I left the windows open in my truck during a rainstorm again. Yeah, I know... Again.

If I leave a household dehumidifier plugged in over night, with an extension cord running from the garage out to it, in my truck, with the windows closed... Will the heat expelled from the dehumidifier be an issue? These things get pretty hot sometimes. It's a 12 gauge cord of about a 30 foot length. Only the cord is exposed to the weather (no plugs).

I've got the front edge of the dehumidifier propped on the front edge of the passenger's seat and the back upper portion of the thing is resting against the dashboard/glove compartment. There's plenty of airflow around it and it's not going anywhere. It's stable.

I sopped and vacuumed up all that I can and have something placed between all the carpeting and the metal floorboards, to allow airflow to get to the padding.

There's nothing dangerous or anything to be concerned about in doing this, is there?

My idea: drive it to capital building. Have Malloy sit on seats and let his dry vagina soak up the moisture.

I'd only need to fumigate from his abscessed twat stench.

I would just open both doors and let a fan blow air through the cab in the bright sun. The dehumidifier might work but sunshine will do the trick better and faster. Overnight you could leave the doors open and have a fan blowing through the cab. Then in the morning park it in the sun with the fan going. You need to do this even after it feels dry. Ideally you would remove the carpeting and padding and hang them to dry. In my day job as a field engineer for a car manufacturer I deal with water leaks, and wet carpeting on occasion. The only way I have seen if it got real wet is to remove the carpeting and hang it up in the sun. it will dry it fast and kill mold. I know that is a ton of work but if it is real wet you may find it takes days to dry. A dehumidifier won't really do as well as air movement and sunlight.

when i get the RO with "customer left their windows open during rainstorm, check and advise"  ill do this:

1. start car and barely crack either sunroof or 1 window
2.turn heat temperature to highest setting, put on A/C, put air flow to floor vents
3. check vehicle in 2 hours, then every hour after.

ive had car interiors dry in about 2-3 hours

i dont know about a humidifier,but with the steps above you are basically heating the cab and allowing the hot air to carry moisture out the window as well as drying the air with the A/C.  

after you vacuumed up the interior, this trick should finish off the rest.

ETA:  i can get a hold of some mold/microbe killer foam spray if you do decide to take up the carpets

Yeah, well... It's 9:45 right now and raining.

Earlier though, I had my shop fan (1/2 HP motor) doing that very thing, blowing on it, set up the same way I mentioned.

Just got some advice from someone in "da' business"...

Pour rice all over the floor and seats. Wait till morning and vacuum it up.

How simple.

Of course it won't get all of it, but it'll certainly help.

If it's really soaked, pull the carpets out and do it right. It's usually not that hard.

Otherwise mildew will be your friend..... forever....

Nothing dries in a 65+ degree dewpoint. Nothing.

Rice isn't a desiccant.  Wet vac it and run it with heat on for a few hours as suggested with a fan blowing around in there.  A couple strategically placed dryer sheets and big homemade  dessipaks (think coffee can or gallon jug filled with calcium chloride ice melt) for a day or two after in the car while parked in the sun with the windows closed should cover you for any remaining humidity or musky smells.  The last trick really helps when taking a car out of long term storage.

Calcium chloride is a desiccant? The regular ice melt type stuff? I didn't know that.

I think I have some in the garage (which is actually my shop and why I don't have the ability to park my truck indoors, with a fan blowing over it). I don't think the calcium chloride I have is too old. It might be a solid chunk, but nothing that a hammer won't solve.

I'd check under the carpets.  When I went to Herculine the Jeep's floors stuff was still wet from weeks prior, insulation packets, the padding, it was a complete (and rusty) mess.

Well, like I said, I have something (a canoe oar) wedged between the padding and metal flooring, to expose the padding. I wiped it all down. It's actually extremely clean now and totally rust free.

So, I have one canoe oar under the back seat floor, going clear across from one side of the truck, to the other, going underneath the padding and up and over the hump from the transmission.  There's complete airflow underneath. The front floor carpeting is nowhere near as wet.

I just went out to check on it and the dehumidifier is putting out some extreme heat. It's warm in there. And not too much water in the tank. The coils are getting cold, so it's working. I'm concerned about the heat buildup. I just wish it wasn't cloudy out right now or I'd leave the window cracked slightly. I'd hate to go to bed and have it rain again.

Take a cup of rice and add it to a bowl with a cup of water and let it sit overnight covered so none of it can evaporate.  In the morning, you'll have a cup of satururated surface dry rice and 99/100 cups of water.  It wont absorb free water, let alone humidity, without heat.

The reason calcium chloride ice melt is generally sold in sealed containers and packaging is because it hydroscopic and it would absorb moisture.  Hence why you have to chisel it apart when it sits out for any amount of time in humidity.  Also why you dont see it stockpiled like rock salt.  I've used it on job sites for dust control, spread out in machine paths it "melts" for hours and works almost as well as spraying a hose.

I am in "da business" as you say. 27 years worth. The dehumidifier is not going to do much for you. The water has to evaporate out of the carpet and padding then the dehumidifier will remove some of the water from the air in the cab.

If you have airflow totally under the carpet and padding then just keep blowing air under there with a fan. Matt's idea is also a good one but requires you to leave the truck running for hours. Having the A/C on with full heat makes the air really dry that blows out the foot wells so it can absorb more moisture. Make sure it is extremely dry not just feels dry. If you button things up too early you will have mold and mildew later on. Not pleasant to deal with the smell and very unhealthy. Also park it in the sun as much as possible.

I have seen cars that have had water leaks and the techs try to "flat rate" this by just lifting up the carpet and dry it like you are. Eventually it starts to stink. This is because they did not get all the wet areas 100% dry and they thought it felt dry but there was still water trapped in the padding and it was not totally dry just dry to the touch. The only good way to do this is to remove the carpet and padding and hang it to dry. You will be surprised at where the water had gotten to that you did not notice. Also think of all the electrical connectors that are exposed to water and humidity under the carpet. Those connectors are not typically designed to be water tight.

Yea anyone who has said A/C is right.

A/C is dehumidification and cooling.  

The fan will only blow our florida air into your car or pull it through your car...so it wont dry.
The dehumidifier probably wont actually dry out the carpets.  Just maybe the air... somewhat.

Good luck man!

the older 5 series BMWs(E39's) had issues with the rear vapor barriers letting water into the car.  if the car was positioned just right, the water would flow under the passenger front seat and hang out around a non serviceable fuse/junction box.  R+R complete body harness?  yes please!  that was a fun job.  

dont be like an E39