Eliminate Salt Stains For Good

Removing salt stains from your vehicle’s upholstery doesn’t have to leave a bad taste in your mouth. Follow these tips.

If you live on Vancouver Island and you love a beach day, there is a very good chance that your car seats have salt stains on them, especially if you have kids or your swimming spot doesn’t have a place to rinse off with fresh water. These salt stains can be extremely hard to remove if you do not use the right products, or if you try to muscle it out with elbow grease instead of finessing it out with a plan in mind. Here are a few simples steps to remove these salt stains. All you will need is some stuff you already have lying around your kitchen.

If this seems like too big of a job, don’t worry. We do this kind of stuff everyday at the shop if you need a hand.

1: The 50/50 Solution

In a spray bottle, mix up a solution of 1/2 warm water and 1/2 white vinegar. Vinegar is a natural cleaning agent that, while it certainly doesn’t smell good, sure is powerful. If you don’t have a bottle, mix it up in a bucket or bowl.

2: Apply the Solution

Spray the stained area with the solution. If you’re not using a spray bottle, pour a small amount on the area, saturating it.

If you have a scrubbing brush, you could use it at this point if you’d like. BUT, you want to do it delicately; the aim is to stir up the salt, not to dig it in deeper. Just lightly scrub the carpet, stirring the stain to the surface.

3: Drying Carefully

Press a dry, clean towel over the wet area. Dab the area GENTLY — again, not forcing the stain down, but absorbing only what has come to the top.

4. Dry Some More

Remove the towel when it’s soaked. If it’s soaked and there’s still liquid left, grab another towel and repeat.

You could also finish the job off with a wet/dry vacuum. Just dab the towel on the area, pull out your vacuum, and start sucking up the salt stain. This is a good fix for the vinegar smell, too.

If the stain is still there, repeat the process a few times. Salt can be stubborn, but it’s definitely removable.

5. Odour Removal

Watch out for the smell! After you’ve applied your vinegar, the last thing you want is to be smelling like vinegar when you arrive at work. Get the fresh air going as soon as you the stains are all gone by opening the windows and getting the air circulating. Once it is 100% dry the odour will dissipate quickly.