How to Clean Salt Stains From Car Floor Mats | Easy Solution
During winter, the road is covered with snow, slush, and street salt, and these elements together leave white stains all over the car. Typically the road salt creates a lot of wear and tear. When winter closes, the car’s floor mats get salt stains, whether you too carefully knock the snow off from your boots.
Any stain on the floor mats makes you uncomfortable and looks sloppy, so you should clean it up as soon as possible. In this article, you can learn some easy methods to clean the salt stain from the car mats.
Contents
7 Steps to clean salt stains from the car floor mats
Cleaning the car floor mats is a good start for spring cleaning, and it is the perfect time to remove the ugly stains from the car. Freshen up the floor mats, you need to follow the DIY process. We prefer the process because it is a very inexpensive process as well as effective in removing salt stains from the floor. We have added a detailed process for your ease, so let’s start:
Things you need for cleaning
- A vacuum cleaner
- Distilled white vinegar
- Hot water
- Dish soap (optional)
- A spray bottle
- A towel or microfiber cloth
- A rubbing brush with hard bristles
Step 1: Prepare the solution
In a bucket or spray bottle, take half of the household distilled white vinegar, and half hot water. Mix them well, and you must fill them in a spray bottle so that you can easily spread them. You can use liquid dish soap additionally if the mats have sticky stains.
Step 2: Remove dust
If the car floor mats are removal, then bring them out and shake them off to remove the dust. For non-removal floor mats, you need to use a vacuum cleaner to suck the dust properly.
Step 3: Spray the solution
Now you need to embed the vinegar and water solution into the floor mats. Directly spray the mixture in the salt-crusted carpet or floor mats. But make sure there is no electrical connection while utilizing the process.
Step 4: Let set the solution
Leave the mats for some time to set the solution. It will effectively remove all the stains.
Step 5: Use a towel
Use the towel or a sponge and dab it to soak the staying mixture from the mats. Resort the steps 2 or more for soaked properly. Use a rubbing brush if there are stubborn salt stains.
Step 6: Finishing touch
Use the vacuum cleaner to suck the fragment salt from the mats. The remaining salt that is removed from the mats will be wiped out quickly through the steps.
Step 7: Dry the floor mats
When you are satisfied that all the salt stains are removed from the floor mats, then dry the mats properly. If they are inside the car, then they roll down the windows from air circulation. After drying out, you are ready to go for a long drive without any mess.
How to get rid of salt stains from car floor mats
Winter comes every year, and it is a prolonged existence. Cold weather is not so good for automotive vehicles. You need to take extra care of their maintenance. Since you can not resist the road salt coming to the car interior but you can use hacks for the winter reason that will make it easy to clean.
The car floor mats are fabricated, so it needs extra effort to clean up and use DIY. It is a long process to clean the fabric carpets. If you buy rubber floor mats, you can quickly wipe out the dust and road salt.
Specifically, you can use rubber floor mats rather than fabric mats and keep them in a safe place until the winter is gone. Moreover, these rubber floor mats are inexpensive and available in local automotive stores. Though the winter means snow, and road salt in the car you need to forget fabric mats.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Does vinegar remove salt deposits?
Vinegar is a natural acetic acid that effectively works on stains. It can remove most of the mineral elements. As salt has mineral components, so it should remove the salt deposits. For the process, you need to set the solution for working for approximately 10 minutes. Must use vinegar with sufficient water if the stains are stubborn.
- How to wash road salt from the exterior?
To wash the car exterior, you use the similar solution that you have used to clean the floor mats. Here you need more of it. Follow the steps:
- If you have a garden hose, then turned it at the highest speed and rinsed the car properly. Or you can use the regular way to rinse the car.
- In a bucket, combine an equal amount of water and white vinegar.
- Then use a song or gentle brush and apply the solution in the salt stains.
- You can use a clay bar for more effective cleansing. This is how you can clean the exterior.
- How do you restore rubber car floor mats?
Usually, rubber car floor mats are used in winter. These mats also get the salt stain, but it is very easy to clean them. You can wash out the stains by rinsing them with pressure. If there is still sticky dirt, then you can use a degreaser to remove the spots. Now wash and dry them out. Then store them in a safe place in a garage.
Final Words
If you live in or drive in cold weather, it is obvious the car will get white salt stains on the floormates. These road salts come with your boots and shoes. So you need to clean them appropriately.
The described process will help you out to clean the white stains from the floor mats. It is really a straightforward process and you need some elements that you can gather from your home. Waiting for what let’s start the method for spring cleaning.
