I will look into the flowable silicone. Removing the carpet and all padding seems like a big task but probably the best way to get it taken care of. While driving around the night after running the hose on the car, the passenger complained that water was dripping on his feet. All day and nothing, four hours later and it is dripping!
You can rent a commercial carpet extractor from Home Depot for 40 bucks.
It has a much more powerful vacuum than a shopvac.
Also, do NOT use heaters to try to dry out the vehicle. That will only make a perfect environment for mold to breed. Keep the car as cold as possible.
An Electric Dehumidifier Would Help Speed The Attempt.
Also, some manufacturers use organic material (Asian cars and ?) in the carpet padding and that is supposed to be trashed when soaked with water, according to the manufacturer’s service info. GM used synthetic materials on the vehicles I own. My GM Service information explains that it can be dried. I have successfully “dried in place” soaked flooring on one or two of my vehicles, no harm, no foul.
I think the best approach is with powerful vacuum followed by open doors on dry, hot summer days. When that’s not an option then I’d go with the vacuum and dehumidifier.
If the vehicle smell like a wet dog or dirty socks after it’s “dry” then an organic backing, left in place, is probably the culprit.
CSA
Using a portable electric fan to blow air in one side and out the other would probably help too.
I tried all of the less invasive stuff on mine. Super strong carpet cleaning suction machine- not even close. Remove a threshold trim plate and lift the carpet. Look at the bottom of the carpet, it’s partially rubberized. Now squeeze the pad…
I tried to shortcut the drying process. I made a bunch of spacers to hold the carpet and pad separated and blew hot air in between for about a day and a half. Not even close. Still soaked everywhere that wasn’t completely exposed to the air circulation. And by then it was starting to get moldy.
It actually doesn’t take all that long to remove the stuff holding the carpet and pad in place.
I hung my pad and carpet on the deck railing and it dripped for hours…
Once out, it was easy to find the source of the leak.