Cleaning Your Car Mats

Guide To Cleaning Car Mats

It doesn’t matter how meticulous you are about ensuring that your car is spotlessly clean inside, it’s just a matter of time before dirt and grime accumulate and the occasional crumb or drink spill occurs. Though the effects of these can be mitigated by keeping some paper towels or wet wipes handy, a bit more effort is needed if you want to ensure your car looks like it was the day you got it from the showroom. Do so by thoroughly cleaning your car floor mats.

The area of your car which is subject to the most accumulation of grime is the car floor, as dirt and dust which is stuck to your shoe soles, spillage from that snack or slushie and loose debris from anything that has been in your car accumulates on the floor. Regardless of the material of your car floor mat — be it rubber or cloth, the residue will be retained. Start your cleanup process by first getting rid of any visible items on the floor, before cleaning the floor mats for a complete cleanup. Simply Car Mats is the best choice for new car mats.

If you’ve got floor mats made of rubber:

This choice of floor mat material is prevalent in areas with chillier climates, and where rain and snow are common. The waterproof rubber mats ensure that moisture cannot seep through to spoil the car’s interior, and is able to dry off quickly. The downside to this is that dust and dirt accumulate as time passes. Follow these six steps for easy cleaning of your rubber mats:

  1. Take the mats out of the car. In the cleaning process, water and harsh cleaning products will be used. Remove your mats before you do the cleaning to ensure that the water and chemicals do not get into your car mat.
  2. Hit the mat against a hard surface or the ground to allow debris to be removed. Use a scraper to scrape off any stubborn materials which remain stuck to the surface.
  3. Hose down the mat with a pressurised water hose. This should displace any loose dirt or crumbs. Ensure that the side which comes into contact with the car floor is not washed. Only the dirty side facing upwards should be hosed down.
  4. Add soap to the floor map with a rag or spray bottle. If unavailable, substitute the soap and water with wet wipes, sanitiser spray or even a mixture of baking soda with soap. This gets the grime off the mats.
  5. Using a hose, thoroughly rinse the soap off.
  6. Ensure that the mats are fully dried before replacing them in the car. If needed, hang them on a wire, hanger, railing or chair to allow the mats to air dry.

If you’ve got floor mats made of cloth:

More effort may be needed to clean car mats made of cloth compared to their rubber counterparts, and this is worsened if the mats are already wet. If your cloth mats have been left wet for a while and were never properly dried, it is not uncommon for an odour to be noticed. Tough stains may also reveal themselves on cloth mats. Read on for how to give your cloth mats a proper cleaning.

  1. Take the mats out of the car. Similar to the rubber mats, water and harsh cleaning products will be used. Removal of the mats to do the cleaning ensures that these items do not get into your car. It is also easier to use a vacuum outside of a car compared inside, where the car seats will get in your way.
  2. Using a vacuum, ensure both sides of the mats are vacuumed to get rid of any dirt or grime on the surface.
  3. Mix baking soda with water and rub it into the upholstery. This ensures that stains and unpleasant odours are removed. A stiff brush may also be used to aid you in scrubbing the mat.
  4. Use something soapy. These could be easily made by adding two tablespoons of washing powder to two tablespoons of shampoo. A stiff brush should then be used to scrub the mat with this mixture. If you have a spray cleaner, use that and wait 30 minutes so the cleaning solution has time to sit in the mat and be absorbed. Use a hand brush if desired to ensure the cleaner is properly absorbed by the mats. A spray carpet cleaner is usually available for purchase at most garages or car shops.
  5. Wash the mat clean of the solution used by using a steam cleaner, power wash or a washing machine. At car washes, it should be easy to find the former two. If you prefer a cheap alternative, simply stick the mats in your washing machine and run it as you would a usual laundry load.
  6. Vacuum the mats for the second time. This helps to suction off moisture and any dirt particles which may still remain. A regular vacuum will work for this purpose, though a vacuum specially designed for moisture sucking will be the optimal option.
  7. Ensure that the mats are fully dried before replacing them in the car, lest a damp odour occurs. If needed, hang them on a wire, hanger, railing or chair to allow the mats to air dry, or toss them in the dryer if you want to save time.

Cleaning products to consider

Options are aplenty when it comes to the soap used for your car floor mat. From regular laundry detergent to shampoo, they all serve the purpose of getting the grime out of your mats. If you are thinking of getting something meant specifically to clean your car floor mats, here are some recommendations:

Conclusion

If you find that your car mats are worse for wear, it’s time to either clean or change them out for new ones. Remember that depending on what type of car mat you have, you will need to use different methods to clean them efficiently.

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Published: 05-Oct-2020

Author: Jake Hughes
photo of Jake Hughes

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