Wet seats wet carpets and a rainy forecast. How do I get dry?

[t00th]

So I left my top up for a day with the windows off, thinking the rain wouldn't be as bad as it was.

I was wrong. Fortunately the top prevented nearly as much water getting in as could've. But my carpets got soaked , as did parts of the front and back seats.

Pulled the plugs, drained everything, but now after a few days with the top/windows up the damn thing STINKS.

It's still a touch damp, and I'd leave it out to catch some sun but the forecast for the next couple days is cloudy at best and pouring at worst.

Anything I can do in the meantime to take some of the edge off? Baking soda? I'd like to someday pull the carpets but don't want to right away as I don't have the time to bedline the tub. Not that I have to without carpets. But I also just installed a tuffy trunk enclosure and under-seat security drawer and would love to not have to pull all that shit back out to remove the carpets.

Those who've been here before--anything that worked?

 

[Cornbread]

Best thing you could do is pull carpeting out because wet carpet is a good way to rust out floorboards. But it is somewhat of a pain...

My best advice is to take your rear seat out and anything else that is inside. Lift up the carpeting and wedge some 2x4's or something to keep them propped up and leave a fan blowing underneath. You may need to move the fan from driver side, passenger, to the rear. This has always worked well for me.

Also if there is any dirt/mud under your carpet clean it off the floorboards, frequent wet carpet is the perfect climate to rust your floorboards

 

[pcoplin]

I'd pull the carpets just to get them dry, and put up a fan for the seats.

 

[StG58]

Living on the wet side of Oregon with a soft top Jeep, wet carpets are a thing. I've got the under seat lock box and a full coverage rear rack.

Take the carpets out. It takes about ten minutes in a TJ. Wipe down the inside of the Jeep with Pinesol. Hose the carpets off, front and back. Scrub the front side with soap. Rinse, repeat until clean. Hang up to drip dry. Use a carpet or upholstery cleaner on the seats. Use a shop vac to suck the moisture out. Once mold and mildew set in, it's almost impossible to prevent from coming back. That's where the smell is coming from. Decaying organic matter in the upholstery and carpet. Remove that and the smell goes away.

 

[dbbd1]

Don't use heat, you'll start to grow funk. Just use a cool to move air across things.

 

[Goatman]

Lysol aerosol works good for carpet odors. I get the carpets in the house open in a rain several times a year. Those late afternoon naps! Get the air moving as said. If it works on the house carpeting it will work on yours that is made to get wet.

 

[Moab]

Assuming you have cloth seats. Spray them with lysol. Then spray them with a combo of carpet cleaner and fabreze "fabric". Make sure it's "fabric" it will get rid of any odors. It's very concentrated. Maybe 1/10th in a spray bottle. The rest being carpet cleaner. Then shop vac the crap out of them. Especially where the bottom of the top part of the seats meets the bottom part. Put the seat all the way back to get at that area. It will grow mold in there if left wet. Same with the carpets once they are dry. It helps to pull as much as you can. Put it in a heated garage (summer time is fine) and use fans not heaters to blow air across everything. Wipe down the tub with something that will kill mold. Mine had mold at the bottom of the roll bars. Common area as it doesn't have perfect carpet coverage.

Buy a cab cover like this. And you won't have to do this again. Unless the rain was getting in while you were driving. In that case at least carry the top of your soft top with you. And put it up when it rains.

https://www.extremeterrain.com/bestop-all-weather-trail-w-tj-8103709.html
There are cheaper ones than that too.

 

[t00th]

Thanks for all the advice everyone, super helpful. I ended up finding a nice couple-hour window of sun a day or so after and went for a long drive with the doors/top off to get some air circulating and sun beating down, and sucked out the tough spots with my buddy's shop vac. baking soda seemed to take care of the rest.

I'll probably take the carpets out sometime soon for a deep clean anyway that was overdue when I bought it, but for now seems to have worked. I'd say I learned my lesson but I knew what I was getting myself into when I left the doors off... just didn't worry about it as much as I should've...