How to deal with evaporation, frosting and freezing?
Autumn has arrived, and with it seasonal trouble for parking their vehicles under the proverbial cloud. As every year at this time, the neighborhood parking lots can hear the sounds of an unequal duel between drivers and humidity. The weapon comes in the form of window scrapers, all with the accompaniment of swearing at the door handles, puffing at door locks, or attempts to start a cold engine.
Despite the power of nature, we are not doomed to failure. All we have to do now is take care of the condition of the locks, wipers, rubber seals or air conditioning. It is worth remembering that this applies not only to cars parked under the open sky, but also to garages.
With care for rubbers
The fight against moisture should be carried out methodically: in parallel with the change of tires for winter, the same should be done for floor wipers. In the case of the latter, they are best suited with a rubber channel profile, which prevents water from spilling sideways (e.g. from melted snow). The next step is to take care of the rubber door, boot lid or roof window seals: we grease them with technical vaseline or spray with silicone oil so that they do not freeze (packaging cost PLN 3-5). This procedure should be performed at least once a year, but it is worth repeating it more often. In addition to seasonal use, petroleum jelly and silicone oil eliminate the creaking of moving body elements, which increases the comfort of traveling in every season.
Menacing water
Once you have taken care of the condition of the rubber seals, it is worth getting into the habit of getting in the car in such a way as to limit the access of water to its interior and penetrate it to floor coverings, upholstery or headlining. First of all, avoid sitting in a chair in wet outerwear: a wet or snow-covered coat should be removed and shaken. Another “carrier” of moisture is shoes. Although during a downpour or heavy snowfall, you cannot enter the cabin with a dry foot, however, you can limit the amount of water brought into it: all you need to do is sit sideways on the chair and dry the shoes outside the car. driving in rain or snow and when the car is parked, get rid of water accumulated on the windscreen wipers. This prevents evaporation and moisture penetration into the vehicle. If you are parking cars in an unheated room, you can additionally open the windows to further ventilate the cabin.
Dry air
A good way to get rid of moisture from the interior of the car is to turn on the heating blow and set it in a position that allows directing of a stream of warm air on the windshield and inside the vehicle. Then turn the knob to the internal air circulation, which will ensure more thorough drying of the cabin. In addition, it is worth turning on the heating of the rear window and the front (if any). Even better, getting rid of moisture from inside the car can be done by air conditioning. In cars equipped with it, it should be turned on after starting the engine. In the case of manual air conditioning, the heating temperature should first be increased, and the automatic one will automatically adjust the operating parameters to the conditions in the cabin. When using air conditioning as a way to dehumidify air, we must remember about the cleanliness of the pollen filter: if it is clogged, the air conditioning will only mix the moist air inside the cabin.
Scraper or nanocrystals?
Late autumn is also a problem with frozen windows. Then the proven, manual methods of getting rid of ice, i.e. well-known scrapers or brush-scrapers, enter the action. It turns out, however, that we are not only condemned to physical fight against permafrost. The prophylactic use of any of the modern anti-deworming preparations available on the market, also used with steamed windows (spray or atomizer, depending on the capacity of 200 or 250 ml, 7-15 PLN) can help us. Nanotechnology was used in their production in the form of microscopic silver particles. They repel water droplets settling on the glass, so they do not stick to the glass surface and can be easily removed after freezing. Anti-dew preparations should be applied every two or three weeks, on degreased and dry internal glass surfaces. They can also be applied to exterior mirrors and headlight lenses.
