Think of how often you clean busy areas of your home - daily or weekly, right? A vehicle is often the last chore on the list, but it's essential to learn how to clean car floor mats well so that your car is kept looking clean, and is sanitary. Cars gather just as much dirt (if not more) than inside your home. You directly put your feet on the floors right after being outside, and if you're into walking or have a dog then this is only going to be worse.
Whether it's from your children's muddy soccer practices or even from eating on the go and dumping the trash, car floor mats quickly accumulate dirt making a vehicle unpleasant to use. It can be embarrassing to offer your carport services only to find that your vehicle is in a sorry state, so keeping it tidy will make for a much more pleasant ride.
Many people forego cleaning their car carpet and it's easy to understand why. It gathers dirt so quickly that it can feel pointless, but this isn't a reason to ignore it completely. The good news is that cleaning car floor mats is quick and easy, and will have a huge visual impact on a vehicle's interior. Before you get started, it's worth checking out the best vacuum cleaners and the best handheld vacuums, as these will be the secret tool to getting your car floor mats looking good as new.
How often should you clean car floor mats?
Not only is a dirty car unpleasant to look at and to drive in, but it can also eventually lead to long-term damage. The build-up of food crumbs, mud, and water will cause mold to develop, which is bad for your health and difficult to remove. This might ultimately cause you to have to replace the floor mats, which feels like a waste when cleaning them is so easy.
How often you clean car floor mats will depend entirely on how much you use your vehicle and your daily routine. If you regularly put your pets in the car after long walks or spend a lot of time doing outdoor pursuits, you'll want to be incorporating weekly spot cleans into your routine. If you only use your car for a quick run around and don't often have passengers, then you'll be able to last a lot longer between cleans. Once a month is a good consensus for a deep car clean if it's not frequently used.
How to clean rubber car floor mats
Rubber floor mats are incredibly durable, making them able to withstand daily footfall and heavy-duty scrubbing. The material also means that they dry off quickly, especially when left outside, so you don't have to worry about this task taking up too much time.
1. Rinse any surface dirt
Using a hose, one of the best pressure washers, or a bucket of soapy water, wash away any dirt and debris. This should remove the majority of loose mud, leaving less to scrub.
2. Focus on the stains
With a hard bristled brush and soapy water, lightly target any outstanding patches of dirt.
3. Leave to dry
Make sure to clean your car floor mats on a nice day, so you can hang them out to dry. Using a clothesline will ensure that they drip dry on both sides, so you can place them back into the vehicle without worrying about mold or mildew.
How to clean carpet car floor mats
Phil Hall, Editor at AutoVillage, says "One tip to drying carpet mats more quickly is to use a shower squeegee to remove excess water after hosing the mats down. It won’t magically dry them, but will speed up the drying process considerably."
Carpet car mats can quickly become trodden down with dirt, making the interior of a car look untidy and smell unpleasant. It's slightly trickier to clean carpet mats, as they required more scrubbing and time to dry, however, it's still a simple task that will quickly transform your vehicle.
As well as the following steps, Phil Hall recommends to "use rubber gloves to remove pet hair from any carpeted interior", as simply running your hand along the carpet will pick up hard-to-remove hair.
1. Give it a shake
Shake out any loose mud and crumbs in an outdoor area.
2. Use the vacuum to remove any surface dirt
Vacuum thoroughly, paying attention to any pet or human hair that is stuck in the fibers.
3. Pay extra attention to built-in stanis
Spot clean any marks using a dedicated stain-removal product or a natural method, such as using baking soda to clean carpet. Baking soda is a natural deodorizer so is great for combatting bad odors.
4. As a last resort, use a carpet cleaner
If the mats are still looking dirty after vacuuming and spot-treating stains, consider using a carpet cleaner and spraying liberally onto the mat.
5. Sit out to dry
Leave them outside to dry before returning them to your vehicle - make sure to complete this task on a sunny day!
Top tips for keeping car carpet clean
• Keep a dustbin in your car. Whether this is a plastic bag or a dedicated bin designed for your car, either will help to contain mess and crumbs if you're prone to snacking on the go.
• Use a handheld vacuum to give your car carpets a quick refresh at the end of each week, or if you find yourself with a spare 10 minutes in between errands. If you have the space you could even keep this in your car permanently to make cleaning up your children's car seats much easier.
• Invest in plastic car floor mats. They are much quicker to clean with a garden hose and you can brush most mud off with a quick shake.
• If you're doing a complete vehicle clean, focus on your inner console and dashboard first. This will push any dust and dirt down onto the floor mats so you won't be dirtying them further. Cleaning in the right order is one of the best tips for making your chore routine more efficient.
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