Winter brings lots of things – some of them fun, others not so much. Salt stains on your car or home’s carpet fall into the latter category. Good thing A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning in Littleton is here with some helpful advice on how to rid your carpet of salt stains and keep everything fresh and clean all winter long!
Step 1: Create an effective liquid solution
Take a spray bottle (if you don’t have a bottle, use a mop bucket or bowl) and fill it with ½ white vinegar and ½ warm water. Sure, there are many things that smell better than vinegar, but not many of them can match vinegar’s cleaning power. If you don’t have vinegar or prefer not to work with it, you can substitute it with dishwashing detergent, but chances are it won’t be as effective.
Step 2: Apply the solution to the affected area
Spray-bottle users should spray the stained area until it’s completely covered. If you’re not using a spray bottle, pour enough solution on the spot so that it’s completely saturated. When you’re finished, take a scrub brush or a toothbrush and begin scrubbing the area. Be careful not to scrub too hard, since the goal is to stir up and remove the salt. Scrubbing too hard can result in the salt digging itself even deeper into the carpet. A light scrubbing of the affected area will stir the stain to the surface.
Step 3: Dry the area
When you’re satisfied that the area is thoroughly scrubbed and that the stain has been lifted to the surface, take a clean, dry towel and dab the area completely. The aim here is to absorb the stain from the top of the carpet, so dab gently lest you push the stain back into the carpet.
Step 4: Remove the towel
When the towel is soaked through, remove it. If liquid still remains on the carpet, take another towel and repeat the dabbing process until the affected area is dry. Another option is to incorporate a wet/dry vacuum into the process. If you go this route, dab the area once with a towel and then use the vacuum to remove the salt stain. Using a vacuum has the added bonus of helping remove the vinegar smell.
Should the stain still be visible after dabbing/vacuuming, repeat steps 1 – 4. It isn’t uncommon for a salt stain to resist the initial cleaning, but stick with this plan and your carpet should be clean again in no time.
Step 5: Negate the smell
As mentioned at the outset, vinegar’s downside is its strong smell. Negate this by immediately exposing the affected area to fresh air after cleaning. If the stain was on your car floor mats, hang them out to dry or put them in the dryer. If the stain was indoors, run a fan by the location and open any nearby windows (provided it isn’t too cold outside). If you want, spray a deodorizer around the area. Keep these options going until the smell is gone.
For more information regarding carpet cleaning near Littleton, contact the specialists at A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning – serving the entire Denver metro area.
