CLEANING SALT STAINS DURING WINTER MONTHS
Understand what is staining your floors (and clothes) during winter months and learn how to clean it.
Minnesota ice? Let’s face it, the Midwest gets a hearty dose of winter. A blizzard in October isn’t uncommon. In fact, the earliest snow storm recorded in the Midwest happened in September of 1942. We are not talking a trace amount of snow either. In Sauk Centre, Minnesota 9” fell! During September!!!! So we are no strangers to the white stuff. Or the slushy stuff. Or sleet stuff.
And though it can sometimes cause inconveniences in our lives, the winter here is beautiful and mostly embraced by us hearty folk. Rather than hibernate, Midwesterners tend to go outside during the winter months. Hiking, fat tire bike biking, cross country and downhill skiing, and of course hockey are some of our favorite past times. Oh, and don’t’ forget curling! Who doesn’t love a broom and some ice on a brisk winter morning??
We are cold weather people. Up Northerners. The reason we can get outside during winter is because we’ve become expert at clearing the most lovely of snow accumulations off our roads and sidewalks. Anything from an ergonomic shovel to the ubiquitous snow blower helps pave the way for excursions into the hibernal delightfulness.
Why does salt stain floors and clothes?
Our roads and sidewalks also get cleaned off with sanding and salting and all sorts of new chemicals that help melt away snow and ice. According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, salt and chemical deicing brine compounds are used both for snow / ice melting and for the prevention of snow adhering to roads. Sand is used when the temperature outside goes below 15°F. The sand helps create traction but doesn’t melt snow and ice. Materials that you might see on roads and sidewalks include: salt, calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, calcium magnesium acetate, and potassium chloride. All of these can be effective de-icing compounds but can be harmful to plants, pets, and even concrete if applied incorrectly. A great article about the practical use cases for clearing roadways is located here from MnDOT.
While we are proficient at clearing roads and walkways with Midwestern muscle and de-icing compounds, we’re also prone to tracking into our homes a lot of snow, slush, salt, and sand. In winter, our mudrooms should be called salt stain rooms. Chemicals from our streets, parking lots, and walkways get onto our boots and we unknowingly bring them into contact with our wood and carpeted floors. And, take a look at your boots, do you see white streaks on them? Hopefully they aren’t leather!
Whether calcium carbonate or pure salt, the high pH in ice melters can damage floors, stripping them of their finishes – essentially melting it away. Combined with water from the snow and ice, your floors take a beating in the winter.
What is the best way to clean ice melt and the salt stains from flooring and clothes?
When you notice the white streaks of residue on your floor, it’s best to act quickly to clean them. MaidxChange prefers non-toxic eco-friendly solutions like a mixture of water and vinegar.
Let’s start with your floors. For hard wood floors, most susceptible to the damage that salt and chemicals can inflict, a simple and quick homemade solution is the best remedy.
The recipe for cleaning salt residue from your hard wood floors is:
- 1 gallon water
- 1 cup white cleaning vinegar
This 1:16 ration will help remove the salt safely. The best method for cleaning is to use a cotton cloth rag dipped in the solution and rub in a circular motion until you notice the stain lifting. It’s prudent to start with a small area at first to ensure that the solution isn’t further damaging the wood.
To remove ice melt from carpet requires a few more steps but can be accomplished with products you have at home. Here are the DIY steps to take for cleaning your salty carpet:
The recipe for removing ice melt stains from your carpet is:
- ¼ cup of liquid dishwashing soap
- 1 cup of hot water
- 1 cup of vinegar
The dishwashing soap is optional but adds a little more power.
So undoubtedly, you (or your kids) may have run into the house, past the mudroom, and onto carpet. Boots still on. Snow flying everywhere. Mud and dirt suddenly sinking into your sweet carpeting. And along with that comes salt and salt based chemicals. If these chemicals can eat through hardened ice, what do you think they will do to your carpets? Discolor them? Tatter them? Ruin them? Possibly all three. This is how we handle that runaway salt and chemicals on carpeting.
The 6 steps to take to clean the carpet from salt and chemicals:
- Vacuum the area to ensure there is no dirt mixed into the stain and to lift any hardened salt or chemical particles
- Spray a solution of vinegar and water onto the carpet and let sit for 5-10 minutes
- Pat dry the area with a dry cotton cloth
- Let it dry
- Repeat the process if necessary
- Vacuum the area again to finish the cleaning
How about clothes and shoes? How to get salt stains out of Uggs? Cleaning boots and shoes during winter.
Lastly, we know that our shoes and boots are on the front line of the salt and chemical compounds on our streets. Most winter boots will not be too affected by salt compounds as they are made of waterproof materials like vulcanized rubber.
However, shoes like Ugg boots, leather shoes and other types of boots can get ruined by salt. To prevent damage when you see the white salty streaks on your boots, simply mix a small amount of white vinegar (1 tablespoon) with a cup of water and use a cloth rag to spot clean the stained areas. Make sure to do this as quickly as you can upon coming home as you don’t want the sodium to settle into the fabric too long. Let the shoes dry away from direct heat and then buff with a clean towel.
For cleaning boots like Uggs or leather shoes in a pinch, rub alcohol with a cotton ball or paper towel can help dissolve the salt.
DIY cleaning is the quick and non-chemical approach to getting salt and other compound stains off of floors and shoes.
In general, we are big fans of utilizing white vinegar and baking soda to clean all around the house. As you can see, our cleaning recipes for salt and chemical removal feature vinegar and baking soda. Here are a few additional approaches to cleaning salt residue with the two common household products:
Vinegar water or baking soda paste
- Vinegar: soak a cotton rag in a small part vinegar and some water and use the rag to remove excess salt stains on floors, entryway shoe trays, or rubber boots.
- Baking Soda/Water Paste: Mix baking soda and water (to create a paste), and spread the paste over the salt stains on house, let sit for 15 minutes until dried, then scrape off with straight edged object like a housekeeping spatula, butter knife, or even a cloth rag.
We are also big advocates of using the right tools for certain types of cleaning. When it comes to removing salt residue from delicate items we use toothbrushes. Here’s an approach for cleaning with a baking soda and water paste using a toothbrush.
Toothbrush Cleaning Method Recipe
- Place the item with a salt stain under hot running water for a few minutes to melt any remaining ice and help loosen stuck on salt.
- Take your toothbrush that’s been dipped in a baking soda and water paste and scrub using up and down motions, continue until clean (this may take multiple repetitions).
- If needed, apply more baking soda paste with toothbrush again to get rid of any residual stains.
There are many variations of salt and chemicals that make driving and walking safer during our harsh winters. The science behind freezing and melting points and how calcium, magnesium, and potassium acetates and chlorides interact with these surfaces has come a long way. However, these chemicals damage organic materials like wood, leather, and wool rendering our homes and clothes vulnerable to winter damage.
But, you have all the cleaning products you need to prevent major damage during the winter. Vinegar is the magic bullet for cleaning (check out our article on vinegar and baking soda, the dynamic duo). And, when mixed with water, you can protect your home from the hideous and destructive white streaks you’ve tracked inside.
Or, you can let us help you with a regular cleaning! MaidxChange cleaning teams are versed in eco-friendly cleaning solutions that will help in keeping your looking fresh and snappy!
Book a regular cleaning now and keep your home clean even when it’s nasty outside!
