Indestructible salt

[Calendyr]

Ok guys, need help with issue I ran into this week.

So I go out to a client to detail his large SUV. Interior is not the worst I have ever seen but it's pretty hammered. All surfaces are very dirty.

Client points out there is salt to be removed. Ok no problem, here in Montreal, the is almost always Salt to be removed, one of the curses of living here.

So I go it it, vacuum for almost an hour (gotta hate super larger SUVs). Can remove much of the salt during the vacuuming, it's really glued on the carpet.

So, next step is to disolve the thing with boiling vinegar... but it doesn't do anything. I have never seen anything like that, the salt is unaffected by the vinegar... so after trying for 30 minutes to soak the salt then use a stiff brush to try to break it free, I decide to power up the steamer. For the 15 mins the steamer needs to reach operating temperature I keep working with boiling vinegar and brush without much progress. So I start steaming, and still no progress, the stuff just won't melt or break or do anything. During the entire hour I worked on it, I removed maybe half of what was on the driver's side. Never seen anything like it.

So... have you ever had an issue like that? And did you find a way to remove the stuff? I am completelly baffled!

Second issue in next post ;)

[Calendyr]

https://youtu.be/8CdR4URUzAA

Did you read my post? The video you are posting is showing exactly what I was doing (except he is using room temperature vinegar which is about 4 times less effective than boiling one).

This did not work at all in this case, this is why I posted the message.

[spazzz]

If it was me I would try the Salt Away that I use for the exterior during salt season.

Have you tried a degreaser? It probably has some oils and shoe slime besides the salt.

Not much help here, sorry. I guess it's more of a thread bump.

[oneheadlite]

I've never heard of the boiling vinegar trick (I'm just a hobbyist). No issues with damaging or discoloring the carpet?

I've got some salt stains in both cars to get after, but haven't even had time to shampoo the carpets yet.

[LSNAutoDetailing]

When I lived in New Hampshire, I would get some cars with pretty bad salt stains. If left too long, (which most owners do) the salt will eat and corrode most of the carpet fibers. When that happens, you are beyond the point of no return.

However my carpet extractor with McKee's Carpet Extractor Pre-Treatment seemed to work best and got great results. Aside from that, I haven't seen anything as bad as what you are describing. Wished you had some pictures.

[mk9750]

I did my first paid detail last night. Started at 6:00 pm, and budgeted 6 hours for interior with trunk, engine degrease, wipe and dress, wash, clay, and McKee's 37 360 AIO, and windows in and out. I had to drive the car almost an hour from my regular job, so I needed to let the wheels and engine cool, so I went to work first on the interior. Took the mats out, and found an amount of caked on, crystallized salt on the carpet in the driver's foot well, that surprised me. I used McKee's 37 Carpet and Upholstery cleaner. Not much progress. Tried APC at 1:10. Only slightly better results. Tried a stiffer brush. Meh. Finally, i took the tip end of a detail brush and scraped off what I could. Made a lot of progress that way, but finally had to go back to the chemical process again. In the end, I'd say I achieved 80% acceptable results. I did notice how threadbare the carpet was once I was done. That salt really is destructive.

I don't own an extractor (yet), so I was stuck doing things the hard way. Wish I had read this thread BEFORE last night - I'd have like to try the boiling vinegar trick. But just the salt stains took almost an hour and a half, putting me well behind schedule. Finished everything at 2:30 in the morning, then got up and drove the car back to work to deliver this morning. So I learned a few things, namely to know precisely what I'll be up against before I budget my time. This thread helped me learn the vinegar trick, and I also am more committed than ever to investing in an extractor.

But until I get one, any other ideas to try on salt stains like this?

And lastly, I learned one more thing. In a thread about what people wish they had bought sooner, a number of people mentioned a pet hair brush. I remember clearly thinking "Oh come on, a good vacuum should be just fine". Well, after last night, I'm getting a pet hair brush.

But thanks to everyone who offers ideas for how to do things better, faster, and more efficiently. I've learned a lot, but last night taught me I've got a lot more to learn. To paraphrase something my dad used to say all the time, you all have taught me everything I know about detailing a car, but you certainly haven't yet taught me everything YOU all know!

[BudgetPlan1]

https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101-a/45607-product-road-salt-post1463938.html

[sudsmobile]

I did my first paid detail last night. Started at 6:00 pm, and budgeted 6 hours for interior with trunk, engine degrease, wipe and dress, wash, clay, and McKee's 37 360 AIO, and windows in and out. I had to drive the car almost an hour from my regular job, so I needed to let the wheels and engine cool, so I went to work first on the interior. Took the mats out, and found an amount of caked on, crystallized salt on the carpet in the driver's foot well, that surprised me. I used McKee's 37 Carpet and Upholstery cleaner. Not much progress. Tried APC at 1:10. Only slightly better results. Tried a stiffer brush. Meh. Finally, i took the tip end of a detail brush and scraped off what I could. Made a lot of progress that way, but finally had to go back to the chemical process again. In the end, I'd say I achieved 80% acceptable results. I did notice how threadbare the carpet was once I was done. That salt really is destructive.

I don't own an extractor (yet), so I was stuck doing things the hard way. Wish I had read this thread BEFORE last night - I'd have like to try the boiling vinegar trick. But just the salt stains took almost an hour and a half, putting me well behind schedule. Finished everything at 2:30 in the morning, then got up and drove the car back to work to deliver this morning. So I learned a few things, namely to know precisely what I'll be up against before I budget my time. This thread helped me learn the vinegar trick, and I also am more committed than ever to investing in an extractor.

But until I get one, any other ideas to try on salt stains like this?

And lastly, I learned one more thing. In a thread about what people wish they had bought sooner, a number of people mentioned a pet hair brush. I remember clearly thinking "Oh come on, a good vacuum should be just fine". Well, after last night, I'm getting a pet hair brush.

But thanks to everyone who offers ideas for how to do things better, faster, and more efficiently. I've learned a lot, but last night taught me I've got a lot more to learn. To paraphrase something my dad used to say all the time, you all have taught me everything I know about detailing a car, but you certainly haven't yet taught me everything YOU all know!

Get yourself a pet hair brush AND a pumice stone. You'll use the pumice way more often on the carpet. Everywhere else you pretty much have to use the brush.

An extractor is no magic bullet. You can get pretty much the same results with a pressurized water bottle, hot water, your favorite cleaner and a wet vac. Actually, I'd put that system up against my MyTee any day of the week. The extractor is a tool you imagine in your mind will be better than it actually is.

[mk9750]

See? I've already gotten a couple of great ideas! Pet Hair Brush and Pumice stone added to my cart, and I've looked at the Salt-Away and will likely pick that up as well.

Almost makes me hope for another badly salt stained interior soon!

Thanks!

[MrRoo]

Get yourself a pet hair brush AND a pumice stone. You'll use the pumice way more often on the carpet. Everywhere else you pretty much have to use the brush.

An extractor is no magic bullet. You can get pretty much the same results with a pressurized water bottle, hot water, your favorite cleaner and a wet vac. Actually, I'd put that system up against my MyTee any day of the week. The extractor is a tool you imagine in your mind will be better than it actually is.

I agree with this. Basically what I do. I feel I can get better results not using an extractor. Combine this with my steamer and it gets most stuff out.


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[Maestro Sam]

I agree with this. Basically what I do. I feel I can get better results not using an extractor. Combine this with my steamer and it gets most stuff out.


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Not true at all. Have you done any type of interior details that you can show where the car was just hammered? Maybe for a light interior detail yes without an extractor can result in excellent results. I worked at plently of so called detail shops who clean carpets and fabric without extractors. Yes it may look nice but when it dries up, it still doesn't feel fresh, smell fresh, or looks good. Extractors are a must if you want a deep cleaning and no one can argue with that if they know what they are talking about. Try using your steamer and towels on interiors that I detail and see if you can even get 20% of the results I get with my extractor and dupray steamer combined.

[sudsmobile]

I certainly wasn't trying to talk anybody out of purchasing an extractor. We own one that we use frequently, a nice MyTee unit.

[sudsmobile]

I'll just say this, if I had four full work days to do an interior detail it would be ballz out too.

[Calendyr]

Not true at all. Have you done any type of interior details that you can show where the car was just hammered? Maybe for a light interior detail yes without an extractor can result in excellent results. I worked at plently of so called detail shops who clean carpets and fabric without extractors. Yes it may look nice but when it dries up, it still doesn't feel fresh, smell fresh, or looks good. Extractors are a must if you want a deep cleaning and no one can argue with that if they know what they are talking about. Try using your steamer and towels on interiors that I detail and see if you can even get 20% of the results I get with my extractor and dupray steamer combined.

I agree with you for really hammered cloth seats. I don't own a hot water extrator, just a Little Green machine from Bissell. But when the interior looks like crap, I use it. Otherwise, just APC, a brush and microfiber towels do a great job. So it really depends on how dirty it is. But anytime I use it, the water is absolutelly disgusting. So I imagine if I had not used it, most of that dirt would still be in the fabric (yuck!).