Salt stains on carpets

[Larry A]

Hi Mike . What is the bet way to get salt stains out of auto . carpets .

[UncleDavy]

Hi Mike . What is the bet way to get salt stains out of auto . carpets .

Living in the Northeast my whole life, I have seen and removed many salt stains from auto carpet and carpeted mats. Most road salt is unrefined sodium chloride but some towns also use magnesium chloride, potassium chloride or even calcium chloride. Each compound has its own effectiveness in certain temperatures. They also have different environmental impacts. One thing that they all have in common is that they are all corrosive and should be removed from fabric as soon as possible.
Salts are water soluble so I always start with plain water from a spray bottle and keep wiping and blotting the area with a terry cloth towel. I may follow it up with a diluted pH neutral cleaner like Simple Green. Then I will go over the area with the shop vac.

[Calendyr]

Salt is one of the nastiest thing that can get in carpets. Here in Montreal, I don't know what mixture of products they use but it is extremelly difficult to remove.

So here is how I do it:

I use a mix of 50% vinegar, 50% water and add a small amount of Optimum No-Rinse concentrate, about the same as to make a clay lube.

I spray this on the salt and let it work for about 10 minutes.

I then spray it again and then scrape at it with something hard like the plastic backing of my small brush to try to break and squash the salt. Then I scrub at it with a stiff brush.

When it seems pretty loose, I use the crevice tool on my vaccum to remove it. You can use that tool to scrub some more if some of it is still stuck to the fibers of the carpet.

I have tried many dedicated products so far and this is the one that works best.

Also if you can use warm or hot water, it will be more effective at disolving the salt.

Good luck.

[UncleDavy]

Salt is one of the nastiest thing that can get in carpets. Here in Montreal, I don't know what mixture of products they use but it is extremelly difficult to remove.

So here is how I do it:

I use a mix of 50% vinegar, 50% water and add a small amount of Optimum No-Rinse concentrate, about the same as to make a clay lube.

I spray this on the salt and let it work for about 10 minutes.

I then spray it again and then scrape at it with something hard like the plastic backing of my small brush to try to break and squash the salt. Then I scrub at it with a stiff brush.

When it seems pretty loose, I use the crevice tool on my vaccum to remove it. You can use that tool to scrub some more if some of it is still stuck to the fibers of the carpet.

I have tried many dedicated products so far and this is the one that works best.

Also if you can use warm or hot water, it will be more effective at disolving the salt.

Good luck.

Daniel just gave you great advice depending on how badly the carpet is crusted. I use Weathertechs so the salt stains are limited to the surrounding area of the floor liner. Warm water, some APC, a small brush, a terry towel and the shop vac are usually enough for me. If you have carpeted mats, then Daniel's technique is the best.

[Farmallluvr]

I use Carbrite Omni Brite,,I spray it on and let it sit for about 10 minutes and then scrub with hot water and suck it up with a hotwater extractor


Car Brite Omni Brite

[dcjredline]

Some of the stains Ive seen I have to believe they are more than 2-3 years old cause I cant get them out no matter what I do (water, water/vinegar/apc) that isnt helped by new carpets being so thin and not really having fibers that stand up make it VERY TOUGH. I do the best I can to get as much off as I can dry then go at things with hot water too.

[Mike Phillips]

So glad others' have experience with this problem.

Me? All the trucks I've owned that I did get salt/sand into the inside didn't have carpet. So I could just hose the interior out.


I've had 4 of these full convertible Blazers and none of them had carpet. I could just stand on one side of the truck and blast the other side with water to wash the interior out and then repeat the process by moving to the other side.





Carpet? Who needs it?
(Sorry, can't be an expert or even experienced on everything)


Also - if the problem is really really bad.... could be removing the carpet and then pressure washing it would be an option or simply remove and replace.

Then avoid the problem moving into the future.