[darkcloud]

I never really cared about salt stains as they usually wore off after a while but being the first car I actually care about getting them off I wanna know what some of you northeasterners do about this? Damp cloth or BMW's or some aftermarket carpet cleaner?

I have the rubber floor mats so the stains are only around the edges towards the front of the mats. I'm hoping only 3-4 weeks until it's warm enough to get outside and actually clean the car.

[Lucid4000]

if you have the rubber mats than just get alittle 409 or fantastic and clean than hose off. I usually let dry than with a cloth apply some armorall. Very lightly justto give the rubber beack some of teh shine and protection.

[Ccatznip]

Originally Posted by Lucid4000

if you have the rubber mats than just get alittle 409 or fantastic and clean than hose off. I usually let dry than with a cloth apply some armorall. Very lightly justto give the rubber beack some of teh shine and protection.

+1

[darkcloud]

Originally Posted by Lucid4000

if you have the rubber mats than just get alittle 409 or fantastic and clean than hose off. I usually let dry than with a cloth apply some armorall. Very lightly justto give the rubber beack some of teh shine and protection.

Agreed. BUT what about the carpet. Not all the salt stains stayed on the rubber haha. Some salty water junk got onto the actual carpet around the rubber mat. I'm more worried about the carpet not the rubber mats

[FirstClass]

Salt is water soluble. Use water.

[Josh49]

Originally Posted by FirstClass

Salt is water soluble. Use water.

This answer is absolutely correct. I had a bad salt problem in my A4. I didn't think I could ever get it out. But I tried warm water, and just flooded/dissolved the salt out of it. By the time I was done it looked brand new. Pour the warm water on the salt, and dab with a clean white towel to lift it out. This works really well...

The thick BMW rubber mats seem to have worked very well this winter, but I'm sure there's a few little spots I'll be using this method..

Also if you're completely anal, once this is done, try shampooing the carpets.. I rented a rug doctor for the carpets in my house (I'll post a link). It was $21 for the day. It comes with a hand tool that I used on my e90 floor mats. The floor mats looked pristine before I worked on them, I couldn't believe the amount of crap it pulled out of them. The waste water was solid black.. You could use this on the interior carpets as well if you wanted to..

Good luck..

[NU2BMW]

A small steam cleaner unit works well (at least on beach stuff).