At some point in the last month, the nearside footwells (both front and rear) in my car got wet. I don't know how, but I suspect that the windows or doors weren't closed properly during a rainstorm.

I'll be taking the car to a local carwash shortly to check the seals, etc.

That isn't my problem. My problem is that I want some tips for drying out the carpet. It's quite cold at the moment, so it's unlikely to dry out by itself (and the passenger footwell is showing signs of mould).

I spent some time with some towels (paper and cloth) attempting to get the carpet dry, and I think I've got up the worst of it, even though it seems that the floor in the Focus is a bit ridged under the carpet: pushing on the carpet causes more water to come up from underneath.

So, I'm wondering: how best to completely dry it out? Should I empty a bag of silica gel beads onto it? Where could I get a big enough bag of them from anyway? A hairdryer didn't seem to make any impression. Any other ideas?