When most people think of detailing a car, they picture shiny paint, clean windows, and a fresh scent inside. But when a vehicle has been flooded, detailing becomes a whole different ballgame. The real difference between a temporary fix and a proper restoration comes down to one crucial step: disassembly.
Why You Can’t Just “Dry It Out”
Flood water doesn’t just pool on the floor mats. It seeps into every crack and crevice of your car’s interior—under the carpets, inside the seat cushions, and even into the wiring harnesses. Leaving this moisture behind can lead to serious long-term issues: mold growth, electrical problems, corrosion, and that awful lingering mildew smell.
A surface-level clean just won’t cut it. That’s where professional interior disassembly comes in.
Step 1: Removing the Interior
The first thing we do is remove the seats, center console, door trim, and other key components. This gives us full access to the floorboards and inner structure of the vehicle. Once everything is stripped down, we carefully lift the carpet and padding to expose the metal flooring and insulation underneath.
This step is time-consuming and requires serious attention to detail. Every clip, bolt, and connector has to be handled with care—especially when working on high-end or newer vehicles where parts can be expensive and delicate.
See the Water for Yourself
Want to see what we’re dealing with before we even start the tear-down? Check out this video on Instagram showing the pool of water we found inside a recent flood job. It’s a wild reminder of just how deep the damage can go—and why professional disassembly and drying is essential.
Step 2: Water Extraction and Drying
With the interior fully exposed, we extract all standing water using high-powered vacuums. Then we bring in compressed air to force moisture out of tight spaces, like under wire looms and within padding layers.
Once we’re confident no more water remains, we set up industrial fans and dehumidifiers to ensure every inch of the interior is completely dry. This drying phase often takes a full day or more—but skipping it could mean mold and odors return weeks later.
Step 3: Deep Cleaning and Mold Treatment
Once everything is dry, we begin the deep cleaning process:
- Steam cleaning all hard and soft surfaces to sanitize and remove any contaminants brought in by the flood water,
- Running an ozone treatment throughout the cabin to eliminate any potential mold spores or lingering smells at the molecular level.
- Using mold inhibitors and deodorizers for an extra layer of protection.
Step 4: Reassembly and Final Detail
Only after the car is fully cleaned and dried do we reassemble the interior, carefully reinstalling each piece to factory spec. Once everything is back in place, we perform a final interior detail to ensure it not only smells and feels fresh—but looks showroom ready, too.
Why Experience Matters
Detailing a flooded car isn’t just about cleaning—it’s about knowing how to tear a car apart and put it back together right. It takes experience, patience, and the right tools to do it safely and thoroughly. Without that, the damage you can’t see will come back to haunt you.
If your vehicle’s been through a flood, don’t settle for a surface fix. Bring it to professionals who know how to restore it from the inside out. Contact us today!