Accidentally left a car-window open in heavy rain and your car insurance doesn’t cover the damage? Here’s some tips to help dry out your car. Be quick! You don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars in cleaning costs after it gets smelly or mouldy.
• Run your car’s air conditioning on recycle with the windows closed. This will tend to remove humidity from the air inside the car and draw moisture from the trim. Make sure that you replace the air inside the car regularly to avoid the air inside the car becoming stale.
• If your car does not have air conditioning, make sure the air setting is on fresh and drive the car with the windows open a few inches.
• If your carpet is soaked in rain water see if you can remove some of the simpler trim near the doors so that the carpet can be lifted. Place an object under the carpet to keep an airspace to assist drying.
• Try to park in the sun with the windows opened a fraction. Be careful not to leave the windows too open so as not to tempt thieves.
Got a leak from somewhere else?The water’s getting in somehow and it could be coming from a number of sources. The sun-roof drain channels are not working or are blocked, the windscreen seal is broken, or one of the rubber grommets that allows wiring to pass from the engine bay to the cabin may be missing or broken. You will need to find the leak first before you can dry out your car.
You car is smelly/mouldy? Once the interior of the car does get smelly or mouldy, the only real solution is to remove the carpets and trim and wash them in warm water and detergent and let them dry outside the car. Unfortunately this is not a job for the average person. Get professional help.
