My wife spilled milk in the carpeted trunk of our car. It started to stink - so she took a bunch of baking soda and poured it all over. Then she wet it. Now the odor is gone but their is a bunch of baking soda caked into the carpets and I tried everything to get it out - with no luck. It looks horrible - but the trunk does not smell now :-)
I may pour vinegar on it - remembering how vinegar and baking soda react from science class a long time ago.
Anyone have a solution to the problem?
I would let it dry completely and then brush vigorously to release as much power as possible and then vacuum away the dust. After than, I would rent a carpet extraction machine like the Rug Doctor (make sure to get the upholstery tools) and use that to extract the rest of the baking soda.
Rent a rug shampoo machine with hose upholstery attachment. Rinse with cool clear water. Repeat the rinsing until the return water is clean. Extract as much of the water as possible with the machine, dab with old cotton towels, run a fan in the trunk or dry in the sun. Do not use vinegar (this will produce a salt that could create a rusting problem in your car trunk.)
I would also check to see if the rug is removable. I had a jug of liquid laundry detergent spill in my trunk and I didn't discover it for a few days. I was able to unsnap the carpeting and remove it. That made it easy to rinse in the driveway until the suds disappeared.
Good idea Vox. My 1983 Honda hatchback 1300 was shipped to California containing a bag that leaked butter into the back seat. Stink, Stank, and Stunk! The back-of-seat cover fell apart. I completely removed the seat, shampooed it, hosed it off, dried it in the sun and replaced the back seat cover with one I made (Phish hates to sew !)
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.