How to get rid of condensation in a car

During the damp winter, I’ve found it increasingly difficult to demist my old Volkswagen Golf in the morning. I’m guessing that I have a leak somewhere, but I’m not able to find it. So it left me wondering how to get rid of condensation in a car.

The Causes of Condensation

As the inside temperature of the car increases, the warm and humid air condenses as it hits the cold glass and turns into water.

Working out why you’re car has condensation is going to help you prevent it in the future. The problem with older cars is that they develop lots of places where water can ingress over time. For example, as door seals begin to perish and crack it may allow rain water to enter the cabin of the car. A sunroof can also leak as can a boot seal.

Water Always Takes The Easiest Path

Just because you think you know where the water is coming from, doesn’t mean it actually is coming form there. Understanding how to get rid of condensation in a car means understanding that water can enter from all sorts of places. A leak in a sunroof, for example, can run along the inside of a roof to the back seats and drip on the seat.

How to get rid of condensation in a car

Evaporating Water is Causing Condensation in Your Car

Whenever you get water in your car (even from old coffee cups or the like), the moisture will evaporate and eventually stick to the cold glass windows. This then causes condensation on the inside of the glass. Even wet shoes can leave water on the carpet which in time will evaporate and cause condensation.

How To Get Rid Of Condensation In A Car

There are a number of things that you can do to get rid of condensation, and most of them are free and easy. These include:

  • air the vehicle as often as possible – leave a window open slightly
  • use a garage if available
  • remove all rubbish, in particular drinks and food
  • remove wet clothing such as coats
  • use your A/C – even in the winter the A/C will remove moisture from the atmosphere (which is why you get a little puddle under the car in the summer)

Avoid Silicone Based Products

There are a number of different silicon based products on the market which claim to reduce condensation, called ‘anti-fog repellents‘. The products leave a horrible film on the inside of the glass which can blur your vision and which are horrible to get rid of. Don’t be fooled by the claims of the manufacturers as these make a real mess of your car windscreen and offer nothing more than wiping the screen with a synthetic chamois.

Further Reading:

I recently discovered an article called ‘How to Get Rid of Condensation and Damp in your car‘ which was packed full of loads of information on how to prevent the constant damp problem in the car. It also provides lots of ways to stop condensation appearing in the first place.

It led me to a video which described how to make a free damp preventer for a car using items that you can find around the house.

Both resources where very useful and although I haven’t been able to completely cure the problem, I’ve definitely been able to improve it. So if you’re wondering how to get rid of condensation in a car, take a look at those articles or better still, leave your own ideas and tricks below.

Share

By Richard

Businessman, camping enthusiast, Formula One fan and Real Ale drinker.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *