How to Clean Rubber Car Mats? – 8 Steps to Remember

A clean car interior makes for a pleasant and comfy ride. So it would help if you did not only clean your car’s exterior but also inside it, including the floor mats, which can get very dirty over time. If you have dirty rubber car mats and don’t know how to clean rubber car mats, this article will show you how.

It can be done in a few easy steps. Initially, you’d be getting rid of loose dirt and debris by shaking and vacuum cleaning the mats. Then you can proceed with the washing and rinsing, then apply a treatment product if desired.

What You Will Need to Follow This Tutorial

Below is a list of things you will need for floor mat cleaning. Make sure to prepare all of them for more convenient cleaning.

• Vacuum Cleaner – For thoroughly cleaning rubber car mats, you need to vacuum clean the car’s carpet when you take the rubber car mats out. And the vacuum would also help get rid of loose dirt on the car mats.
• Scraper – You can use a scraper for cleaning off stubborn, hardened dirt and mud on the rubber car mats.
• Rubber Floor Mat Cleaner – A commercial rubber car mat cleaner would work best for the job. But you can also use liquid dishwashing soap if you don’t have one. You would have to mix the liquid dishwashing soap with water, though.
• Stiff-Bristled Brush – Use a stiff-bristled brush when you clean rubber mats in car, as its bristles’ stiffness will allow you to scrub out the dirt and stains that have stuck on the car mats with more ease and more thoroughly. Also, make sure that its bristles are long enough to get into the grooves of the car mats.
• Pressure Hose – Spraying water at a high pressure using a pressure hose on the rubber car mats would help dislodge the dirt, debris, and grime from them.
• Microfiber Towels – Some microfiber towels would be needed for drying the rubber car mats. They are also for working the treatment product onto the car mats if you wish to apply it.
• Rubber Car Mat Treatment Product (Optional) – Rubber car mats can wear over time and become faded. But with a treatment product, rubber car mats can be restored with a fresh, looking like-new appearance. Rubber car mat treatment products usually come in a spray bottle.

Step-by-step Guide: The Best Way to Clean Rubber Car Mats

Step 1: Take Out the Rubber Car Mats and Vacuum Clean the Carpet

The rubber car mats must be taken out first for two reasons. The first is because the carpet underneath them would also need some cleaning. And second, car mats should not be cleaned in the car to avoid water damage to the interior as well as getting foam from the cleaner onto the pedals, which can cause your foot to slip when driving.

Once you’ve taken the car mats out of the car, set them aside. Then, vacuum cleans the carpet of your car.

Step 2: Shake off Loose Dirt From the Rubber Car Mats

Some loose dirt, debris, and food crumbs can be removed from the rubber car mats by shaking them off. You may also beat the car mats on the ground to get rid of all the loose dirt.

Step 3: Scrape Out the Dirt That Has Caked on the Rubber Car Mats

Dirt and mud from shoes can get leftover in rubber car mats. And they would dry up and harden on the surface, which could make them hard to remove. If they are present on your car mats, you can remove them by scraping them off with a scraper.

Step 4: Vacuum Clean the Rubber Car Mats

You can also clean off the loose dirt from the rubber car mats with a hand vacuum or a vacuum available at a car wash. This can be done after shaking the car mats or instead of shaking them.

Step 5: Wash Rubber Car Mats With a Cleaner and Stiff-Bristled Brush

First, prepare your cleaning solution of choice. If you’re going to use a commercial rubber cleaner, just follow the instructions on using it. They’re usually ready to use, coming in a spray bottle, or need to be mixed with water.

If you’re going with liquid dishwashing soap, squeeze out a generous amount of it into a bucket. Then pour one to two inches of water into the bucket. And mix them.

After you’ve prepared your cleaning solution:

• Apply it all over the car mats, covering them entirely.
• Let the solution sit on the car mats for a few minutes.
• Scrub the car mats with a stiff-bristled brush to remove the dirt and stains from the surface.

Step 6: Rinse the Rubber Car Mats

Rinse off the cleaning solution and the dirt you scrubbed off from the rubber car mats using a high-pressure hose or a high-pressure hose at a car wash. Make sure to rinse them off completely. It may take a couple of rinses.

Step 7: Let the Rubber Car Mats Dry

The rubber car mats need to be dried completely before putting them back in, as wet car mats can cause molds in the carpet.

But don’t dry them under direct sunlight because it can lead to fading and cracking. What you can do is either dry with a towel or let the mats air dry in a shady spot without direct sunlight.

Step 8: Apply a Treatment Product on the Rubber Car Mats (Optional)

If you notice that the rubber car mats have started to look faded and want to make them look blacker and fresher-looking, you can apply a treatment product to them.

You would apply the treatment product after you clean rubber floor mats in car. And it’s usually applied by spraying it onto the mats and working it onto the surface with a microfiber towel.

Conclusion

Now that you know how to clean rubber car mats, hopefully, you’ll always be able to enjoy a clean car interior from top to bottom. Just remember to do it as often as needed and apply a treatment product to make them more presentable.

We also hope you enjoyed this article. And if so, kindly tell us in the comments. Also, we’d appreciate it if you shared this article to help us educate others on car interior maintenance.