Motorists have arrived at that pesky time of year when they have to start thinking about investing more time in their cars in the mornings, as the colder months often bring condensation with them. However, if you want to try and swerve the problem in November, there's a simple thing you can do, and it just involves removing a common item from your car.
Both drivers and experts say storing a specific item in your car could be contributing to the condensation problem. In fact, making the simple mistake could be causing you more issues in your vehicle than you realise.
Previously, motorists talked about the problem on Reddit, when someone asked: "Why do I have so much condensation/moisture on [the] inside of [my] car windows/windshield? Help." The question caused various people to share ideas, and many different thoughts were shared as to how you can prevent cars fogging up during the colder months of the year.
One person replied: "Turn up your heat, turn on defrost and make sure the air intake is set to outside air." Another said: "My problem was wet cloth floor mats in the past, and before that was using e-cigs in my car early morning before heading into work."
A third also noted: "Your doors have drains that can get clogged and are fairly easy to check. That, and all of the weatherstripping around the doors, windows and trunk. Moisture is getting in your car somehow, you just have to figure out how it’s getting in."
Even though there are many different ways condensation is caused, leaving certain items in your car, such as wet mats, can actually worsen the issue. In fact, the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) offers certain guidance about it.
It states: "Windscreen misting happens when moisture in the air inside your vehicle condenses on the cooler surface of the glass. When the inside temperature is warm and humid, and the windscreen and outside is colder, moisture will appear.
"This typically happens in colder months of the year, and these droplets of water will need to be cleared before you drive. Humidity inside the car can happen if drivers leave wet clothes, shoes, umbrellas and other items to dry, as well as any leaks within the vehicle that cause collections of rainwater.
"Damp car mats and upholstery can also cause misty windscreens and windows. It can also be the result of poor air conditioning and circulation."
In other words, if you leave any kind of damp item in the car, it could be causing your vehicle to fog up. This means anything that's wet, such as mats, clothing or shoes, need to be removed to help solve the problem.
Condensation can form inside a car when warm, moist air inside the vehicle meets a cold surface, usually the windows. This leads to the moisture vapour condensing into water droplets.
More often than not, sources of interior moisture include breath from passengers, wet clothing or pets, hot drinks and leaks from door or sunroof seals. As well as this, temperature differences, especially overnight, can form the cold surface that triggers condensation.
As we approach the winter months, it naturally becomes more of a problem for drivers. When temperatures drop, car condensation becomes a nightmare, as windscreens are more prone to fogging up.
A fine film of moisture will form on the windscreen due to a huge temperature gap between the car's interior and exterior. This can cause hassle for many drivers during the mornings.
Removing wet items may help you to solve the problem, but it's vital to check for any leaks. If you're unsure why the issue has become so bad for you, contact a mechanic for further advice.