In winter weather, there is a good chance that the floor of your car will be covered with white salt stains. These stains are best removed after the last frost. Fortunately, this is not that complicated, although it is not the most exciting activity.
Steps
Step 1. Fill a plant sprayer half with warm water and half with white vinegar
Vinegar is a natural cleaning agent that may have an odor, but it works very well. If you don't have a plant sprayer, you can also use a bucket or bowl.
Don't have vinegar? You can also use dish soap, but it will probably be a lot less effective. There are also carpet cleaners and special salt stain removers, but if you had them, you probably weren't on this page right now
Step 2. Spray the stain with the mixture
If you are not using a plant sprayer, you can gently pour some of the mixture over the stain to allow it to soak into the fabric.
If you have a brush, you can use it now. However, don't be too heavy-handed; the goal is to loosen the salt, not rub it deeper into the fabric. So gently brush over the fabric and bring the stain to the surface
Step 3. Press a dry, clean towel against the wet area
Gently blot the fabric and again make sure not to press the stain deeper into the fabric, but absorb the liquid and dirt with the towel.
Step 4. Remove the wet towel
If your towel is completely soaked but there is still liquid left, use a second towel to absorb the rest of the moisture.
- You can also perform this step with a suitable vacuum cleaner. To do this, dab the area with the towel to absorb the moisture and then vacuum up the salt with the vacuum cleaner. This also prevents the smell of vinegar from lingering.
- If you can't get the stain out, repeat the above steps a few times. Salt can be very stubborn, but with a little patience you can definitely get it out of your car upholstery. If the vinegar doesn't work (although it should work after a few tries), try a product specially formulated to remove salt stains.
Step 5. Don't forget to do something about the smell
Once you've applied the vinegar, your upholstery won't smell too fresh. It is therefore wise to provide your car with enough fresh air during and after cleaning so that you do not have to drive to work on Monday in the stench.
- Are the salt stains mainly on your floor mats? Then take them out of the car, clean them and hang them outside to dry. Be careful not to put them on the floor; then there is a chance that you will immediately cause new salt stains!
- If the stains are on parts of the upholstery that you can't remove, leave your windows open for a while to air out.
Tips
- Don't get discouraged if a stain doesn't come out right away; if you treat it with vinegar a few times, you'll undoubtedly get it done eventually.
- If you don't feel like spending a whole day removing stains, you can also clean your upholstery on the go. Make sure that you remove the towel in time and let the carpet dry well.
- You can also use foaming carpet cleaner from a car dealer. Apply this with a soft plastic brush to clean the area.