If you’re like the average car owner, you probably use your car daily, if not very regularly. Jumping into your car every day, especially in the colder and wetter months, can really take a toll on your rubber mats.
Rubber mats are great as they are easy to clean and protect parts of your car from taking all that damage. If you’re just getting around to cleaning yours, we explore the best way to do so. In this guide, we give you all the necessary tips for keeping your rubber mats sparkling!
Dust Them Off
Drivers will know that there are two main types of floor mats. Rubber car mats, fabric or cloth mats. The latter can be much harder to clean, as they soak in any liquid they touch, and therefore people often opt for rubber floor mats for this reason alone.
When you do need to clean them, it might be as easy as just dusting them off to remove loose dirt and debris.
Though rubber car floor mats do collect as much dirt as other mats, it only sits on the surface. Therefore, taking them out and giving them a good dusting will really make a difference and will only take a few minutes.
Wash Them
If dusting isn’t enough, or you’re just looking to give things a deeper clean, the next step is to wash the mats. This can be done in two different ways, depending on how dirty they are and how much time you have.
Wipe Them Down
Wiping them down can be all you need to remove dirt and make sure your rubber mat or mats are looking as good as new again. This will just require a damp cloth or car wipe that you can find at most stores aimed at car owners.
Once the mats have been wiped down thoroughly, they will be dry and ready to go back into your car in no time.
Get Soapy
If a wipe isn’t enough to lift dirt, you may need to wash your mats with soap. You don’t need anything fancy, as dish soap will do the trick. Get a bucket of soapy water with a sponge and start removing dirt like you would on your car itself.
Dried mud and other dirt will respond well to the soapy water and start to come away easily. You don’t need high pressure or harsh soaps to do a good job of cleaning rubber car mats.
For floor mats with more grooves, you might find a soft bristle brush really helps. A soft bristle brush won’t damage the car mats but will get into those places that a sponge can’t reach.
Clean car floor mats look great, so make sure that you’ve gotten any dirt, spilled coffee or anything else that might have accumulated over the months.
Once the floor mats are sparkling, you should thoroughly rinse them afterwards. This ensures that there is no remaining dish soap on the mats that will eventually become sticky when dry, putting you right back to square one in no time.
Let Them Dry
Make sure to let your mats air dry completely, ideally in direct sunlight so that all the grooves and crevices can dry properly. If you have a microfiber towel, this might help you get the majority of water off the floor mat first.
If you are already doing a car wash, doing your mats first might be a good idea. That way you can let them dry thoroughly on a flat surface while you clean the rest of your car.
Book A Service with Race Auto Group
If you’re looking into cleaning your car floor mats, it’s likely that time of year when you are looking at your car and thinking it needs some TLC.
Cleaning your car mats is synonymous with cleaning the interior of your vehicle, which also goes with cleaning the outside too. While cleaning rubber mats is a good start, what your vehicle may really need is to be taken care of with a good servicing.
At Race Auto Group, we take car servicing very seriously. Their service department is dedicated to making sure that your car gets back on the road in a much better shape than when it came to them.
Getting your car serviced is one of those jobs that car owners put off until the last minute but is so worth it once it’s done. It’s for this very reason, that while you’re giving your car mats a clean, you should remind yourself to do the best thing for your vehicle and book a service.