I was transporting some water containers and one broke or got a hole in it,
I didn't notice until the following morning when the mat at the back had a puddle,
dried it up with towel but I don't think I did a good job.
Thanks
vacuum like carpet vacuum?
No, a wet/dry vacuum. You could use the one at the car wash probably.
will that leave moulds, or nasty smell? what to do to prevent this?
@[Deactivated]: Air it out well for a few days also…
The only other option is to remove the seats, trims, carpet, and underlay to dry it all out…
@[Deactivated]: Do what brendanm said then follow through with something like this after it’s dry https://www.chemistwarehouse.com.au/buy/100609/lifebuoy-hand… it says ‘hand sanitiser’ but it’s basically just an alcohol spray with no fragrance. The fine spray will mean you don’t over saturate. Leave something like this in the car https://www.kmart.com.au/product/300g-moisture-absorber-4307…? just don’t spill it as well once it fills up
@morse: I'm not sure I'd spray hand sanitizer on carpet, they all contain propylene glycol to stop your hands drying out, it's a bit sticky, the residue left behind would probably cause dust and dirt to stick to the carpet…
@FLICKIT: This particular one is pretty clean… I spray it on my workstation when I get into work as I let other people use my office when I’m not in - no stickiness. It’s pretty much the same as glen 20 but without the fragrance, I just can’t stand fragrance, but glen20 or the bostisto alcohol eucalyptus spray would work just as well
@[Deactivated]: It sucks up the majority of the water, then you use things such as the damp rid I recommended, eg https://www.bunnings.com.au/damprid-300g-refillable-moisture…
Yes, so long as it is designed to vac water.
Have this little one for my boat, works well.
thanks bro, i'll look into this.
Its only water.
Take any mat out.
Wife’s car had a leak in the air con condensation overflow that left the passenger footwell wet pretty often. Used nothin more than the above to set it. No ongoing issues once it got fixed.
cheers
If you park in a garage you could put a fan heater in there for a while. Just make sure it can’t fall over.
Drive around for a few hours with the heater directed towards the floor.
Had this happen recently but with milk.
pretty sure I'll be sweating like pig and might pass out due to heat if I do this LOL
So did you remove the mats? Milk is going to smell and mould for sure.
You can leave the windows open while driving with the heat on.
I took the mats out, scrubbed like hell with cold power, but didn't drive it until 2 days later…
The heater dried out the water, but car stinks because I left it so long. Sprayed a crap tonne of air freshener and got used to the smell. Will give it a better go when I can be bothered.
I am also considering leaving the dehumidifier in there overnight after a second wash.
Bicarb/baking soda will help make sure it doesnt smell
Tell your flatmate to clean it up for you and if he refuses, tell him you'll dob him into the authorities for not declaring that he has asthma.
use a hair dryer or a small fan heater and put it direct it towards the floor
put the car in a bag of rice.
follow me for more top tips.
If you're parked in a garage open the door and point a fan at it.
Don't need the electricity usage or fire risk of a heater, just moving air will work by itself.
if its dirty water or has been more then a few days bacteria/mold can already be starting even if it doesnt smell yet.
You need something like betadine/methylated spirits (watered down) or vinegar, let it soak for 5-10 mins and wet vac it up. If its clean water just wet vac and continue below
It wont be 100% dry so park the car in the sun with the windows cracked for a few days or speed it up and put a fan with the cord through the window
Some cars can have control modules under the front seats, in the foot well or in the side kick panel. You dont want water in those as it will corrode the wires.
If the back seat mat got wet, that is a lot of water and you need to do front and back and if it has a flat bottom (no hump for the middle passenger) it could have spread to the whole back floor
You can also get places like VIP/car detailers to do just the interior floor. Perhaps some car wash places but you need to be very specific on what happened so they can properly clean it. Last thing you want is your car having a wet dog smell or electrical problems.
put your car in sun with the window a little open, it will get dried out.
I once brought whole huge tuna ( when I was in Gulf) from the local fisherman, it was spontaneous shopping so was not prepared and the guy put the whole fish in my car ( almost 10 kg) with a plastic bag.
The next day my whole car was smelling fishy, so best option was to clean, deodorised and left my car in sun with little window open and all smell went away within 3 days.
Wet and dry it first, open the window and let it breathe overnight or preferably over the weekend.
Get towels and swab the area to soak up moisture. Press down Gard. Don't worry about under the mats unless they can be pulled up easily.
Pull the trim off around the door, lift the carpet, pull the underlay out and hang it out to dry. Put it back when its dried out.
Not worth bothering for a water spill. Maybe if you got some liquid that would potentially stink you out.
I wouldnt call a broken water container a spill. If water got into the underlay and you value your car, its worth doing.
Removing carpets often requires removing trim panels (and breaking clips) and removing seats to get it lifted enough to clean under.
I think the other methods outlined are more than enough to dry out the interior of a car without requiring removal of carpets.
Everyone is different though.
Vacuum. Moisture absorbing containers, eg damp rid.