How To Clean And Maintain Car Floor Mats

Introduction

Owning a car can make you feel like you’re on top of the world — you won’t have to rely on public transport, and are free from bus and train timings to travel wherever and whenever you please. On top of this, you can carry way more things along with you. However, despite all these perks, there are also a brand new set of responsibilities you have to shoulder.

Between making sure you have enough gas to getting the oil changed every couple of months, there are several things you need to keep in mind. The most difficult of these is caring for floor mats in your car. If ever you forget, you will be met with a gross and painful surprise to remind you to always do it the next time you step into your car. Floor mats can become grimy no matter how aggressively you clean them. They are the second dirtiest part of the car, only losing out to your vehicle’s exterior. Unfortunately, floor mats are a lot more tricky to clean, and even more daunting to maintain. If you haven’t gotten yourself a good-quality car mat, check out Simply Car Mats to find out more.

Should you have no idea where to even begin, fret not –– our guide is just for you. Car washes have always been unnecessarily expensive, especially for the interior of the car. A good clean-up can burn a massive hole in your wallet, making you reconsider the perks of buying a car in the first place. Luckily for you, it’s not that hard to clean it yourself.

Step One: Clean Your Car

Before getting started on floor mats, you’re going to need to first clean up the car itself. It is always important to never neglect the rest of the car for the floor mats. This entails picking up any objects from the car floor and throwing away any garbage or useless trinkets. If you want to keep anything, be sure to keep them in special compartments dedicated to items to be kept in the car. Once the clutter’s gone, stains have now become much clearer, which makes the cleaning process significantly easier.

Step Two: Take The Mats Out

Though this seems to be glaringly obvious, it is an unfortunate fact that many people tend to forget to remove their mats before cleaning them. Many parts of the car itself should never meet liquids of any kind, which means that any kind of mat washing should always take place outside the car. Also, cleaning on the inside can feel uncomfortable anyway.

Step Three: Get a Mat Cleaner

If you’re a complete novice to cleaning floor mats, you might think a quick scrub might do the trick. However, you might want to think again. It takes a lot more than soaping and scrubbing to get squeaky clean mats. Enter mat cleaners –– they’re a lot better when it comes to cleaning delicate mats, but you’re going to need to take a look at the kind of floor mat you have before purchasing one. If it looks more like a rubber mat, some simple soap and vinegar will do the trick. On the contrary, cloth floors aren’t going to work with soap and vinegar, and hence you’re going to want to buy a proper cleaner.

Step Four: Buying Brushes

Now equipped with the supplies you need, the only thing you’re missing is a trusty brush. It’s always a good idea to get a separate brush to clean your car’s mats since the mats are likely to need a good scrub before it’s well and truly clean.

You should always choose a brush that’s smaller and more comfortable to grip. Scrubbing floor mats –– especially cloth ones –– can use up a lot of effort, so you’re going to want a tool that’s comfortable to use. Additionally, a smaller brush can also help you with the harder-to-reach areas.

Step Five: Carpet Cleaning (Cloth)

It’s time to get into the thick of it. Cleaning your carpet is going to take more finesse than with a rubber mat. Other than being careful, you’re also going to need to make sure you have the right tools and supplies. Here’s how you can go about it.

First, you’re going to need to take out the mats to avoid damage to the other parts of the car and lay them out on a flat surface.

Next, you’re going to need to vacuum both sides of the mat. While crumbs and dust are the least of your worries, it can be incredibly frustrating to get them out of the carpets. A little vacuuming can save you a ton of effort, as it helps you better focus on the real issue at hand –– removing those stubborn stains.

Thirdly, it’s time to bust out the carpet cleaning solution and use it to remove any pungent odors. Use it sparingly; you don’t need to drench your carpet just for odor control! If you don’t have an appropriate cleaning solution, you can always make do with white vinegar instead of carpet cleaner.

After applying the cleaning solution onto the carpet, you will need to brush off the salt and stains residue. It is important to do this gently so as to not damage the mat itself. Despite this, you will need to brush it thoroughly to ensure all the stains are gone.

Finally, you will need to wash the carpet with a high-pressure nozzle to hose out the stains and the solution. Although it’s not mandatory, we recommend using this type of nozzle as it can really help with the more stubborn stains.

Step Six: Carpet Cleaning (Rubber)

Unlike cotton mats, rubber mats are considerably easier to clean and take way less effort doing so. This is because rubber mats are waterproof, so stains and salt residue are left on the surface level, where they can be easily removed. Here’s how you can do so!

First, begin by removing any external debris and dust by whacking it against a wall. Rubber mats are hardier and thus you won’t need to worry about them breaking apart. This is great as rubber mats often have stubborn debris lodged within their crevices! Next, you’re going to need to make a soapy liquid solution to clean the mat with — this is easily formulated with some dishwashing liquid and water. The result? A nice, foamy solution that gets rid of dirt easily. Once you’re done scrubbing the mat, hose it down with a high-pressure nozzle to get rid of any stubborn dirt. Take extra care to not wet the area where the mat touches the car, as you don’t want to accidentally damage your vehicle. Lastly, finish it off by spraying some white vinegar to remove any stains that haven’t been scrubbed off. Let it dry off in the sun, and they’re now good to go!

Conclusion

No matter how many times you clean your mat, it will eventually get dirty again. Whilst you can’t stop this from happening, having regular cleanups will prolong the time it takes for your next scrubbing session to begin. Prevention is always better than a cure. You can start by observing good hygiene habits, such as keeping your shoes clean and not taking off your shoes whilst you’re in the car. This will help reduce the dirt, stains, and foul smells that are often trapped in a car mat. Remember, no one likes a dirty car!