Quick and Easy Tips on How to Clean Car Floor Mats
Nothing can be as convenient as having your very own car. When you have a car, it means that you can go anywhere you like, anytime you want. But, of you want your car to look new all the time, one of the things you should know is how to clean car floor mats.
Rubber and carpet floor mats can get dirty. So, when your floor mats look like they can use a good clean, make sure you give them the pampering they need right away.
Preparing your car and gathering all the materials you will need for cleaning is the first step of cleaning your floor mats. There are different ways of cleaning car floor mats and this depends on the specific material that the mat is made of.
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How to Clean Car Carpet Floor Mats
The very first step in cleaning carpet floor mats is removing them from inside your car. See to it that you remove the floor mat and lay it down on a flat surface.
Use a car vacuum to get rid of all the dust and dirt from the floor mat. Make sure you don’t rush through this process since you want to ensure that the floor mat is free from any dust before you clean it using hot water. You might also want to use a vacuum for cleaning the other side of the floor mat.
Once you are sure that no more speck of dust has been left behind on the mat, plain old vinegar or carpet cleaning solution should be sprayed on top of the mat. Actually, it is enough to clean the carpet with just plain white vinegar. You don’t need to worry or bother about the smell since after you dried up the carpet out in the sun, the vinegar’s sour smell will just go away.
Remember that you aren’t supposed to soak the mat wet. A simple spray will do. After spraying a cleaning solution or vinegar over the mat, you can use the brush to remove the stains and salt that remained. Avoid scrubbing too harshly as it might end up damaging the material of the carpet. This step can be repeated twice to ensure better cleaning.
Rinse the vinegar off as well as the dust that you removed during the scrubbing. Attach a high pressure nozzle to your hose if you got one to push away the dust from the carpet. Don’t forget to rinse every part of the carpet, including the back portion.
Lastly, allow the carpet to drop and leave it to dry under the sun. You could also hang it with clothespins.
How to Clean Car Floor Mats Made from Rubber
Even though rubber mats are made from completely different materials than carpet, cleaning them still follow the same steps. There is one difference though, and that is instead of using vinegar or cleaner, you also need to use a dishwashing liquid or laundry powder and mix this with equal parts of water.
Remove the rubber floor mats from the car then use high pressure hose for rinsing off dust and dirt from them. It would be ideal that you rinse the mat first so that your brush doesn’t get into direct contact with dust and dirt.
Dip the brush into the combination of water and soap and scrub the floor mat. With the material made from rubber, it would be much better if you scrub a bit harder to ensure that you can remove any dried up stains. Make the most out of using the brush to scrub every corner of the mat. Don’t forget cleaning the other side as well.
If you think that you already scrubbed the rubber mat clean enough, you can rinse it with the use of high pressure hose to ensure that you removed both the soap and dirt. Additional scrubs might be necessary if you still spot some stubborn stains.
An extra step to the cleaning process is spraying vinegar on the damp rubber floor mats. It will help further ensure the cleanliness of your mats. Similar to carpet floor mats, you don’t need to worry about any stench left behind since it will soon be gone.
Since it is easy to wipe rubber floor mats dry, you can use microfiber towel for wiping them. You can also lay them out under the sun for them to dry faster and better.
Tips to Remove Stains from Carpet and Rubber Floor Mats
It doesn’t matter if you are using carpet or rubber floor mats, there will always be instances that some stains are more difficult to remove. It can be because a long time already passed before you washed them off.
In such cases, the best thing you can do is prepare the mixture of vinegar, soap, and baking soda. The only thing you need is half a cup of liquid dishwashing soap, one cup of vinegar, and one cup of baking soda. Combine all the three together then put them inside a spray bottle. Spray the mixture on the spots where there are still stains. It will also help if you can spray nearby areas and allow the solution to sit for several minutes. Use a towel or brush to wipe the stain using circular motion.
If the mixture is still too mild for the specific stain in question, you can go to the hardware store to purchase a carpet cleaner. Carpet cleaners have different ingredients but you can inquire about the types of stains that can be removed using the product. Car cleaners can easily remove stains thanks to their specific formulas.
If your car floor mat has grease stains, it will help to use paint thinner. You only need to apply a very small amount on clean towel then gently wipe off the grease stain. Apply salt over it to ensure that the oil will be absorbed. You can vacuum it after several hours or let it dry outside.
By knowing how to clean car floor mats, you can be sure that your car will always look and smell new.
