Removing Salt residu from carpets

[Jena]

Hi everyone,

Since the weather is finally nice out today, I decided it was time to work on the interior of my truck. The Salt stains are giving me quite a headache on removing the left over residu.

So far my process has been:

- ShopVac up lose sand/salt/dirt
- Used APC 10:1 with non foaming spray head and agitated areas with stiff brush.
- Use ShopVac again to extract as much as I could.

The doors were left open for a few hours with the sun beading on it to dry. After it fully dried I have salt still hanging around.

I have attached a picture. The dark spot the size of a quarter is where I dabbled some plain water to show the difference. Any suggestions on how to get the remaining salt out?





Thanks,
Jena

[Blueline]

Re: Removing Salt residu from carpets

Use vinegar. It neutralizes the salt. 1 part Vinegar 3 part water. Scrub with a brush or cloth. Soak up with a dry cloth, It may take a couple of tries to get it all out.

[mswerb]

Re: Removing Salt residu from carpets

I have always used water to get rid of salt. Spray some water on it, scrub it with a good interior brush, and vac it up. Done.

[Jena]

Re: Removing Salt residu from carpets

Thanks for the suggestions... I will use the vinegar and water mixture, saturate, then use the shopvac to extract the solution a few times. I got all the salt buildup removed, not its just the salt that was spread over the scrubbing area.

Thanks,
Jena

[TOGWT]

Re: Removing Salt residu from carpets

Removing Road Salt

(Dry) Salt is inert but be aware that once you add water ( by meting the snow / ice ) to salt it becomes alkaline (corrosive) take care to dry the affected area thoroughly after the salt has been removed and neutralize it with an mild acid (vinegar) Spray vinegar, agitate, allow to remain in place and then use an extractor. Actually, any mildly acidic product should neutralize alkaline salt crystals (Salt-X - http://www.saltx.com/saltx_base_order.htm )

Once the product has been tracked in, however, it needs to be cleaned up in a timely manner. Use a vacuum or a mop to clean up sodium chloride products. Mop up calcium chloride or magnesium chloride ice met with a good detergent. If dirt has been tracked in with a de-icer, a mildly acidic cleaning agent works best. Carpets damaged by tracked-in residue will typically require professional cleaning.

Use a stiff brush to dislodge any loose road salt and then remove with a vacuum, spray the area with a carpet cleaner and let it soak in, the salt stains are highly alkaline once mixed with water, so I'd reach for an acidic product to counteract/neutralize. You might find that rinsing with a solution of vinegar /water helps. Repeat until most of the stain has been lifted.

Finally clean carpets by spraying the area with a carpet shampoo like Folex or P21S Total Auto Wash and then rinse and remove with a carpet extractor. Using the vacuum, remove the excess moisture, loose dirt and the grime, allow carpets / mats to thoroughly dry before use, and then apply a fabric protection (303TM High Tech Fabric Guard) Be aware that once you add water to salt it becomes corrosive, so take care to dry the affected area thoroughly (inc the area underneath the carpet / backing) after the salt has been removed.

Removable floor mats; use a pressure washer or hose to get them clean. Deep scrubbing with lots of water and soap works well, then use the pressure washer or the jet nozzle on the hose to rinse the mats. Ensue you thoroughly rinse the mats to remove all soap residue; otherwise they will attract dirt and will become stiff.

Note: reactivity - once you add heat and water to salt this combination becomes very corrosive