Problem: When you get into a car in winter time, snow, salt, and grit clings to your boots. After about half an hour of driving it melts, creating puddles of brown water on the floor of your car.
Solution: Retractable cylindrical electric brushes under each door. One larger brush beneath the boot to wipe snow off winter sports equipment. Also useful when your fingers are too frozen to hold a brush.-- kinemojo, Jan 11 2006 No dirt a'boot it. http://www.scrusher.../scrusher-hitch.asp [2 fries shy of a happy meal, Jan 12 2006] That's a *good* idea! (thought I wonder if the brush itself wouldn't get covered with brown sludge if it's hanging from the door in winter weather.)-- phundug, Jan 11 2006 Route the engine exhaust past the brushes to keep them warm.-- normzone, Jan 11 2006 They make something like this for a hidden hitch, [link] it shouldn't be hard to adapt to a car.-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Jan 12 2006 I live in a slush-besodden hell. I want one...-- humanbean, Jan 12 2006 Was in England for Christmas and having now lived in Bavaria for 7 years found the way in which the Brits cope with snow extremely amusing. A mere dusting of the white stuff was sufficient to be rated as "Siberian weather conditions" and the news programs were full of warnings to drivers to take emergency food rations and blankets with them in the car.
We spent a lot of time holding our stomachs and laughing.
Anyway, enough of that. The problem exists and needs remedying but I really do think that external brushes will get clogged and v. un-brushy v. quickly. Poss. other solution: Super-absorbant floor mats that you wring out once a week.-- squeak, Jan 12 2006 [squeak] you should spend a few months in LA where the merest hint of moisture results in 24 hour news coverage and dire predictions of doom.
"ITS EL NINO! WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!"-- ato_de, Jan 12 2006 Bril. But don't take norm's advice on the exhaust. Too much heat and risk of fumes, especially when it'll eventually rust through. Exhaust has to be packaged in the car carefully.-- RayfordSteele, Jan 13 2006 Point taken. Perhaps scavenge heat off the exhaust manifold?
No, that's too easy. Design a cog counter that runs off the speedometer cable, controlled by an outside temperature thermostat, that beats the brushes every so many miles-- normzone, Jan 13 2006 random, halfbakery