I went to the beach yesterday with a friend to visit my family, and when we arrived it was 90+ degrees with not a cloud in the sky. so i put the reflector underneath the windshield, and rolled the windows down about half an inch to keep the car relatively cool. And of course, the mother of all thunderstorms rolled in that night, and i had forgotten that the windows were cracked in the car.

Of course, the car isn't drenched, but on both sides, there was a little standing water on the carpet underneath the seats (mostly just close to the door), kinda damp between the seat and door, and a little tiny bit wet on the carpet in front of the seats (but very little). Needless to say i was very upset with myself, and have been preoccupied all morning over this problem. it's been about 13 hours now since the rain, and i know i'm racing against time to prevent mildew. when i got in my car this morning, it smelled just a LITTLE weird. that has already gotten me freaked out.

I cleaned up the surfaces with a towel as best i could, but i KNOW that the foam liner underneath is still soaked. I am planning to get a blow dryer and just heat the mess out of the carpets in the affected areas after i get off work, but is there a better plan? i'll do whatever it takes to prevent mildew, but i would prefer the easiest methods possible, since i've got some other things i need to get done in the next few days. Any advice? dehumidfier in the car overnight? i've heard everything from vinegar to lysol to baking soda online, but i figured maybe somebody had some useful wisdom here?

 

I would go with the dehumidifier set to the lowest setting first.

I have an old Ford Probe that likes to let water in to the passenger side floor if left in a heavy rain.
Once, it had 2" of water there, I syphoned off all I could, then towel dried, then left the dehumidifier in
for 2 days.
It came out fine with no smell or mold.

 

It would be dry by now if you had used a wet/dry vacumn. Squirrel Crusher

 

Get that carpeting up on the passenger side! The amp and wiring in there may be all wet/under water. Use a wet/dry vac best you can and let it bake in the sun with the windows open after you get all the water out you can. Thats the best I can suggest!

 

Call an auto salon for suggestions too. I know there are sprays and powders you can put on the carpet that will help prevent milldew. I'd suggest you check out an auto store and see what they might have.