# Windows left down during rainstorm -- Drying out a car interior?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-left-down-during-rainstorm-drying-out-a-car-interior/408706>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [June 20, 2007, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-left-down-during-rainstorm-drying-out-a-car-interior/408706 "2007-06-20T12:59:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\
**Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-left-down-during-rainstorm-drying-out-a-car-interior/408706/1 "2007-06-20T12:59:05Z")

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Kinda embarassing I guess (for him anyway). My son left his car windows partially down last night (1/3 open) and it rained _hard_ :rolleyes: . Does anyone have any special tricks for drying out the upholstery and carpets? All I’ve been able to come up with is: a) use the A/C on high when driving for the next few days and, b) leave it in the garage the rest of the time with a fan blowing into it.

I would imagine professional cleaners/detailers have encountered this problem before and wonder if there are any other “tricks of the trade” to speed up this process (and avoid any mildewy smells). Any and all suggestions are appreciated.

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**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\
**Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-left-down-during-rainstorm-drying-out-a-car-interior/408706/2 "2007-06-20T13:18:30Z")

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When I’ve done it I have just let the sun do what it does. I haven’t noticed any lasting harm to my car.

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**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\
**Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-left-down-during-rainstorm-drying-out-a-car-interior/408706/3 "2007-06-20T15:18:26Z")

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Is there any standing water? If so remove it. If it was my car and there was standing water, I would probably pull the seats and carpet and allow them to dry outside of the car.  
If it is just very damp, run the A/C on high with the heat turned on, and using a fan when parked will dry it out fairly quickly.

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**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\
**Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-left-down-during-rainstorm-drying-out-a-car-interior/408706/4 "2007-06-20T15:37:51Z")

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A sunny day, all doors open, and a BIG fan (or stiff breeze) can help a lot. First, blot up as much moisture as possible. Start with a wet/dry shop vac, then use absorbent towels. Baking soda will absorb some moisture and can be vacuumed up.

It’s not terribly difficult to pull up a bit of carpeting and matting to see if it’s wet down to the metal flooring - if it is, seat and carpet removal are probably necessary to prevent mildew and floorpan rusting. To inspect this, remove the bottom door sill covering (usually plastic, often held with screws, sometimes with clips and can simply be yanked up). Pull up as much as you can and feel between the floor and matting, and between the matting and carpet.