Congratulations on finally getting that car, because they are generally excellent additions to the life of anyone, obviously proven by the staggering amount of cars in the world today. But as cool and fancy looking as they are, there is a problem of not being immune to the relative ease with which moisture and damp cause damages, which makes a dehumidifier very useful. Having the best dehumidifier for cars helps in increasing the life span of your vehicle, keeping it dry and prevent mold growth and mildew formation.
| Type | Recharge | Lifespan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| California Bamboo | Activated Charcoal Bag | Sunlight | 2 yrs |
| Patu Mini | Silica Gel | Electricity | 1 yr |
| Eva-dry E-333 | Silica Dessicant | Electricity | 1 yr |
| Probreeze Mini | Silica Gel | Electricity | 1 yr |
| Gurin DHMD-110 | Crystallized Silica Gel | Electricity | 1 yr |
A dehumidifier’s primary function is to remove the excess amount of moisture in the atmosphere that could go as far as leaving water droplets on your window and creating an unsafe driving experience. If you own a caravan, then you should take this more seriously than the small sized car owners because having a caravan with a home setting means more items will be affected by mold and damp. The best dehumidifier for caravan should then be amongst the top things you should consider purchasing.
Moisture generally thrives in the hot summer season, causing a great deal of sweat and irritation. It could also bring about health issues for those with reactions to allergens, and in confined spaces such as a car, it’s probably best you keep the atmosphere humidity level as low as possible. This requires the best moisture absorber for cars (moisture absorber also performs the same function as the dehumidifier), and it does an excellent job in dropping down the level of humidity, giving your car, interior a longer life and your health in check.
Nooks and crannies also exist in cars like car storage and may be hard to reach especially when they are filled with items. The car storage allows for space that comes in handy for keeping kinds of stuff that could be needed at any time, but is also a right place for molds to grow unnoticed, placing the best dehumidifier for car storage in the confined space should help in reducing the required amount of cleanups and avoid rot.
Top 5 best moisture absorber for cars
1) California Moisture Absorber
Special Features: Activated charcoal, Reusable, odor eliminator, and highly effective
This moisture absorber type looks like a portable bag that could be easily placed in the car. The top left-hand side of the packet contains a space that allows for easy hanging in the car, and it has a relatively light weight of about 200g (per bag), meaning it can be hung anywhere without the need for special installments.
The bag contains activated charcoal that easily absorbs water, as well as dealing well with bad odors in the atmosphere. It doesn’t operate like air fresheners that simply cover smells, as they absorbs the odor. Wonder what happens when the charcoal becomes saturated? It quite a simple process really, you just have to leave the bag out to dry under sunlight, after which they are ready to be used once again.
This comes in five quantities and lasts a very long time while using. It is very easy to use, as you just have to hang it in strategic locations in the car and within two days it eradicates any moisture/ smell. We recommend you make use of two bags at a time.
2) Patu renewable wireless dehumidifier
Special Features: Renewable, Eco friendly, portable, healthy and very silent
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This is a very small sized square shaped dehumidifier that contains a silica jell that also acts as an indicator. It has an inbuilt plug that is to be connected directly into an electrical outlet when it needs to be recharged. It is quite dense, and a bit fragile, meaning it could develop issues if dropped.
The blue color gel means the unit is set and ready to be used, and after absorbing moisture till saturation, the silica gel turns pink as an indication that it needs to be recharged, which takes about 5 hours. It works for nearly a year after which the gel would expire and cease to absorb moisture anymore.
In general, the device is straightforward to use and pretty small, so you wouldn’t have to worry about the space it would occupy in your car. It works well, efficiently removing moisture and we would recommend it for any small sized car (sedans), and two or more for larger sized vehicles.
3) Eva dry mini renewable dehumidifier
Special Features: Silica gel, Non toxic, No batteries, 333 cubic feet work area, and 100% renewable
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This is another small-sized dehumidifier like the patu that also adopts the technology of an absorbent material, which is a crystal. It has a droplet-shaped indicator that displays the crystals, enabling you to tell when there is a color change, and charging is needed. It has a port by the side for recharging; you just need to connect to electricity through an adapter cable in a well-ventilated environment.
The Eva dehumidifier is built with moisture absorbing crystals that change color i.e., green when it is saturated with moisture and orange after recharge, and it is good to go. It lasts for a couple of weeks before a recharge is needed, depending on the degree of usage and the amount of moisture in the atmosphere. Recharging takes about 10-12 hours.
The used procedure of this dehumidifier is pretty straight forward; make use till there is a color change then plug to recharge, and it can from humidity level of around 50% to as low as 38% in closed spaces. You might want to get more than one of this device for a larger sized automobile.
4) Probreeze renewable cordless mini dehumidifier
Special Features: last 20-30 days, non toxic, renewable, rechargeable and wireless dehumidifier
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This is a portable cordless dehumidifier that allows the ease of being moved anywhere it is being needed in the car, fitting into tight spaces and car storage. It comes with a stylist design, featuring several perforations around the top side and one of the edges, and an indicator, displaying the silica gel color and a color description showing when dry or wet. The device will virtually stand up at any angle you need it to
It contains crystals that absorb moisture from the atmosphere easily, changing color accordingly to its saturation level, i.e., when saturated with moisture the crystals turns green and it is orange-colored when dry. It takes anytime between 10-24 hours to thoroughly dry, although you would have to keep an eye on it, as the dehumidifying beads pop when the device is plugged in for too long.
This type of dehumidifier is best for small spaces and works well, while being cost friendly like the patu and eva type, with a relatively low cost.
5) Gurin DHMD renewable wireless dehumidifier
Special Features: No batteries, no cord, 100% renewable , non toxic and wide area of coverage
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The Gurin dehumidifier share the same design as most of the humidifiers for cars out there, featuring horizontal spaces shaped as lines across the surface, in which moisture is absorbed through, and affront indicator for displaying the crystal color, and therefore the time recharge is needed.
The crystal is blue colored in the default state but after absorbing enough water, changes to pink, therefore showing the need for a recharge which takes about 12 to 15 hours. The relatively cheap cost makes it an attractive option, and when used in a confined space, can drop the humidity level by 10%.
It comes with a 5-year warranty, covering any of your potential losses for a long time, and does well in dealing with moist in the atmosphere. The device also lasts a long time before needing a charge, and shouldn’t be charged more than 15 hours.
Also read: Best dehumidifier for grow rooms
What causes condensation on the inside of car windows
To remove condensation problems in a car, you first have to know what causes and sustain its presence. Condensation generally is formed when the warm air in a humid atmosphere, collides with a cool surface. In cars, these surfaces are mostly car windows. It also occurs in cases where moist surface/ water present in the car, tries to evaporate (when heated by the sun) and there is a lack of proper ventilation system.
In both cases, tiny water droplets end up on the windows, forming a translucent extra layer surface that makes navigating a lot more difficult. The water droplets would have to be wiped off for proper view range. Some of the common causes of condensation in automobiles are:
- Breathing inside the car
- Wet items like clothes, shoes, etc.
- Leakages in the vehicle leading to the inflow of water.
- Damp trunk or carpets
- Steamy foods
How to prevent condensation on inside of car windows
We recommend you take the following quick fix steps to avoid condensation
- Ensure you always clean the car properly, to remove dirt particles that can attract moisture.
- Always allow conventional and proper ventilation in your car by leaving your windows open for a while, when safe of course.
- Do not leave damp materials like coats or towels inside the car.
- Turning on the air conditioner helps by ducking in moist air and giving out dry air, therefore reducing the moisture level.
- Clean your windows thoroughly.
- Using a dehumidifier for a car’s interior also causes a great deal of change.
Also Read: Best dehumidifier for drying clothes
How to dehumidify a car
Now that we have identified the cause of condensation, and the majority of their sources, you might be wondering how to avoid the same situation next time. The solution is in simply using a good dehumidifier. Vehicle dehumidifier removes the excess amount of moist, therefore removing condensations. There are several ways which you can use in removing moisture from your car; they are:
- Leave your car out in the sun to dry, but with space for ventilation so that water molecules in the car can escape to the atmosphere, not forming water droplets o the window screen in the process.
- Check for mold and damp: in corners like the air vent, carpets, and the door hinges, molds can grow unnoticed. For this reason, we advise you to fish out every traces of mold.
- Apply vinegar for a few minutes to kill the mold on the surface.
- Scrub off: cleaning the mold found is the next step and we advise you don’t use soap or water, as this could make the problem worse. Instead, you should use a very soft brush and scrub until the mold is removed. A vacuum cleaner also comes in handy for removing the mold remnants.
Although all these processes are very useful, simply placing a dehumidifier in the car and leaving it to run is simply the most efficient and stress-free procedure at very little cost.
Read Also: Best dehumidifier for conservatory
Qualities to consider when choosing the best car Dehumidifiers
- Type of dehumidifier:
When it comes to dehumidifiers for cars, the two most prominent are the 12V device and the moisture absorbing bags. We recommend you go for the moisture absorbing bag, as they passively absorb water from the air and stores it in a bag. The unit is built with different material types as the absorbing agent, but the most common is the silica gel. Whereas, the 12V unit makes use of power, and is needed to be plugged into your dashboard to function. It sucks in water at a faster rate than the other type, but need to be emptied more regularly.
- Reusable ability:
Dehumidifiers for autos that aren’t usable are merely not just worth the stress and expense, in the long run, it’s a good thing most humidifiers are reusable then. When using the 12V type, the water tank just needs to be emptied when filled up, while the moisture absorbing type is recharged in the microwave.
Some moisture absorbers are built with a single-use crystal, i.e., after the crystal absorbs water till saturation, it has to be thrown away. These are not advisable for cars since the moisture battle is never-ending.
- Brand:
Although there are several types of dehumidifiers for autos out there, there is a difference in performance in which some brands are generally more effective than some others. This is why you need to purchase the only unit made by reliable brands, whichever manufacturer you decide to go with, ensure their devices are eco-friendly since they would be used in a confined space.
- Price:
The price of any device is always one of the significant factors to consider before purchase, but not to worry, car dehumidifiers are generally cheap and easily affordable. Therefore you wouldn’t have to save up to purchase one of these, although we still advise you have a budget or range you are willing to path with. Dashboard dehumidifiers are generally more expensive than the others.
Read Here: Best dehumidifier for cold basement
Final Verdict: Best moisture absorber for cars
We recommend the California Moisture Absorber as the best product for your car because it comes with five pack, means it would last much longer than other dehumidifiers. It also doesn’t consume any amount of electricity, as it only needs to be dried by sunlight.
The Patu renewable wireless dehumidifier comes out on the next on our list, due to its eco-friendly nature, and its high moisture absorbing rate.
Important Reads:
Also Read: Best dehumidifier for dorm room