# Best way to prevent moisture in car



## Suberman (Aug 16, 2010)

I was wondering the effects of using a portable dehumidifier (eg. Damprid etc). I know that it works great in pulling moisture out of the air. But are there any side effects to using it long term in a car that only gets driven in the weekends?

Also, what is the best natural dessicant (charcoal? Baking soda?) that works as well as what Damprid does? I find that baking soda doesn't work as well as putting a tub of Damprid.

Sorry if my questions are silly. :newbie:


----------



## pete5570 (Jun 11, 2010)

Find the cause of the damp. Even a weekend driver shouldn't get damp.


----------



## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

I'm with Pete570, find and erradicate the cause not the symptom, if you had a bucket with a hole in the bottom, you don't solve the leak by constantly adding water, you block the whole.
Cars should not be steaming up or storing moisture and is often a sign that something is wrong.


----------



## mattc (Aug 12, 2008)

As above need to find where the water is getting in, likely to be a window seal or door seal.

Might be worth sitting inside the car with someone aiming a hose pipe at it then see if you can see where the water is getting in


----------



## VIPER (May 30, 2007)

I do agree with the above posts, but to answer the question being asked, irrespective of the underlying cause; there have been a few posts about this recently and both cat litter and salt have been mentioned. How effective either is I don't know?


----------



## QuattroA3 (Jul 5, 2008)

you could give this a try :thumb:
Air Dry
http://www.frost.co.uk/item_Detail....D=15&frostCat=Car Care&frostSubCat=&subCatID=
Air Dry ensures that the interior of the vehicle is kept dry, with no rust, electrical damage, mildew, mould stains or mouldy smells. Will also prevent windows from steaming up. Lasts approx 3 months before needing regeneration on a radiator


----------



## -Ashley- (Nov 19, 2010)

I run a window cleaning company so there is always a lot of damp in my van. I use cat litter and to be honest it works fairly well . Haven't tried damprid so I can't compare the two. But try some cat litter fo' sure my fellow newbie


----------



## MJizzy (Nov 22, 2010)

rice is also very good for absorbing and holding moisture


----------



## Tim186 (Oct 18, 2009)

This is also a nightmare for me so am interested in this thread, but this seems to happen in the winter when it rains alot, I suspect when you get in the car with wet feet/ clothes it soaks in to the mats/carpet/seats and then ends up evaporating and condensing on the windows.


----------



## gally (May 25, 2008)

Tim186 said:


> This is also a nightmare for me so am interested in this thread, but this seems to happen in the winter when it rains alot, I suspect when you get in the car with wet feet/ clothes it soaks in to the mats/carpet/seats and then ends up evaporating and condensing on the windows.


Pretty much but some people do have leaks. They will notice worse condensation.

I have a little one! Damm Fords! In the hardest to reach place in the worlds aswell! Strip down once the weather improves I think!


----------



## Tim186 (Oct 18, 2009)

gally said:


> Pretty much but some people do have leaks. They will notice worse condensation.
> 
> I have a little one! Damm Fords! In the hardest to reach place in the worlds aswell! Strip down once the weather improves I think!


Yeh i think it most case this is the reason, but as you said, leaks can be the problem as with clogged pollen/cabin filters. In my fiesta i got in it on a couple of occasions to find a puddle in the passenger footwell and couldnt figure out for the life of me where is was coming from but found out from a friend that it was due to the pollen filter being all clogged up, changed it and bobs your uncle.

Yeh ford are a nightmare. got a focus know but this will be the last ford i get really shoddy stuff in places.


----------



## danga200 (Feb 22, 2010)

Buy a huge bag of silica gel (or lots of smaller bags) from ebay for pennies.

HTH.


----------



## great gonzo (Nov 4, 2010)

Looking at your avatar I'm guessing you have an Impreza? which are prone to moisture due to the pillar- less doors, yours looks like a spec c are you closing the roof vent


----------



## moonstone mo (Mar 7, 2009)

Tim186 said:


> Yeh i think it most case this is the reason, but as you said, leaks can be the problem as with clogged pollen/cabin filters. In my fiesta i got in it on a couple of occasions to find a puddle in the passenger footwell and couldnt figure out for the life of me where is was coming from but found out from a friend that it was due to the pollen filter being all clogged up, changed it and bobs your uncle.
> 
> Yeh ford are a nightmare. got a focus know but this will be the last ford i get really shoddy stuff in places.


Totally agree with you there mate,fords are notorious for this,the cossie can be a pain at times


----------



## 1gear (Sep 30, 2010)

Ive been thinking about putting in one or two little dehumidifiers that we sell at work. They are the mini ones and the type people normally put in their caravan over winter. You can get a bag of the salts to put in them.
I get a little bit moisture on the inside sometimes, which seems to be in the air as you can feel it on the steering wheel and gearknob.
Do they have any side effects for using them?
Cars used everyday and im often in with damp clothing, wet boots and there was a leak


----------



## Suberman (Aug 16, 2010)

great gonzo said:


> Looking at your avatar I'm guessing you have an Impreza? which are prone to moisture due to the pillar- less doors, yours looks like a spec c are you closing the roof vent


Yes mate! I do have a Spec C although that picture is not my car, but that's the only blue hawkeye Spec C i can find that's small enough to upload and also show the roof vent. Sharp eye you got there. 

Regarding the pillarless doors is exactly what i was thinking. It's strange because i have a portable hygrometer, and it almost always reads more humidity in the Spec C than in my other car (hatchback Impreza STI) which has "normal" doors.

But at the same time, i also cannot confirm this fact, or could the humidity be higher because i seldom use the car.


----------



## Suberman (Aug 16, 2010)

There isn't any leaks or areas that i should be concerned (as far as i know) about as it is almost a brand new car. 

The only thing is that, this car was kept in less than ideal conditions (in a warehouse) for over 2 years before it was registered for the road in January this year, so i am thinking that during this period, quite fair bit of moisture would have been absorbed into the interior. Don't know if this sounds silly.... :lol:

What i'm trying to do is to find a natural dessicant or method that works as well as those commercial dehumidifier to pull out as much moisture as possible from the interior. Would the use of a dehumidifier (such as Damprid) cause any side effects when used long term?


----------



## shycho (Sep 7, 2010)

Must try the Air dry stuff, although at the moment my windows have been fine, it's usually when it's raining that it fogs up


----------



## The Sheriff (Jul 15, 2008)

I think using your air-con (even when heating on) acts as a dehumidifier??

Seems to work for me!


----------



## Suberman (Aug 16, 2010)

The Sheriff said:


> I think using your air-con (even when heating on) acts as a dehumidifier??
> 
> Seems to work for me!


Yes it does, but i'm trying to find a way to lower humidity levels in the cabin when the car is not driven.


----------



## trv8 (Dec 30, 2007)

A couple of old thin cotton socks filled with cat litter then zip tied the ends and placed on the dash in the van. Seemed to have worked so far.


----------



## mattsbmw (Jul 20, 2008)

Has anyone tried the Air dry product linked too ion the posts above?


----------



## Derbyshire-stig (Dec 22, 2010)

trv8 said:


> A couple of old thin cotton socks filled with cat litter then zip tied the ends and placed on the dash in the van. Seemed to have worked so far.


Ive used this method on my cars for years, its a cheap and easy way. :thumb:


----------



## mattsbmw (Jul 20, 2008)

Gonna try the cat litter approach, see if that works


----------



## trv8 (Dec 30, 2007)

mattsbmw said:


> Gonna try the cat litter approach, see if that works


Try a couple of pairs of football socks filled with cat litter. One pair in use on the dash, and the other pair on top of the radiator in the house drying out ready to use again. I just swap them over every couple of days. Seems to work fine.


----------

