Windows open+rain=wet car.

[bigwillq]

I went to work yesterday. Somehow, my two front windows in my car were half way down. It poured yesterday. I was at work for over 8 hours.

The wetness is limited mostly to the side panels on each door, there is some upholstery there, and the sides, and a bit on the cushion, of each front seat. The seats are pretty much dried, but the side panels are still, pretty much, soaked. It could've been worse, though.

I didn't do much clean up last night (too tired to deal with it) besides pat it down with a towel. This morning, I got out the wet-vac and went over the side panels and seats for about 20 minutes.

I put the car in the garage with the windows down, but it wasn't very warm today, so air drying didn't help.

So, what are my options now? Am I going to get mildew? Will they dry over time? Should I take it to a detail shop, which I don't really want to do.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

[seabeyond]

1. geez, see, your brilliance is why they call us dems elitists. nt

[bigwillq]

2. ha ha

:rofl:

[hippywife]

3. Blow dryer?

It might be worth a shot. :hi:

[bigwillq]

4. Tried that

but the cord wouldn't reach and I tried an extension cord and the extension cord wasn't working for some reason.

[david13]

5. I really don't know. I suppose I would just get a new car. But I

never leave my windows down, and it doesn't much rain here. So. Good luck.
I suppose it will eventually dry out.
dc

[bigwillq]

6. New car is not an option right now

lease isn't up for a few years. I think it's going to dry out. Just wanted to pick DUers' brains to see if this ever happened to them and, if it did, if they had any advice to share. Cheers.

[Kali]

7. keep it opened up - it should dry out ok

if there is any way you can get a fan to help circulate the air it will help

run AC when driving

[siligut]

8. Home Depot sells hanging desiccant bags

The bags come in a 3 pack, they are labeled DampRid. Hang one from your rear view mirror and keep the car windows closed. Also, spray the damp areas with a Lysol or other anti-microbial growth solution to prevent mildew. Good luck.

[bigwillq]

10. Thanks.

I read about DampRid and Lysol on-line. But it's good to hear from DUers methods that actually work. Thanks

[TreasonousBastard]

9. I do that all the time, and it just dries out with no mildew problem IF...

it really has a chance to dry out in a day or two.

Mine's always outside, but if yours is in the garage, stick a fan in there somewhere to get some air moving to help it dry out.

(Turning on both the A/C and heat while driving it dries it out pretty fast, too.)

[bigwillq]

11. I park outside

but wasn't able to roll down windows today because it rained on and off again today and it might do the same tomorrow.

[TreasonousBastard]

12. Seriously, when you're driving turn on the A/C and the heat as high as you...

can stand it. That dries out the air inside the car and sucks the moisture out of it. To prove this works, toss a wet rag in there and see how long it takes to dry when doing this.

(Works just like a clothes dryer.)

[bigwillq]

15. can I do that?

it seems like I can only have one thing on at a time.

[TreasonousBastard]

16. Depends on your car. Some of the fancier automatic...

climate controls don't give you much control, but if you have a more or less manual system, turn up the heat all the way and turn on the A/C. My car has a separate A/C button, but they're all different.

(This is also a good trick to quickly defog the windows.)

[Skittles]

13. nitwit bigwillq + rain = ASS KICKING

EGREGIOUS

[bigwillq]

14. ha ha ha ha ha ha

:rofl:

[whistler162]

17. Passed a Jaguar up on a trailer with the windows open

between rain storms.

In the garage, point a couple of fans toward the panels at night.

[Xithras]

18. Get a big fan.

I did this to my Forester a couple of years ago. Left the sunroof open, went in to take a "short" nap, and woke up four hours later to the sound of pouring rain outside. About an hour after that, I remembered the sun roof.

I pulled the VERY wet car into the garage and put a big box fan in the sunroof to blow air through it. I left all of the doors and windows open (turn off the dome light!), and stuck a couple more smaller fans at various points around it.

By the middle of the following afternoon, the car was perfectly dry inside. No smells or anything.