Say goodbye winter and goodbye salt!

So, part of our winter purging and spring cleaning is getting rid of all the residual salt that has found its way from outside on our snowy streets into our homes and onto our clothes. This salt gets on our shoes and we bring it into our houses, onto our rugs, as well as our bedding and clothing. Once you are optimistic enough that the snow is finally ending where you live and there won’t be any more salted roads, go ahead and start this cleaning process. Because salt is water soluble, a great rinsing and washing of everything it touched should get rid of it until next winter.

Let’s start with all of your winter clothes that we are getting cleaned and packed away. Make sure everything is dry and use a clothing brush – you can also use a new house cleaning brush as well – to remove any visible salt crystals. These will brush off fairly easily and I like to do this over the tub or a big sink so none of this salt finds its way into any other fabrics or rugs. Once you do this, you can launder your clothes as you usually would. Remember that Roux Maison Sport Detergent is perfect to use on all of your cold weather and outdoor clothing. It will not remove water proofing properties from technical fabrics or ski or sporting gear. If you aren’t sure, you can usually machine wash all of these clothes in cold water and on a gentle cycle. Try to avoid machine drying these clothes and lay them flat or hang them to dry. You can even use this method with down. It will work great for all of your ski clothing and long underwear and any outdoor gear. Don’t forget to reference Roux Maison’s great Cleaning Tips https://www.rouxmaison.com/cleaningtips if you aren’t sure about how to wash something. Since we often wear these heavy outdoor items multiple times prior to washing, they can get lots of stains on them. Don’t be afraid to use Roux Maison’s Stain Remover on them. It is so effective on most stains and you will always get the best results from all Roux Maison detergents when you use them with our Stain Remover. As always, try to treat any stains as soon as you see them even if you aren’t going to wash these clothes until later.

Shoes. Don’t forget that these are the primary culprit in tracking all of this salt into your house. Start with the same rules you used for your clothes. Let them dry completely and then use a dry cloth to wipe off excess salt that you can see. For future reference, the more frequently you wipe these off during the winter season, the longer they will last for you. Then, for leather, use a rag or cloth to wipe your shoes off with an even mix of water and white vinegar to remove any residual salt. For suede, rub with a dry, clean cloth and then sparingly apply undiluted vinegar to any problem areas. Blot with another dry, clean cloth afterwards. Always avoid water on suede. Trust us on this one!

Floors and rugs. This is the perfect time to mop your floors and get rid of all the salt that has been tracked into your house all winter. For rugs and carpets, begin by a thorough vacuuming to remove all the dried salt. If you can visibly see any salty spots or areas after you vacuum, you can use a spray bottle filled only with water to spray directly on these areas and then blot them up with a clean, dry towel. Vacuum one more time to make sure you got it all.