[Wildcard]

Any techniques or tips on how to fix/SAVE flooded carpet, water damaged carpet?

My 2022 SS was hit with 2 feet of brackish water. Interior was NOT flooded, but a somewhere (it seems like the Seat Bolts) slight amounts of water leaked in and SOAKED the carpets. They did not have water levels on top of them.

I have wet/dry vacuumed the carpets to pull most water out. And have twice hit carpets with carpet cleaner, upholstery attachment. And have got from smelling like a Sewer, to now sweaty socks.

[Vtor_ZL1]

If water got inside the car, take everything out. Seats, carpet, etc and get it all washed and dry as soon as possible.

All the carpet padding has to come out - basically down to hard surfaces.

Might need water/bleach combo to kill any mold. That needs to happen ASAP!

[FarmerFran]

Stick the car in a giant bag of rice.


Seriously, sorry to hear this, persoanlly i would get professional help

[CHASLT1]

I got 6" in my Vette so it is done and gonna towed out of the garage by the Ins soon.

[arpad_m]

Take it to a pro detailer that has a steam machine, an ozone machine and various vacuums. You want to prevent mold and bacteria from spreading in your interior as much as possible.

[Devstrike]

As others have said take it to a professional don't wait around for it to spread. Start taking out floormats now.

[AZIROC]

Idk the cost difference, but id see what a replacement carpet would be vs detailing.

[Camfab]

I’m going to say it didn’t come in from the seat belt bolts. The car was likely in deep water and that brackish water got past the door seals. Shampooing and vacuuming is like waxing the hood on a car that got into a front end collision, lol. I’m sorry it happened, but what you do now vs later can be the difference between a generally perfect car and one that’s forever water damaged. First off, hopefully you’re ok and this is the worst of your damage.
The best that you can do is to immediately pull out your seats, center console, sills, and assorted panels. Get those carpets and soaked insulation out. No amount of professional suction will work here. Understand that any moisture inside the car will wreak havoc on the interior, all electronics, etc.
My truck carpets, headliner got soaked because Chevrolet can’t seem to design a third brake light assembly that doesn’t leak. I noticed it driving to work, I left work early and gutted the interior in two hours. You’d be surprised that there are wiring harness assemblies that run under the carpet.
Good luck!

[ctrlz]

Originally Posted by Camfab

I’m going to say it didn’t come in from the seat belt bolts. The car was likely in deep water and that brackish water got past the door seals.

This was my first thought. Those seat bolts usually have so much threadlocker on them.
Having been through a seawater flood on Sanibel, it is quite amazing how infiltrative and persistent the fine silt can be. Needless to say other crap comes with that. I agree the fix is probably to remove everything and do a deep clean or replace.

[fj5gtx]

Originally Posted by Camfab

I’m going to say it didn’t come in from the seat belt bolts. The car was likely in deep water and that brackish water got past the door seals. Shampooing and vacuuming is like waxing the hood on a car that got into a front end collision, lol. I’m sorry it happened, but what you do now vs later can be the difference between a generally perfect car and one that’s forever water damaged. First off, hopefully you’re ok and this is the worst of your damage.
The best that you can do is to immediately pull out your seats, center console, sills, and assorted panels. Get those carpets and soaked insulation out. No amount of professional suction will work here. Understand that any moisture inside the car will wreak havoc on the interior, all electronics, etc.
My truck carpets, headliner got soaked because Chevrolet can’t seem to design a third brake light assembly that doesn’t leak. I noticed it driving to work, I left work early and gutted the interior in two hours. You’d be surprised that there are wiring harness assemblies that run under the carpet.
Good luck!

Agree with CamFab... My mustang had a window/roof seal leak that put a lot of water into the carpet, we didn't catch it for a while so it got real stinky. We removed seats, console, carpet and jute. We cleaned the carpet with a commercial cleaning solution, then pressure washed it clean. Replaced all the jute because there was no cleaning that. There were a couple spots on the floor that bubbled the paint, so we cleaned and repainted that. Unplug any harnesses whose connectors might have been in water, and clean and grease the connections, then reassemble. hat was a few years ago, no problems since. The longer you wait, the harder you'll work to clean it.


In your case, you need to look at the bottom of the car too. Wiring, frame nooks and crannies between panels. I'd get some fluid film and spray that into any areas that are hidden interior channels. The fluid film will displace water and help seal up any open metal in there. Clean any accumulated dirt where the fenders meet the chassis, and other areas. Dirt will eventually destroy the paint that keeps oxidation at bay.