Since it is winter and chances are that your winter-driven vehicle has now seen its share of salt or other de-icing chemicals brought into your vehicle`s interior on your shoes and boots, it always seems that the carpet-type floor mats get salt-encrusted and then how do you clean them.
First off, the most common sense method is to REPLACE or substitute the OEM carpet-type floor mat for a vinyl-type floor mat (like a Weather-Tech mats) in late fall before the snow falls. But what if you like the carpet floor mat or you have a customer that does not do this. How do you clean a salt-encrusted carpet floor mats?
If you do run into these, the best method is to power wash them in spring or when warmer weather allows. Next method is to use a steam cleaner and carpet extractor to remove all the salt. But what if you`re a hobbyist detailer that does not have nor can you afford a power washer, let alone a steamer or carpet extractor.
Here`s my "manual method" of cleaning salt-encrusted carpet floor mats:
1) Take them out of the vehicle and into a warm basement or heated garage.
2) Heat up some water in a Pyrex quart-sized measuring bowl in the microwave. If you use about 16 oz. of water, to get it to boil should only take about 4 minutes. I use water that I have saved in a gallon jug from a basement de-humidifier, rather than dumping it outside or down a sewer drain, It`s not truly distilled water, but it is pretty free from minerals and it`s cheap.
3) Pour in 8 oz of white (NOT apple) vinegar into your boiling water in the Pyrex mixing bowl, being careful to do it slowly, as the hot water may boil out IF the water is really hot.
4) Before scrubbing the salt-encrusted areas on the mat, take an old stiff toothbrush or wire brush and try to break up the encrusted salt areas. Yes, I have used a hammer and pounded them to break the salt up if they are really that bad, THEN brushed them. I know there is a concern about breaking the rubber/vinyl backing on the mat doing so, but if they are that bad, you do what is necessary.
Then turn the mat over with the carpet facing a hard flooring surface, shake it out onto that floor, and vacuum or sweep the floor of the fallout debris and repeat several times if necessary, THEN vacuum the carpeted floor mat.
4) With rubber gloves on your hands, use a carpet brush or old stiff toothbrush, dip into the Pyrex bowl, and start scrubbing the encrusted salt areas, using plenty of elbow grease. IF its REALLY encrusted and old, I have poured the hot water-vinegar directly onto salt and let it sit for 3 or 4 minutes, then try brushing the encrusted areas.
5) Using a different bucket of clean water, you brush this into the salt areas for rinsing. If you have access to a faucet and water, you can rinse using this, BUT obviously tend to excessively soak the carpet fabric and, while this is the best method to thoroughly clean the salt out, it will also be difficult to thoroughly dry the carpeted mat without a carpet extractor. If you do have a home-type extractor, like a Bissell Little Green Machine, you may use that after letting the water drain/drip from the mat. I would NOT suggest using a wet-vac as it simple does not have the suction to thoroughly extract water from carpet fiber, but if you want to, be my guest.
I use an absorbent microfiber clothe/towel dedicated for this purpose for manual extraction and rinse it in water, wring it out, and wipe the carpeted mat. This may take several times, and you will know from the rinse water how well you are cleaning the carpet fabric.
6) I then manually scrub the carpeted mat with a carpet shampoo and brush, and repeat the manual microfiber extraction method. The vinegar smell is NOT going to disappear or be covered up with carpet shampoo. It`s just one of those things you will have deal with for a few days. but it will dissipate in time.
7) To dry the carpeted mat, I have some large clips that look like something from a clip board or that hold papers together and attach those to the edges of the carpet mat, and hang them from holes on the clips onto large nails/spikes I hammered into in the basement floor joists next to the furnace to dry them out. I let them dry overnight and them put them back into the winter-driven vehicle in the morning.
I would NOT suggest putting damp carpet mats back into a vehicle and let the vehicle heater try to dry them while driving. I`ve placed the mats on a card table covered with old towels and then got a window box fan and turned that on "High" to blow-dry them for about 3 or 4 hours in a cool basement. It does work, but you may notice that light-colored carpeted mats (grey or white or tan) MAY turn a brownish tinge when dried. This is because the carpet fabric is "wicking" up dirt that is deep in the fabric that was NOT removed from the manual methods described and used here. It`s obvious that a carpet extractor is the best tool for this job. Also, if you have stains in your carpeted floor mats from asphalt sealers, these may be magnified by this manual method. One over-the-counter (OTC) carpet cleaner that MIGHT work on petroleum-based stains is WD-40`s Spot Shot. Think of it WD-40 without the fish smell.
Also, there are some carpet cleaning chemical manufacturers that have salt-removal specific products, but I have not mentioned them as I have not used them or any experience with them. If other Autopians have tried them, please let us know what they are and how they worked for you.
First off, the most common sense method is to REPLACE or substitute the OEM carpet-type floor mat for a vinyl-type floor mat (like a Weather-Tech mats) in late fall before the snow falls. But what if you like the carpet floor mat or you have a customer that does not do this. How do you clean a salt-encrusted carpet floor mats?
If you do run into these, the best method is to power wash them in spring or when warmer weather allows. Next method is to use a steam cleaner and carpet extractor to remove all the salt. But what if you`re a hobbyist detailer that does not have nor can you afford a power washer, let alone a steamer or carpet extractor.
Here`s my "manual method" of cleaning salt-encrusted carpet floor mats:
1) Take them out of the vehicle and into a warm basement or heated garage.
2) Heat up some water in a Pyrex quart-sized measuring bowl in the microwave. If you use about 16 oz. of water, to get it to boil should only take about 4 minutes. I use water that I have saved in a gallon jug from a basement de-humidifier, rather than dumping it outside or down a sewer drain, It`s not truly distilled water, but it is pretty free from minerals and it`s cheap.
3) Pour in 8 oz of white (NOT apple) vinegar into your boiling water in the Pyrex mixing bowl, being careful to do it slowly, as the hot water may boil out IF the water is really hot.
4) Before scrubbing the salt-encrusted areas on the mat, take an old stiff toothbrush or wire brush and try to break up the encrusted salt areas. Yes, I have used a hammer and pounded them to break the salt up if they are really that bad, THEN brushed them. I know there is a concern about breaking the rubber/vinyl backing on the mat doing so, but if they are that bad, you do what is necessary.
Then turn the mat over with the carpet facing a hard flooring surface, shake it out onto that floor, and vacuum or sweep the floor of the fallout debris and repeat several times if necessary, THEN vacuum the carpeted floor mat.
4) With rubber gloves on your hands, use a carpet brush or old stiff toothbrush, dip into the Pyrex bowl, and start scrubbing the encrusted salt areas, using plenty of elbow grease. IF its REALLY encrusted and old, I have poured the hot water-vinegar directly onto salt and let it sit for 3 or 4 minutes, then try brushing the encrusted areas.
5) Using a different bucket of clean water, you brush this into the salt areas for rinsing. If you have access to a faucet and water, you can rinse using this, BUT obviously tend to excessively soak the carpet fabric and, while this is the best method to thoroughly clean the salt out, it will also be difficult to thoroughly dry the carpeted mat without a carpet extractor. If you do have a home-type extractor, like a Bissell Little Green Machine, you may use that after letting the water drain/drip from the mat. I would NOT suggest using a wet-vac as it simple does not have the suction to thoroughly extract water from carpet fiber, but if you want to, be my guest.
I use an absorbent microfiber clothe/towel dedicated for this purpose for manual extraction and rinse it in water, wring it out, and wipe the carpeted mat. This may take several times, and you will know from the rinse water how well you are cleaning the carpet fabric.
6) I then manually scrub the carpeted mat with a carpet shampoo and brush, and repeat the manual microfiber extraction method. The vinegar smell is NOT going to disappear or be covered up with carpet shampoo. It`s just one of those things you will have deal with for a few days. but it will dissipate in time.
7) To dry the carpeted mat, I have some large clips that look like something from a clip board or that hold papers together and attach those to the edges of the carpet mat, and hang them from holes on the clips onto large nails/spikes I hammered into in the basement floor joists next to the furnace to dry them out. I let them dry overnight and them put them back into the winter-driven vehicle in the morning.
I would NOT suggest putting damp carpet mats back into a vehicle and let the vehicle heater try to dry them while driving. I`ve placed the mats on a card table covered with old towels and then got a window box fan and turned that on "High" to blow-dry them for about 3 or 4 hours in a cool basement. It does work, but you may notice that light-colored carpeted mats (grey or white or tan) MAY turn a brownish tinge when dried. This is because the carpet fabric is "wicking" up dirt that is deep in the fabric that was NOT removed from the manual methods described and used here. It`s obvious that a carpet extractor is the best tool for this job. Also, if you have stains in your carpeted floor mats from asphalt sealers, these may be magnified by this manual method. One over-the-counter (OTC) carpet cleaner that MIGHT work on petroleum-based stains is WD-40`s Spot Shot. Think of it WD-40 without the fish smell.
Also, there are some carpet cleaning chemical manufacturers that have salt-removal specific products, but I have not mentioned them as I have not used them or any experience with them. If other Autopians have tried them, please let us know what they are and how they worked for you.
