Driving Smart Video: How to Remove Salt Stains From Your Floormats
While this year’s harsh winter weather is thankfully in the rearview mirror, there’s a good chance you’re carrying a reminder of it in your car. Look no further than your sad-looking salt-stained floormats. They’ve borne the brunt of winter snow and slush, but with the right supplies and a little work, you can have them looking good again in no time. Here’s how.
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First, let’s gather our supplies. You’re going to need some household distilled white vinegar, a scrub brush with hard bristles, a bucket or spray bottle, hot water, paper towels and a shop vacuum.
For your cleaning solution, make a 50/50 mix of the vinegar and hot water in a bucket or spray bottle. Then you’re going to spray or wet the salt stains. It’s best to do this with the floormats out of the car, but if they’re still in the footwells, make sure you don’t douse any electrical connections.
After you’ve let the vinegar solution sit for a few seconds, scrub the floormat carpet with your brush and then soak up any remaining cleaning solution with paper towel. If your floormats are especially salty, you might have to spray, scrub and dry the stains a few times to get it all out. Once clean, run a shop vac over the floormat to remove any remaining debris.
That’s it! But before you call it a day, hang your floormats up to dry. Or, if they’re in the car, make sure you open the windows so the interior can air out; no need to trap any vinegar smells in your car.
Once your floormats are salt-free, it’s time to pick up some rubber floormats. Swap them in right before winter rolls around to keep your regular mats looking good.
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