How to Get Rid of Moisture in My Car

Moisture finds its way into your car in a variety of ways. Yet, one of the most common scenarios is when you leave your car windows open and it unexpectedly rains inside of it. The rain soaks the upholstery and carpet, and leaves you with a wet mess that you need to clean up as soon as possible to avoid mildew growth and musty odor from developing.

Things You'll Need

• Towels
• Extension cord
• Hair dryer
• Baking soda
• Vacuum
• Commercial odor absorber or charcoal briquettes

Instructions

1. Identify the areas where the moisture is present by feeling the car's upholstery, floor mats and carpet with your hands. Remove the floor mats and place them in a sunny area to dry if they are wet.

2. Blot wet areas with towels to soak up as much moisture as you can. Plug an extension cord into the nearest outlet and then plug a hair dryer into the cord. Dry the areas of the car that are affected by moisture with the hair dryer.

3. Sprinkle a light, even coating of baking soda over your carpet and upholstery to help eliminate odors. Work the baking soda into the carpet with your hands and leave it there for 24 hours. Vacuum up the baking soda with an industrial vacuum at a self-serve car wash for best results.

4. Place a commercial odor absorber in the back or front floor board of your car or five or six charcoal briquettes under each seat to absorb moisture and odors. Leave these products in place until you no longer notice an odor.

Tips & Warnings

• If your floor mats smell musty like mildew once you have dried them out in the sun, you may want to replace them instead of trying to clean them to get rid of the odor.

• Don't hold the hair dryer's nozzle too close to the area you are drying. You can cause it to overheat. Keep it at least two inches away from the upholstery or carpet.

References

• No Dents: How to Remove Mildew Odors From a Car