Baking soda stains on carpet

[FlaresideLariat]

A few months ago I had a tree limb fall into the back windshield of my '93 Buick. It had been raining and as a result water had been sitting in the backseat floor for a few hours.

I tried drying the floor with regular towels and even set a container of Damp Rid in the center of the floor to absorb moisture. Still did not work enough so I took some Arm & Hammer baking soda, specially designed for kitty litter boxes. I poked a bunch of holes in the front of the box and set it down in the backseat. I even sprinkled some of it onto the wetness. I let the windows down at a reasonable level and hoped it would make the carpet dry.

A few days later I wiped up most of the baking soda but some of it has settled in the carpet. It's kind of crusty to the touch as a result of it mixing with the water.

I haven't gone to any measures to remove it, but I really don't like it being there. It bothers me.

Here is a view behind the driver's seat:



Here is a view behind the passenger's seat:


What you see is white 'powdery' stuff which is the baking soda. Oh yes I tried to vacuum it but it doesn't nudge. By the way both of the floormats were taken out and are ok; it's what below that is the problem. I didn't have anything sitting on top of the carpet for quite a while until this week when I just put the floormats back on.

What Meg's product or makeshift household product of my own will solve this unsightly mess?

FL

[Mike Phillips]

I would think any quality wet extractor would remove a majority of this with enough time.

You might look at farming this out to a reputable detailer that does carpet cleaning.

Mike

[FlaresideLariat]

Originally posted by Mike Phillips
I would think any quality wet extractor would remove a majority of this with enough time.

You might look at farming this out to a reputable detailer that does carpet cleaning.

Mike

What is a wet extractor? How do I get one?

Is there anything I could use? Like Meg's carpet cleaner or something?

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by FlaresideLariat
What is a wet extractor? How do I get one?

Is there anything I could use? Like Meg's carpet cleaner or something?

An extractor is a cleaning devise like a vacuuming only it applies a water/soap solution and then extracts it back out, much like a carpet cleaner. Some household carpet cleaners have built in extractors.

Meguiar's Carpet and Upholstery cleaner will work to some degree, but what has happened is the baking powder has seeped into the base of the carpet, below the fiber strands and solidified to some degree, in order to completely, or at least mostly, remove it, you need to liquefy it and then **** it out of there and that's where an extractor comes in handy.

You might look into renting a Rug Doctor. The Rug Doctor comes with an wand attachment to get into tight areas which would allow you to use this in your car.



Most supermarkets rent out the Rug Doctor, something you can check into.

Mike

[FlaresideLariat]

Originally posted by Mike Phillips
An extractor is a cleaning devise like a vacuuming only it applies a water/soap solution and then extracts it back out, much like a carpet cleaner. Some household carpet cleaners have built in extractors.

Meguiar's Carpet and Upholstery cleaner will work to some degree, but what has happened is the baking powder has seeped into the base of the carpet, below the fiber strands and solidified to some degree, in order to completely, or at least mostly, remove it, you need to liquefy it and then **** it out of there and that's where an extractor comes in handy.

You might look into renting a Rug Doctor. The Rug Doctor comes with an wand attachment to get into tight areas which would allow you to use this in your car.



Most supermarkets rent out the Rug Doctor, something you can check into.

Mike

aah, so that's the problem... I know the local food store has Rug Doctors on display but has no visible price as to how much they are rented for. Although I've never really looked into it much. How does the Rug Doctor hook up to work? What special equipment will I need?

Hmm.. maybe I should do that. Stuff like that fascinates me; the fact that you can **** all the gook out of your carpet. Hmm... maybe should use it in the rest of the house too.

Thanks

[TOGWT]

Baking soda is an alkaline that is water soluable so a carpet extractor ora rental Rug Doctor unit will clean it out. If you want to buy an extractor, price $800-1500


Using a Carpet Extractor:
An extraction system process is the choice of professional detailers due to its cost effectiveness, performance efficiency and time saving over conventional methods. Extractors work by using a cleaning solution dispensed from a tank that heats the solution to 200oF+ and is sprayed at medium pressure, high volume from the machine via a cleaning wand, it is then filtered and re-circulated. Extraction also allows the ability to remove cleaning residues due to its high suction power (100-inch water gauge +). Rinsed fabrics look and smell cleaner and resist soiling better

JonM

[Tim Lingor]

Hey,

The key when using any type of carpet cleaning device is to not over-saturate the carpet with water/liquid. I would use straight water to start with and then **** up as much as possible. If there is some cleaning needed, spray Meguiar's All Purpose Cleaner on to the carpet and srub with a brush. Then use the extractor to rinse and pull up the product from the carpet. You will need to leave your windows open to allow the carpets to dry (so hopefully you have a garage! )

As for the instructions, most rental places will have the instructions for their machines. Generally, they are very simple to use.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Tim