Best way to remove damp smell from footwell after fixing water leak

Lum

So my car developed a little leak, basically after 20 years a little seal below the wipers dried out, causing rainwater to leak into the passenger footwell and give me damp carpets that now smell a bit like wet dog.

An hours work replacing the seals, which for some reason got me a mixture of dirty and bemused looks from various neighbours* and it shouldn't be leaking any more.

What's the best way to get rid of the damp?

* Not sure if they have a problem with the fact that a woman is working on a car, or if in this land of bland <5 yr old euroboxes and leased German cars, me tinkering on a 20 year old car with wiper arms and huge plastic covers laying on the driveway is somehow offensive to their sensibilities!

alanrowell

Assuming you can't take the carpets out to dry naturally, try a wet & dry vacuum cleaner

If you can't then you are going to have to let it dry out slowly by leaving a window partially open and drive around with the heating turned on full

If it's garaged then a fan heater might help

If a smell remains afterwards try the powder version of Neutradol (other carpet de-smellers are available)

Lum

Ahh, we have a vax so that might do it.

It's not sopping wet, just damp and pongs a bit. Don't really fancy taking the carpet out if I can avoid it.

GwylimT

Removing the carpet shouldn't be too difficult, if you cut it underneath the chair it shouldn't be noticeable when you put it back in.

If it is left damp you are going to have a mouldy carpet that has to be replaced, obviously heat along with ventilation might be difficult, you could get a dehumidifier and put it in the car, or get the moisture traps that are full of beads.

TrickyWicky

I did post about this recently..

Get yourself down to ASDA or another supermarket that sells WOODEN cat litter pellets. Grab a bag of that, lift the carpet at the edge near the door and shove a load under the carpet - enough to cover the entire floor pan.

Leave it a day or two and then go out to it with the hoover. Lift carpet and hoover out the dust that is left there as the pellets absorbed water and broke up. You'll be pleasantly surprised to find that the carpet and foam under it are now dry as a bone. Don't believe me? Just try it. I was skeptical but the entire thing was bone dry after 2 days when I first tried it.

No idea about the smell but at least you'll have a dry carpet.

Whatever you do don't try normal clay cat litter lol, must be the wooden pellets as these are literally wooden dust thats been condensed. It soaks up water very quickly, the pellet falls apart and is a doddle to hoover back out (though the hoover will fill within seconds). Don't try sawdust that you'd put in a hamster cage, it's too thick and won't absorb enough water.

CrazyRed

I have used, with great success, the cheap, £1 "Damp Traps" from Asda's £1 section (the red boxes section in most stores). I now keep one in my car permanently to keep any damp and damp-type odours at bay (my car's 17 this year).

Granted, it's not as quick as the wooden cat litter method, but it does save stripping out the carpets!

HTH

Strider590

Put down a bag of rice, that'll soak the moisture up nicely......
Then spray down a fine mist of distilled (clear) vinegar, the best natural way to remove mould/bacteria. (Try it where you can't see it first though).

Lum

Ahh, the rice thing I have used before, to rescue a mobile phone that had a pint of water spilled on it. Should be more cost effective than driving to Asda as the nearest one is a long way away.

I'll give that a go first, then the others if that fails.

TrickyWicky

Lum wrote: »

Should be more cost effective than driving to Asda as the nearest one is a long way away.

So try another supermarket or pet shop

CrazyRed wrote: »

Granted, it's not as quick as the wooden cat litter method, but it does save stripping out the carpets!

You don't need to strip out the carpets, just remove the kick panel inside the door at the bottom and then LIFT the carpet. Dump the kitty litter under it and leave it for a couple of days. Hoover out and reapply. The second lot should completely dry it out.

Does nobody read properly anymore? :mad:

Don't put anything on top of the carpet though - it won't work. Gravity pulls water downwards hence the cat litter UNDER the carpet.