What to do about a musty car?

Post date: 2021-11-28 08:34:45

My 15 year old car smells musty and is a bit humid. I plan to buy a new one in 6-12 months. What can I do in the meantime to take care of the issue as much as possible, without sinking a ton of money into it?

I bought this car new in 2006. It's running fine, but the smell is becoming an issue. Last year, I had some water jugs in the back that leaked, which I think is the origin of the problem. When that happened, I put a ton of moisture absorbers around the car, and it took care of maybe 95% of the moisture, but it's felt a bit humid since then and I've noticed the musty smell more. The windows fog up a bit on the inside when I drive, so I keep them cracked. The AC ran out a year or two ago, and I live in a climate where I otherwise don't really need it, but that is a barrier for removing more humidity. I want to buy a new car, but I need to save a bit more money, and the car inventory issues are also a problem.

Things I've tried:
-Keeping a rechargeable Eva-dry dehumidifier in the car
-Replacing the cabin air filter, which was mysteriously missing
-Buying an air freshener, which helped for about a month

I'm considering getting a full service interior detail and/or recharging the AC, but I'm on a pretty tight budget, so I only want to do those if they're likely to help. Any ideas would be appreciated!

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