper air changes just means the humidity in the air goes straight back on the windows when you get out of the car and it cools down again.

[anonymous-user]

What car is it? I had an Alfa that wouldn't stop steaming up - it turned out that a drain under the bonnet had become blocked and had soaked the pollen filter.

Otherwise, if you go to Halfords in the caravan section they sell "Moisture Traps" - full of silicone gel/crystals which absorb moisture from the air. Leave one in the car and it should draw out the worst of it.

[heisthegaffer]

Thanks all. I suspect it does have a leak and it doesn't go hot enough to dry sadly!

[Swanny87]

I was having the same issue. I bought a kilo of silica gel on ebay and put it in a tupperware box with some holes in the lid. Make sure the lid of the tupperware box stays on securely...

Sorted it right out, no pissing about for 10 mins waiting for the mist to clear. I made the mistake of not getting silica gel that changes colour. This is a must as then you know when its soaked up too much moisture and needs re-activating.

[Swanny87]

Although my car didn't have a leak so it sounds like your problem might be more severe... worth a try anyway.

[cj2013]

I was wondering about this recently - was considering leaving a container of rice on the dashboard, but wasn't sure if it would work well as a desiccant or just a bit of an 'old wives tale'

[Baryonyx]

cj2013 said:

I was wondering about this recently - was considering leaving a container of rice on the dashboard, but wasn't sure if it would work well as a desiccant or just a bit of an 'old wives tale'

I tried rice and cat litter when my A8 was misted up as a result of treading loads of snow into it. Did fk all. All that worked was wiping the windows down and keeping them clean, and using blowers with the windows down. Even then, moisture collected around the rear windscreen on really cold days and I had to mop it out at it's worst.

[cj2013]

Baryonyx said:

I tried rice and cat litter when my A8 was misted up as a result of treading loads of snow into it. Did fk all. All that worked was wiping the windows down and keeping them clean, and using blowers with the windows down. Even then, moisture collected around the rear windscreen on really cold days and I had to mop it out at it's worst.

Ah fair enough

Saves me wasting some rice

[SpeckledJim]

sock full of cat litter under a seat.

[V8RX7]

Fix leak

Use aqua vac to suck water out of carpet etc

Use Vax window vacuum to clear it daily



I've had a lot of cars with leaks over the years.

[Matt UK]

You can stop the condensation with some silica bags, but best to fix the leak.

One of our cars suffered, turned out to be a split pipe leading from the washer bottle to the rear window/wiper. My thought it wasn't working, turned out it was just pissing blue fluid into the interior carpets.

[Ozzie Osmond]

Unless you have A/C, which is excellent at dehumidifying, it's best if you can avoid getting into the car with very wet feet when it's raining. The moisture in the carpets sooner or later makes its way onto the windows....

[blearyeyedboy]

Warm air holds more moisture. When it cools, it condenses out.

Everyone has their heaters on more in winter, and the car has a lower temperature to cool down to when they leave it parked up overnight.

The solution? Don't park up a car when the interior's still warm.

I've spent the last couple of years putting the cold fan on full and winding my windows down for 2-3 minutes before getting home. It's not foolproof but I spend a lot less time demisting my car than I used to.

[Saleen836]

I find with my van if I leave the windows open a very tiny bit (couple of mm's) just enough to let air flow it cuts out almost all the condensation, although if you have a leak it might not make a difference.

[rallycross]

I bought a couple of these car demister bags off a site that sounds like amazom seems to work well


2 x LARGE 1KG DRY AIR CAR/HOME DEHUMIDIFIER BAG MOISTURE ABSORBER/DAMP EATER