In a recent blog post, we discussed how to deal with winter conditions making their way onto your floors. We want dig in a little deeper on that issue and discuss something that is unavoidable in winter, and that’s salt stains to your carpeting.
With the heavy snow during winter season, salt is a great way of melting ice, but it’s also detrimental to your carpeting. So we’d like to help! Here are a few tips to help with those pesky salt stains.
Sweep it up, inside and outside
Obviously sweeping up any remnants of salt within your home is a gimme, but what about the salt outside your home? Once the salt has done its job and removed the ice from your porch or walkway, get rid of it. The salt sitting outside your home isn’t doing any good once ice has been removed, so go ahead and sweep it away to avoid that salt making it’s way into your home.
Mat It Up
Welcome mats and area rugs are essential to avoid the notorious salts stains. Welcome mats and throw rugs can easily be removed and washed after enduring through salty conditions. Another recommendation is having some type of boot tray where people typically enter your home to avoid liquid from melting snow. Salt can rest within the snow outside your home and the combination of melted snow and liquified salt can create havoc on your carpets.
Soap Mixture
You should NEVER use an automatic dishwashing detergent because many contain bleaching agents that may destroy the carpet color and damage fibers. Also never use a laundry detergent of any type, because laundry detergents may contain optical brighteners (fluorescent dyes) that dye the fiber.
Instead, mix a quarter cup of liquid dishwashing soap with one cup of warm water, which will dissolve the salt better than cold water. With a white cloth, blot the stains with the solution, while gently working it in. Once you’ve gotten out the stains, be sure to rinse with warm water to prevent more stains from resurfacing.
Unfortunately, if you use salt to melt ice outside your home, the treacherous white stain will most likely make its way to your carpet. But don’t fret! If you follow these simple steps, your carpets will remain beautiful and will survive another attack from old man winter.
