Well, we just had a big storm pass over us *rained from 8PM to 8AM straight..* and I walk outisde to find my window partially open, and it's open enough to make it stink like crap inside, but no pools of water. So is there an easy way to dry it/make it smell better? Or will I need to go to a professional cleaner?

 

shop vac and some fabreze?

 

I use an O-zone machine in mine, seems to take out the smell.. just don't get in the car while the Ozone machine is working!

 

O-Zone machine? Never heard of that :O

 

You left your window down in that rain? OUCH! 1st time I've seen I-71 shut down...ever!

 

They are great one way, bad another. they are good in the sense they will remove odors for a while, bad is that ozone isnt good for you to breath, so dont use it while you're in the car. Peace

 

*breathe* lol

 

Yeah, oddly, I don't remember doing that at all. I never leave my window cracked when there is ANY chance of rain. Well, I guess I'm just spacing.

There is a pond near the road by my house, and it just flooded over, and was just over curb deep on the road. I was worried I was going to get thrown into the pond!

 

you're lucky. i had the sunroof and windows all open when it rained on mine. if they're no pools of water then search for areas that are damp and vac/febreeze.

 

Would a regular vacuum work, or does it need to be a shopvac?

 

Uh....probably ought to be a shop vac. Regular vac's don't like water very much. When this has happened to me, I roll all the windows down, open the rear hatch an let it sit in the sun all afternoon. Then the next day check the upholstery, mats and carpets to make sure they're dry and give them a good dose of Febreeze.

 

Hmm, that sounds like a plan, since I don't have a shop vac

 

you can also get a hair blower and dry the damp areas that way.

 

Get some of that Dry-Z-Air stuff.. (or painters dessicant) and put it in a container in there. Let it suck the moisture out of the air. I think you can safely use hydrogen peroxide on the interior fabric to remove the smell/mold etc.. should be, for the most part, color safe. Test it first. Then let it all dry again. And oh yes.. Fabreeze.

Edit:

Oh, and run your A/C... That'll pull moisture out of the air as well.

 

hydrogen perxide is used for bleaching , i honestly don't think that will be good for your interior

 

just go rent a steam cleaner, the car could probably use the attention anyways. smells don't come from the water, they come from the filth that is inside the car already so removing most of that will help a ton rather than trying to pull the odor off the top.

 

Yeah, I wouldn't use it full strength, but dilluted with water.... but I've used it in carpet shampoers for blood stains and such. You are probably right though.. our cars typically have dark interiors.. might be a bad idea.

 

blood stains?

lol

 

The bodies aren't going to dispose of themselves.... You got a problem with that?! HMM!?!!

 

I'd just bite the bullet and strip the interior completely...the molded cabin carpet can hold a surprising amount of water even if the surface feels dry to the touch.
If you've never done it before you'll be amazed at the crap you'll find...I collected about $10 in change and discovered that a PO was a sunflower seed addict.

It's a lot easier to clean and dry the parts out of the car and you can take the opportunity to make sure your seat tracks and mounting bolts are lubed/antisiezed, for future ease of removal.

While the dash is out, pay attention to the heating/ventilation ducts which fill up with dust and pollen (modern cars have interior air filters to help prevent this problem).

Figure it will take a full weekend and plan on doing it when the weather forecast is sunny- the drying power of the sun and a good strong shop vac should be all you need.