No matter how good your intentions to keep your car clean and shiny are, your floor mats will always be the first part to show signs of wear and tear. And, before you know it, your car will start to look messy again! Luckily you can obtain professional car detailing at home in a few simple steps.
How do you clean car floor mats? Generally, start by vacuuming them. Then, using an adequate cleaner and a brush, rub the substance in the fabric. Rinse and allow them to dry before reinserting them in the car. Carpet mats might also need baking soda to eliminate odors.
Of course, cleaning your mats at home can require a little effort and time. However, in this way, you can avoid paying exorbitant detailers’ bills and get your car to shine. Let’s dive into the details of cleaning car floor mats at home!
Cloth or carpet floor mats are a great alternative to the more common rubber mats. Indeed, these are a custom-fit option that adds a cozy and luxurious touch to the interior of your car compared to standard factory mats. Many drivers also opt for this alternative as carpet mats are usually cheaper than dealership-bought mats and provide increased protection to the surrounding surfaces.
Aside from coming in different colors and shapes, they fit your car’s interior perfectly! That is why you can find them in more luxurious types of vehicles and showrooms. If you want to match the mats to the color of the seats, but you can’t find an adequate solution, custom-made carpets can genuinely add an exclusive look to your car.
However, on the downside, these are an optimal solution only if you don’t tend to take in much dirt or dust while using your car. Carpet car mats can be trickier to clean than other models and tend to attract and trap in all debris, mud, and dust from the road. Below you can find out how to take the best care of them!
The steps to clean rubber and cloth floor mats are similar, yet there are some differences worth noting to obtain the best results. When washing carpet floor mats, you should keep in mind that they usually attract more dirt and dust. Therefore, you might need to repeat one or more of the steps below.
Another efficient method to clean your cloth car mats is to use a washing machine. To do so, you should start by removing extra dirt and dust with a vacuum, rub a cleaning spray on the fabric, and set your washer on a low setting!
If you realized that you tend to spill your coffee a little too often and you can’t keep up with the level of maintenance carpet mats need, you might have opted for rubber mats instead. These models are much easier to look after and keep clean, even with a DIY method.
Other essential features that might convince you to upgrade to these models are:
The cleaning process for rubber mats is similar to the one we have seen for carpet mats. However, there are some essential differences to take into consideration before starting!
As we have seen above, everything you need to see the best results when cleaning your car mats is baking soda, soap, and water. However, if these ingredients have not yielded the results you wanted to see, there are other options. The first one is to speak with a detailer and buy a recommended professional spray or liquid cleaner.
While these substances are highly effective, they also contain quite harsh chemicals that could linger to the surfaces of your mats and, therefore, in your car. Alternatively, if you prefer to know what ingredients are going on your carpets, you could prepare a DIY cleaning blend at home!
For this project, you will need:
Mix all the elements into a bowl until the soap flakes dissolve entirely in the boiling water. As you mix the ingredients, you should notice them blend into a uniform foam. Use a brush with stiff bristles to soak up the blend and use it to scrub the carpets. If you would like to make your car smell fresher, you could also add ten drops of lavender essential oil into the mix. However, this step is optional.
Now you are all caught up about the different ways of cleaning car floor mats depending on their make and materials! However, it is not unlikely that harder-to-remove stains are still making them look scruffier than you would like them to be. Independently on whether you are dealing with rubber, vinyl, cloth, or carpet mats, you might have to face the reality that some stains will just not go!
However, there are natural, easy-to-make solutions that you can create at home to get your car as shiny as if it has just come out of the detailing shop! For this recipe, you will need:
Start by mixing all of these ingredients into a bowl or container. Then, carefully pour the mixture into a spray bottle. Before proceeding to clean your mats, spray this blend directly onto the stain, you want to remove. Don’t forget to spray the area surrounding the stain as there could be contaminants there too.
Allow the blend to rest on the stain for up to thirty minutes. During this timeframe, the acid in the vinegar will work its way through the dirt, breaking it down. With a brush or old clean towel, rub the substance deep into the fiber until the stain becomes to fade. As it is all gone, you can rinse your mat and proceed to clean them normally, as we have seen above.
For this project, you should opt to use cleaning vinegar instead of regular white vinegar. Indeed, the first one has an increased level of acidity compared to the second one, which means that it can break down even the sturdiest stains!
Now that the mats are drying, there are some additional tasks to undertake to see your vehicle even cleaner!
Since you have already started working on the mats, why not freshen up the carpet underneath! Indeed, this part of your car remains a little forgotten at times, but it can trap in quite a lot of debris and dirt. To clean it, start by vacuuming the area to eliminate all the accumulated grime.
You can also sprinkle baking soda to this area to remove persistent odors before vacuuming again. If you have used a little solution to minimize the stains that have appeared over time, make sure the area is entirely dry before replacing the mats.
If you have dedicated your Sunday morning to clean the mats of your car, you could continue to clean up the rest of your vehicle! while your carpets are drying, vacuum the inside of your car and reorganize each compartment. This step can also help you keep your precious mats clean for much longer!
Some simple steps to get your car look amazing are:
If you have decided to do a job at home and clean the mats by yourself, you should keep in mind that not all stains will go just by washing them. Instead, you might need to work the baking soda or vinegar into the fibers to soften the most stubborn stains. Picking a brush that you can handle easily can help you complete the job faster and more efficiently.
Cleaning the mats can require some effort! You might fall for the temptation to just throw the rugs back in the car after washing them and carry on with your weekend. However, it is essential to avoid this mistake!
Keeping the car, you use every day clean throughout the month can be a challenge, especially if you live in an area subjected to frequent weather changes. Even worse, most of the debris and particles will end up settling on your carpets!
To clean them properly, you should check whether they are rubber or carpet mats. The first ones are sturdier, easier to clean, and dry. The second one might require more effort on your part and the addition of baking soda to eliminate odors.
However, in both cases, you should proceed to:
And you will have shiny carpets in no time and without paying a detailer!
