I had a battery spill its acid on my carpet...I tried all the autozone cleaners and nothing. If I leave a towel on to absorb it for a while it will start to turn the towel to dust....how do i clean this?
any ideas?

thanks,
Franchise

I would think that you need to neutralize the acid. Try baking soda. I think i heard somewhere that you can you Pepsi also to clean up battery acid.

Neutrualize the acid with baking power but chances are the damage is already done. The acid works pretty quickly on fiber materials. :sad:

This is at HowToCleanAnything.com, can u believe there's such a site?!


Battery Acid from carpet
General Info:
Be sure to check the helpful hints for the Do's and Don'ts of stain removal and Six Sure Ways to Set Stains.

Tools & Chemicals:
Ammonia (household strength),dish washing or fine fabric detergent, white terry towels, white vinegar, warm water, measuring cup, spoon.

Technique:

Work on removing the stain as soon as you notice it. The longer the stain is left on the carpet the greater the chances are of the stain setting.

In every case remove all excess wet or dry material before attempting to clean. Blot wet materials using a white terry towel (check helpful hints for a detailed description of blotting). Vacuum excess dry materials or gently scrape up materials with a spoon.


Mix 2 tablespoon of HOUSEHOLD ammonia in one(1) cup of water.

Apply a small amount of the mixed solution to the white terry towel and blot on the stain. Continue intil no further transfer of the stain is apparent. If the stain remains proceed to the next step.

Mix 1/2 tsp. of dish washing soap or fine fabric detergent into 1 (8 oz.)cup of warm water.


Apply a small amount, blot or tamp and repeat until the stain is removed. Be patient. Complete removal may reqiure repeating the same step several times. Tamp down on the carpet, do not scrub as this may disort the texture of the pile.


Cover the stain with the towel and press down repeatedly to absorb the stain material and detergent.


Once the stain is completely removed, rinse the area with cold water; blot with a dry white terry towel until all moisture is removed. Repeat this process several times to remove cleaning solution residue. (Residue can attract soils).

If the spot or stain turns brownish when dry, mix 1 part white vinegar and two parts water. Apply a small amount and blot. Repeat only once.



Precautions:
Never use a stronger concentration than is recommended. Never use laundry detergent or automatic dish washing detergents because they may destroy or dye some fibers. Industrial strength ammonia should be mixed according to manufacture recommendations.

Use baking soda or laundry washing soda to neutrualize Sulphuric acid.

It's too late to save the carpet by now but not too late to save the floor underneath it.

You'll have to get new carpet.

Alas... you will be surprised at the 'forever' tendency of battery acid.

I bought a battery for my Chevelle from the 'you see them everywhere' store... the vent caps had been plugged with glue when assembled.... whenI was going down the street I heard a pop... when I got home acid was dripping off the undercarriage... what a mess. They apologized but the damage was done. Wah, rinse, wash & rinse.... the carpet is toast anyway...

'bear

Thanks for your help.

Franchise

So did the spill cause a hole in the carpet?

No hole and no color change, but leaves substance on everything that touches it. It has an alkaline like smell also.

Sounds like it has soaked thru to the underlayment,you might have to remove the carpet to get the rest of it out.Or use some white terry cloth towels with something heavy (like a battery :D ) to weight them down so they soak up the majority of the acid.

You really need to remove the carpet and underlayment from that area. That battery acid will eat a hole right thru your floors, and it doesn't take a pool of acid to do it either. Just what soaks thru will do it. The thought of replacing carpet and underlayment may suck, but just think how much more it will suck when you also have to replace the floor as well.

Jeff

I wonder if you took a can of that batter cleaner spray for battery terminals would help? It turns red when it touches battery acid. Might work or at least help.

thanks, I am going to tackle it this weekend.