I am not a chemist! My chemistry classes from my molecular biology undergrad are far behind me. But I think I created a salt, and I don't know how. Here is my mystery:
I recently got some water in my car, and wanted to prevent mold growth in my carpet mats. I brought the mats inside, vacuumed off, and completely soaked them in household vinegar. Then I placed the mats near a running dehumidifier (where the warm air comes out in the back).
White crust appeared on the carpet. At first I thought my dehumidifier was spitting something out, but the white substance was not on any other nearby surface--only on the car carpet. Eventually as the further parts of the carpet dried, they also showed the white crust. It covers pretty much all of the carpet.
Is this, in fact, a salt? If so, what basic substance could have been in my car carpet mat that would cause this reaction? Thanks everyone!