Crack windows and run A/C but at the hottest temp it can get. It'll push dry air into the car and help dry things out. Cracked windows will let moisture out.

We had to do this at work when someone left the window down before a snow storm.

 

I just did this to my pickup. I took my dehumidifier out of my garage and left in in the truck for a few days. I had to empty the bucket twice the first day then once the next two days.

 

Lucky for you, as long as you don't let it sit wet inside for too long, the car will be fine.

Pretty much everything in the car is designed to take exactly what you put it through. People often worry about the electronics and other stuff being harmed by getting wet, but the stuff is actually pretty robust.

The key is, to not let it sit wet long enough for mold to start growing, which it can in a hot and (right now) moist environment.

Another suggestion to go along with the others is to open the back gate and run a big box fan to exhaust the wet air. Open the front windows so dry air will enter to replace the wet.

Once it's all dry, spray it down with something like Febreze or Lysol for fabrics to kill any bacteria that might grow in the carpets and seats.

 

Rice on the carpet/floor always worked well for me. A nice heavy layer with suck up the water from the carpet and from the air as well

 

You would be amazed how much water the matting under the carpet will hold.... that stuff is like a sponge

 

this

i had a leak in the rear window of my 96 ram ... the padding held the water and the smell started maybe a week later and never left

i know it's a pita, but if you have the space and time i'd definitely suggest you take out the seats and at least lift up all the carpet edges / fan blowing / rice etc to soak up moisture

you're probably already behind the curve if the padding got soaked - so either get on it asap or save up for new carpet if the stink begins

 

Actually, It's back to normal. I got a lot blotted up in the first couple of days using newspapers and towels. I had tried a shop vac but got very little out that way. I then left the Jeep open on days with lower humidity and closed except for the sunroof vent on hot, humid days which seemed to force the wetness out.

A couple of times I also ran the A/C on full for 2 - 3 hours with it using outside air and the Jeep closed up tight because the inside air would be more humid at about 99% than the outside air. There is an old wive's saying that hot air can carry more moisture than cold air but research showed that to not be exactly true but dehumidifiers do seem to work more efficiently at higher temperatures, at least according to Wikipedia, so I ran the A/C at the hottest temperature.

For a few days it did develop a slight "cat piss" smell but I let it air out some more and added a dessicant container for RVs which was just about the same size and odd shape as a bin in the cargo section. That smell all seems to be gone now.

I'm happy to report all the scare stories of permanent problems and the need to strip the interior turned out to be overreactions. Thanks for the help.

 

There is an old wive's saying that hot air can carry more moisture than cold air but research showed that to not be exactly true but dehumidifiers do seem to work more efficiently at higher temperatures, at least according to Wikipedia, so I ran the A/C at the hottest temperature.

It's not an old wive's saying. It's physics.

Hot air tends to vaporize water, which allows it to be carried in the spaces between the much expanded air molecules. It's the reason air gets so dry in the winter, despite all that snow everywhere.

Hot water vs cold water works the same way. You can see it by mixing equal amounts of salt into equal amounts of cold water and hot water. The hot water will absorb far more salt than the cold water, which will leave much of it at the bottom of the glass.

Dehumidifiers work similarly to air conditioners (which have dehumidifiers in them). They draw moisture out of the air the way an air conditioner draws heat out of the air. They work by removing, not by adding. In this case, they cool hot air to condense the water, then reheat it before releasing it.

The reason why dehumidifiers warm the air is to evaporate the water so the air can carry it into the unit where the condenser can draw the moisture out.