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TDCRRA · Sep 16, 2008, 10:05 PM

My car's carpet is soaked from an Automotive Service cleaing the carpet and using too much cleaner and water and not vacuuming it all out of the car's carpet.

I had it done about two weeks ago and since then I had noticed that the car was starting to smell musty every tiime I got in it. I pulled up the floor mats and found that the floor of the car was very very wet! I could take it back to where I had it done but since they didn't do the job right in the first place I certainly don't think that they would fix it for me. Lesson well learned.

Anyway, I live in the south where the humidity is usually high. I have had fans on the worst parts 24/7 and kept the windows cracked about 2 inches and have been trying to soak it up with towels daily for about a week but it still seems to be damp in places.

I have a Lincoln Towncar which comes with deluxe padding on the floor board of the car which is double thick. Should I pull out all the carpet and the padding and separate it and get it totally dry? Is this a really hard thing to do? I have never tried it before and need some advice on what to do. I sure don't want yo smell that musty smell every summer! Thanks for any help here.

tools1 · Sep 17, 2008, 06:31 AM

Take the Mats out of the Car Because you Still have Insulation under the Mats that has tom dry also.

tools1

KISS · Sep 17, 2008, 07:09 AM

Mold grows within 24 hours.

If it's as bad as you say, you might just have to take the carpets out and maybe try recovering your costs in small claims.

Taking out the carpets is a real chore. The seats need to be removed and all the moulding and kick panels.

There is usually a big chunk of insulation under the carpet and this is where the moisture is hiding. You will have to wash (commercial carpet machine reccomended), disenfect and let dry on both sides. Not fun.

KISS · Sep 17, 2008, 07:12 AM

Mold grows within 24 hours.

If it's as bad as you say, you might just have to take the carpets out and maybe try recovering your costs in small claims.

Taking out the carpets is a real chore. The seats need to be removed and all the moulding and kick panels.

There is usually a big chunk of insulation under the carpet and this is where the moisture is hiding. You will have to wash (commercial carpet machine reccomended), disenfect and let dry on both sides. Not fun.

TDCRRA · Sep 17, 2008, 08:55 AM

I am sure that sounds like the best way to go. I am going to call the automotive store that has done this and see what they say cause this is turning into a really big hassle that I should not have had at all. It is a small timie operation and I should have known to double check how many times they have done other peoples cars I guess.
I will update when and if I get any results or how I fix my problem. Thanks

ballengerb1 · Sep 17, 2008, 09:03 AM

You can rent an oznone generator at most rental shops. You allow the unit to run for 1/2 hour or longr with the windows closed to kill every micro organism along with the odor. Detail shops may also offer this service. The key is to get it dry. I have done this by keeping the car indoors at night with the windows open and a 24" box fan running all night inside the car. If it is sunny outside you can do this outside too. It may take days to totally dry the carpet, then hit it with ozone.

TDCRRA · Sep 17, 2008, 10:02 PM

Thank you Ballengerb1 and KeepItSimple,
I did take my car back to where I had it originally done and they found that underneath my car at the backseat floorboards that a rubber plug about 3 inches long had come out on underside of the floor board and the other side was loose and they said that this was why I had all the moisture in my car.
Well, I guess so, I have no idea how this has happenend, but I had just bought the car about 6 weeks ago and a person sure doesn't think to check for something like that when you buy a used car.

So they gave me some addresses of where I can take it and have it professionally done but it will cost me around $400.00 for all the drying out and the "Ozone cleaning"! I don't have a garage or would try to do it myself. I sure appreciate the ideas though. Thanks a lot for the advice. I know that mold is pretty serious and can make a person sick so I will probably take it to a professional and get it done. Kathy N.