My car is wet. On the inside wet.

April 2, 2006 5:43 PM

So I left my Z3's top down the other night, and the next morning the interior was soaked. I've toweled everything down and have been driving around with the heat on full blast, but some areas have still not dried and I don't want no mildewy car.
posted by icetaco to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (14 answers total)

Have you vacuumed out as much moisture as possible? That would be a start.
posted by LarryC at 5:46 PM on April 2, 2006

Roll up all the windows and let the AC run full blast for a couple of hours. That will suck a lot of the moisture out of the air. Repeat as necessary.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 6:03 PM on April 2, 2006

Also might be worth it to get it detailed, or if you can stick a dehumidifier in there overnight without too much hassle.
posted by cajo at 6:09 PM on April 2, 2006

The AC is a dehumidifier. A portable dehumidifier is just AC without ducts. Turn on both the AC and the heater, at the same time. If the Z3's climate control is fancy and stubborn, then crank up the heat with the front defroster on (but rear defroster off). A puddle will form under your car.
posted by ryanrs at 6:33 PM on April 2, 2006

I don't want no
(does that mean you do want it?)
sorry.

The AC suggestions are good. You might also want to get your car into a dry environment pronto. How about a nice visit to Yakima or Richland/Pasco/Kenewick?
posted by caddis at 7:11 PM on April 2, 2006

If you have some time, use a de-ionizing hair dryer. It doesn't use hot air (so no damage to the interior) and still takes out the moisture.

And gawd damn, do i feel your pain right now.
posted by SeizeTheDay at 7:13 PM on April 2, 2006

In conjunction with the air conditioning suggestion, put a couple of bags of kitty litter on your floor mats. Slice open the tops, but of course don't let 'em spill. The stuff is an amazing dessicant and will help keep things dry. If you're really feeling ambitious, you'll get better results by pouring it an inch or two deep in an open pan.
posted by fake at 7:33 PM on April 2, 2006 [1 favorite]

You could rent one of those big heated fans people use to dry out flooded basements. Ask the tool rental department at your hardware store.

While it might be more expensive than the gas involved with idling the engine for a few hours, it would generate a much stronger air current to dry your car's interior very quickly, and arrest the stink / mildew.
posted by randomstriker at 10:38 PM on April 2, 2006

Could you let us know how this works? I can so see myself doing this...
posted by LarryC at 7:10 AM on April 3, 2006 [1 favorite]

My wife and I took a soaked car to a body shop where they stuck it in the paint drying oven for a couple of hours. Until the humidity level rose in the air with spring time, the interior of our car was so bone dry that static arcs would jump an inch and a half of of my hand when I'd get out and touch the door after driving it.
posted by Pollomacho at 8:27 AM on April 3, 2006

If you don't want to go the kitty litter route -- it can be pretty dusty -- you might try coffee grounds instead. They'll soak up excess water from your floor mats/carpeting, and then you just vaccuum them all up. Smells good, too.
posted by schoolgirl report at 8:27 AM on April 3, 2006

Additional note for the AC route: make sure and set "recirculating", "max" or the equivalent. Otherwise, the source air is from outside and moisture reduction will be lessened.
posted by SpookyFish at 10:02 AM on April 3, 2006

My carpet got a bit of rain on it one night when I left the sunroof cracked. I got 4 or 5 of those "Damp Rid" closet dessicants from WalMart, along with a big box of the refill stuff, and left those in the car for a couple of days with the car in the sun and the windows rolled up. They pulled out an amazing amount of liquid.
posted by kableh at 10:59 AM on April 3, 2006

Response by poster: Success! Viva la Metafilter.

I went with the cheapest possible options (A/C with the heat on for a few hours, kitty litter on the floor, removing and hanging a soaked panel from the trunk) and it seems to have worked: the condensation I've had on the windows has dissapated.

Thanks all - I couldn't find any advice online or from the dealer (!) and never would have thought of the AC/kitty litter power combo.
posted by icetaco at 7:44 PM on April 3, 2006 [1 favorite]