Wintertime is right around the corner which means snow is coming soon, and with the snow, comes salt on the roads. While salt is great for melting ice and keeping our roads safe and clean, it inevitably spreads over our walkways as well. Once the salt gets on our shoes, we begin tracking it into our homes, and that’s when it causes problems. Road salt is terrible for carpets and rugs, leaving white residue behind that can damage the fibers of the rug. If you accidentally track salt into the home, be sure to follow these steps before it damages your rug.

Vacuum Up The Salt

If there is any loose salt that you tracked in onto the rug or carpet, be sure to vacuum up the loose particles. If you can get the salt before it sets in, you can stop the chemical reaction before it begins to stain. If your vacuum has little to no suction, Persia Oriental offers professional rug cleaning services.

If Your Rug Has Already Stained

If you did not manage to vacuum up the salt quickly enough, or you tracked it in on wet shoes, you may find yourself with a large white salt stain on your rug. If you see that the stain has already set in, you may feel that the worst of the damage is done. However, if you do not act quickly, the salt can not only stain your rug but can also damage the fibers and begin to break down the rug.

Which Kind of Salt

When it comes to salt on rugs, one may assume that there is a one size fits all solution. Vacuum it before it sets, use cleaning solution if it does. To an extent there is. However, there are different kinds of salts that have different effects on your rugs and carpets. Standard road salt has the potential to leave white stains behind on rugs and carpets when it mixes with snow or water. However, Calcium Chloride, the blue road salt used in particularly snowy states such as Massachusetts, not only has the potential to leave white stains behind, but it can also leave a greasy film behind on carpets which makes them even harder to clean. Whether its regular salt or calcium chloride, it’s important to clean the salt up before it sets. Whether you use a vacuum to clean up dry salt, a steam cleaner, or a cleaning solution after the stain sets, it’s important to clean up the salt before it has a chance to damage your rugs.

Persia Oriental Rugs

Dealing with a stain that you can’t quite get out of your rug? Don’t hesitate to call the team at Persia Oriental at 508-753-4667, or fill out our online contact form today!