Have you ever slipped into your car on a damp morning, coffee in one hand, already late—and BAM! All the windows are so fogged over, you feel like you could be inside a fishbowl? The heater is blasting, you’re swiping your sleeve on the windshield, and somehow the wet-dog smell sneaks in even though you don’t own a dog. That’s called car humidity, and honestly, it’s one of those little annoyances that you just can’t shake.

The good news is, the fix is not an overly expensive spray off the automotive aisle. Nope. It’s salt. Like the plain stuff that goes over fries. A bowl’s worth of it, sitting quietly in your car, will change everything.

Why Salt Works

I know! At first, it sounds ridiculous. How’s a bowl of kitchen salt going to outsmart months of foggy glass, as well as damp seats? But salt is tricksy. It’s hygroscopic, meaning it sucks water straight out of the air. Think of it as a sponge that you don’t have to wring out. Sitting there, it’s actively sucking up all the humidity you never even thought was making your car musty.

And the nice thing is, it’s cheap. You need look no further than your pantry fully stocked with table salt. You don’t have to hunt down some obscure gizmo online. Honestly, you don’t even need special instructions. Just pour some salt into a cup and use that as your container. Put it in your car, leave it to do its quiet little science trick. It’s a solution mechanics recommend because it’s so easy, and unlike many of the “miracle hacks,” this one has physics on its side.

No, Your Car Won’t Smell Like the Ocean

Afraid that your car will smell like a tide pool? Don’t be. Salt does not deodorize air, it pulls out the dampness some bacteria and mold need to survive. That not only means your windows will be less foggy or less likely to fog, but that stale smell you keep pretending you don’t smell? Gone, or at least seriously toned down. It’s not a deodorizer like one of those cardboard trees you hang from your mirror, it’s prevention.

Backup Hacks

Now if the thought of salt still feels too weird, there are backup hacks. Old newspapers for one. Just crumple up a few pages, throw them around on the floorboards or under the seat, and they will pull moisture just as well. Maybe not sexy, but it works.

Or the silica gel route — those little packets that say “do not eat” that you find in shoeboxes and packaging for electronics. They keep things dry, so of course they would just hang out sucking up humidity in your car. Salt, paper, silica—all just the same idea: stop the dampness from ruining your comfort.

Why It Matters

Because here’s the deal: it’s not just foggy glass. That pent-up moisture can lead to mold in the upholstery, corrosion in little corners, or even electrical problems if it lingers long enough. A glass of salt is about as low-tech as it gets, but low-tech fixes are the ones you stick with.

Clearer Mornings Ahead

So you could give it a spin. The next time you are unloading groceries, set aside one cup of table salt for your car. No directions, no waiting weeks to see if it works. Just put it in and forget about it, and see how much clearer your ride feels. Windows you can see through, seats that won’t feel faintly damp, and air that won’t slap you in the face with “old basement” flavor. Not bad for something you already have in your pantry.