Suggestions on drying carpet?

[esjones]

My A/C drain hose came loose this past weekend and SOAKED my carpet on the right side, as I reported in another thread. There was so much water it even wicked its way to the rear seat carpet.I have done the following:Vacuumed as much water out as possible using a shop-vac.Blotted water with several dry towels.Set the car in the driveway with all the doors open.Ran a dehumidifier in the car overnight in the garage.And the carpet is STILL slightly damp. I am afraid that the car will develop that horrible musty/mildew smell that is often the result of wet carpet. Can anyone suggest any other steps I can or should take, short of removing the carpet? I don't think I'm up to that, and afraid I'd never get it put back in correctly.Thanks.

[Toasted7]

I would have thought a shop-vac and letting it sit out in the sun with the doors opened would have worked. I ran into the same problem when I tried to shampoo my seats... I couldn't get them dried all the way I'll be interested to see what everyone else suggests.

[Mase]

There's most likely a puddle of water stagnating in the floor pan. Remove the front seats, the carpet, and dry it that way.

[esjones]

Thanks to those that recommended removing the seat and drying the carpet pad from underneath. It wasn't really that hard to do.... four bolts for the passenger seat, then three bolts for the CD changer.I removed the rocker panel trim covers and the vertical trim piece that covers the passenger shoulder belt retractor. Then, I could peel up the carpet from the right side. I did not remove the console (no water there).When I raised the padding away from the floor pan, there was still enough water in it to start actively dripping out! I towel-patted as much as I could, then propped a box-type window fan in the open door for about 36 hours to keep air circulating and drying the pad.Sunday morning, everything felt dry, so I put it all back together. I have no doubt that I saved myself perhaps years of musty, moldy odor, and perhaps even saved the floor pan from premature rust. It was amazing how much water was trapped under there.

[Toasted7]

Glad to hear you got it taken care of!