How to get rid of moisture UNDER floormats

Jon11582 · 11-04-05, 10:15

Not sure if this is the right place to put this, but I know you Autopians are the best with detailing. I recently had my moonroof drains clogged when we had the biggest rain week every in Jersey, so my car went under a little bit of flooding on the front passenger side. I've fixed the clog and took the mats out to wash and dry, but theres still moisture UNDER the mats (under the base carpeting). Its dry if you brush your hand against it, but if you apply pressure, the moisture comes up through the base carpeting.

How can i get this moisture out? My first thought is that, is there some kind of powder I can put on to soak it up and then vacuum it up? My dad jokingly suggested kitty litter...might not be a bad idea since it clumps when wet and I can vacuum it up, but something about sprinkling kitty litter in my car rubs me the wrong way.

Or is the best I can do a towel with something heavy on it and wringing it out every day, which is what Ive been doing for a few days now?

Thanks in advance.

chml17l · 11-04-05, 11:56

You're going to need to try to vacuum as much of the water out as you can with a good shop vac. Or take it to a pro who has an extractor. You need to leave the matts out of the car and try to air it out as much as possible before you get mold/mildew.

You also might try something like Damp-Rid (drying agent) to help dehumidify the interior while you're trying to get all the water out.

coolride08 · 11-24-05, 09:19

Remove the floor mats and lay them out in the sun for a few days. use a vacuum to get the water out. Take the car for a professional interior cleaning if all else fails

DFTowel · 11-25-05, 04:32

Also very important to leave the windows open so the moisture in the car has a place to go when it evaporates. With the windows closed it will never evaporate.

Neothin · 11-25-05, 05:13

the kitty litter/powder idea isn't going to really work. you said yourself that the carpeting is dry until you press down on it. the kitty litter isnt going to have enough weight to press down on the carpeting to get the water to come up.
As the others said, get a good wet/dry vac and suck up as much as you can. Then keep the car open and let it air out for a few days. You might want to think about getting a deodorizer because even when doing this, your probably going to get some mold/mildew and that has a rather musty smell (along with being bad for your health!)

3Dog · 11-25-05, 06:32

One thing I might add is at night if you keep car closed and locked and you cant air out....place folded towels on carpet and weigh down with books or something similiar and it will help draw some of the moisture up into towel.
I had a similar problem with a heater coil bursting.

Kanchou · 11-25-05, 12:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neothin

the kitty litter/powder idea isn't going to really work.

damp-rid is like silica, its a passive dehumidifier that sucks moisture out of the air. It actually will work.

But you're right about kitty litter, that stuff has to come in physical contact to really absorb anthing