Soaking wet carpet... stuck in mud

ObiHann · **Posted:** Sun Jul 20, 2008 1:36 pm

So I got stuck in some mud/water and took on a good bit of water on the passenger side. I managed to take off some stuff so I can lift the carpet up a bit. I used a shop vac and sucked out a lot of muddy water, and now have a big shop fan there in the front aiming down at the carpet. I want to know what the best way to clean this out, avoid any smells, and any rusting. I don't want to have to take up my passenger seat but if I HAVE to, I will.

ObiHann · **Posted:** Sun Jul 20, 2008 1:38 pm

maybe a steam cleaner?

jeepkj02 · **Posted:** Sun Jul 20, 2008 1:47 pm

ObiHann wrote:

So I got stuck in some mud/water and took on a good bit of water on the passenger side. I managed to take off some stuff so I can lift the carpet up a bit. I used a shop vac and sucked out a lot of muddy water, and now have a big shop fan there in the front aiming down at the carpet. I want to know what the best way to clean this out, avoid any smells, and any rusting. I don't want to have to take up my passenger seat but if I HAVE to, I will.

Very easy to take the front seats out. 4 bolts and electric connections under seat.

Rent a carpet cleaner (Rug Doctor) from Lowe's or HD.

ObiHann · **Posted:** Sun Jul 20, 2008 1:51 pm

Would a carpet cleaner help since it is already soaking wet? I really just want to dry this out and then in a week or so rent a carpet cleaner/steam cleaner and take the seats out. I'm just worried about doing any long term damage just "letting it dry". Plus, where I am located, the only places that would have a carpet cleaner, are not open today, so I'm kind of screwed.

jason thompson · **Posted:** Sun Jul 20, 2008 1:52 pm

do what others say this time then
stay out of the mud so there will be no next time

ObiHann · **Posted:** Sun Jul 20, 2008 1:52 pm

Would a carpet cleaner help since it is already soaking wet? I really just want to dry this out and then in a week or so rent a carpet cleaner/steam cleaner and take the seats out. I'm just worried about doing any long term damage just "letting it dry". Plus, where I am located, the only places that would have a carpet cleaner, are not open today, so I'm kind of screwed.

BeepBeepJeepJeep · **Posted:** Sun Jul 20, 2008 5:47 pm

As someone who has experience with this, it'd be easiest to just rip out the carpet and let it sit in the sun (mine took 3 days sitting in the sun to dry). If you try to do it any other way, you simply won't get all the water out. Also, you don't need a steam cleaner. Just some good carpet cleaner and a good scrub brush.

InCommando · **Posted:** Sun Jul 20, 2008 6:16 pm

Not in the KJ, but I have always just shop vac'd it within an inch of its life. Wait an hour or two & hit it again. Repeated this until I quit getting water. The water seems to disburse & it takes a few sessions of letting it pool back up & removing it to get it all.

Mud is where the fun is....

iambob · **Posted:** Sun Jul 20, 2008 6:37 pm

I have used a Bissell carpet shampooer on my interior in the past & even as I type this its need to be done again, but after I am done I put a dehumidifier in mine & run the cord out the window, helps with getting any left over moisture out. I need to get mine done again.

ObiHann · **Posted:** Mon Jul 21, 2008 7:58 am

Its day 2 now after the "outting" and it is still wet, but I am going to let it dry out and then saturday take the seats and steam clean it or something, oh, here is what I was in btw. This is only 1 of the times I was stuck lol.

dgeist · **Posted:** Mon Jul 21, 2008 11:05 am

BeepBeepJeepJeep wrote:

As someone who has experience with this, it'd be easiest to just rip out the carpet and let it sit in the sun (mine took 3 days sitting in the sun to dry). If you try to do it any other way, you simply won't get all the water out. Also, you don't need a steam cleaner. Just some good carpet cleaner and a good scrub brush.

X2

You'll probably spend more time waiting for it to dry if you leave it in the jeep. Also, you're more likely for trapped moisture to do damage inside the floorboards. it's really not that hard to take the seats out (front and back) and get the carpet out to lay flat and clean.

Regardless of if you let it dry now or later, if you don't use a decent steam cleaner or shampoo/vac, any organic material in the carpet fiber will eventually stink up the place. In a car/house/anything, It's not the water that smells (think of wet manure...). Just take it out and rent a steamer so that when it dries, it'll be drying CLEAN. As for the floorboards, you might want to get a wet-vac (my gosh, I love a good wet-vac) and a simple mist bottle with some sponges or paper towels to help get rid of any dirt residue that might be left, then make sure its dry.

ObiHann · **Posted:** Mon Jul 21, 2008 11:47 am

Well, here is the problem. Its raining out, and should be raining for the next few days. So even if I took it out, I would have very little place to store it. My real only option is to wait until friday or saturday, and take the front 2 seats out, lift the carpet up, shop vac it, and get a carpet cleaner or something. I'm just hoping that 5 or 6 days is enough for it to dry, and I don't do any damage in that time. Well, that and it doesn't start to smell until I get it cleaned. I did use a shop vac and a massive fan to dry it out, and it is much better. The carpet is still pretty wet if you push down, but there is no smell yet... I might get some febreez or some of that carpet power and pour that down just so be safe though.

ObiHann · **Posted:** Mon Jul 21, 2008 6:16 pm

Well, you were right, its just 4 bolts to get the seat up. You forgot to mention the screws and bolts involved in taking the seat belt off, and the strange way to unhook the plugs. Ahh well, its out

gone_jeepin · **Posted:** Mon Jul 21, 2008 6:31 pm

If it was me, I would've shop vac'd as much of the water up as possible, then borrowed a hair dryer and tried that for a few sessions. But since it looks like you already took it out, I would still hit it with a hair dryer.

P.s. If you plan on flooding the floor board again, you should just drill a plug like the wranglers

tommudd · **Posted:** Mon Jul 21, 2008 6:31 pm

until you take it all out and wipe it down good and let the carpet completely dry it will stay wet underneath and when you get that smell in there, well its almost new carpet time then as it stinks bad. Just take it all out hang it somewhere in your house if nothing else and clean it all good. Doesn't matter if its raining or not you need to get the carpet out now.

Dutchy · **Posted:** Tue Jul 22, 2008 7:13 am

If you can't take your whole carpet out, just fold as much of the carpet up and press the water out of there.
You can use newspapers under your carpet and keep changing them until they stay dry.
You can also hire an industrial de-humidfier and let it run a couple of nights with the carpets pulled up.
Also clean and dry under the plastick strips at the bottom of the floorpan, a lot of water stays in there.

Make sure the electrical connector on the passenger side under the rear seat is/stays dry as this regulates rear hatch/glass and alarm.

Normally the double door seals will hold for a while but there are a couple of 2002 KJ's out there without rubber stops in the floor pan, the drain holes on these KJ's are filled with som black mastic stuff that leaks so as soon as you hit deeper water your KJ fills up from underneath, check this out.

Good luck and don't give up!

ObiHann · **Posted:** Tue Jul 22, 2008 8:36 am

Is it 1 solid piece of carpet in the entire jeep? I might be willing to take it out, but I don't want to take every seat out of the jeep including the back!!!

ObiHann · **Posted:** Tue Jul 22, 2008 8:53 am

gone_jeepin wrote:

If it was me, I would've shop vac'd as much of the water up as possible, then borrowed a hair dryer and tried that for a few sessions. But since it looks like you already took it out, I would still hit it with a hair dryer.

P.s. If you plan on flooding the floor board again, you should just drill a plug like the wranglers

I've been using a shop vac every day now, but haven't tried the hair dryer, that might be tonight's plan!

ObiHann · **Posted:** Tue Jul 22, 2008 1:56 pm

I'll give the newspaper trick a shot, that and a hair dryer, and a shop vac, assuming the rain ever stops tonight, if not its just the paper towel. My passengers are not liking no front seat though LOL!

ObiHann · **Posted:** Tue Jul 22, 2008 2:43 pm

If I wanted to take the carpet out, what is involved?

Soaking wet carpet... stuck in mud

Who is online