Every time someone gets into your car, they bring in a bit of dust, dirt, or debris. Chances are your car interior has had its fair share of spills from food and beverage takeouts. Over time, all this mess call for cleaning, particularly the car mats. Now, for most people, cleaning car mats is a chore they would rather not do, but with a few tips, you would be surprised how easy taking your interior back to an appealing state can be.
Your car is one of your precious assets and giving it a good clean matters. However, a good clean is not just about getting a new air freshener every now and then, wiping down the dashboard, or cleaning the windows. It is more than that. Cleaning the mats is just as imperative and in this read, we are going to give you some tips and tricks that should help you get the best results.
Before You Clean the Mats
Before you embark on the cleaning, whether they are made of carpet or rubber, it's important to ensure that they have no rips or holes sustained from regular use. Rips and holes can lead to issues when cleaning and it is generally better to have them replaced instead.
The Importance of Keeping Your Car Mats Clean
Footwells and car mats tend to be the dirtiest parts of a vehicle. Dirt, dust, grime, water and twigs build-up will ultimately result in mold and rot in your car's interior if left unchecked. However, you need to keep things that keep other things clean, clean.
If you have invested in good quality car mats from Car Mats UK, cleaning them on a regular basis will help keep the interior of your precious car in good condition, ensuring that it's always looking good and fresh.
Tips For Cleaning Rubber Mats
The best rubber mats usually feature a penny or diamond raised pattern to help trap and keep water or dirt from running off. More often than not, giving the mats a proper shake followed by a wipe with a dry cloth loosens up, releases, and gets rid of most of the dirt. If the dirt is dried, you may want to thoroughly wash and dry the mats. Avoid doing this using washing and drying machine as it may result in tears or holes. Here are some essential tips for cleaning car mats made of rubber:
-For a deeper clean, brush down or vacuum the mats before you apply any water. This will get rid of any debris and the first layer of dirt.
-Once vacuumed or brushed down, take a high-pressure hose to apply a mild cleaning solution ideal for rubber. Take a stiff-bristled brush to gently work the solution all over the mats. This should help remove any remaining dirt. Take your time here, and ensure you scrub all the ridges. You can also use warm soapy water and a clean sponge as an alternative.
-Next, rinse down the mats with the same hose until all the cleaning solution and dirt have been washed off.
-The next step is to allow the mats to dry. First, wipe them with a microfiber towel or cloth to remove most of the water and then leave them to dry naturally, but not in direct sunlight. Leaving your rubber car mats in direct sunlight will only cause them to fade and become vulnerable to cracks and tears. Also, ensure they are completely dry before putting them back into your vehicle.
A word of warning and bonus tip...Be careful when applying rubber or vinyl protection to your car mats. Some products will make them unsafe and slippy and can prevent water from washing off dirt when cleaning them down the road. If you are not sure a certain product will work, try it or do some research before applying it.
Tips For Cleaning Carpet Mats
Cleaning carpet mats calls for a bit of extra work, compared to their counterparts, but the results are well worth it. Carpet car or van mats tend to take longer to dry compared to rubber ones, but if you are dealing with a single dirty spot, there's no need to clean the entire mat. The same cleaning method applies to carpet mats, and the same applies to using a washing machine and dryer. That's because most of them have a rubber backing, which sustains damage if you use these machines. Here are a few useful tips for cleaning carpet car mats:
-Brush off or vacuum any debris or loose dirt. The more you can get rid of at this stage, the easier the cleaning process will be. Depending on the mat's thickness, you may need to repeat this step a few times. Of course, it's hard to remove all the dirt with this step alone, especially if it's been a while before you last cleaned the mats.
-After removing the first dirt layer, the next step entails deep cleaning. One of the easiest ways to go about this is using a carpet cleaner. If not, you can it the local hardware store or supermarket and get carpet cleaning solutions. They usually come with a brush nozzle, which should make the cleaning easier. Also, you can simply take a suitable brush, a conventional carpet cleaning solution, and get to town. After brushing the solution into the carpet, rinse as necessary.
If you just need to clean one stain spot, apply the cleaning solution to a cloth and dab it on the region. Using a clean and dry cloth, remove the excess solution and leave it to dry. You can repeat this process as required until you get the desired results.
-When done with the above step, it's time for drying. For this step, find a nice sunny patch, lie the mat down, carpet side up and let the heat do its work. Sun-drying carpets helps prevent mildew or damp smell and so ensure they are completely dry before putting them back in your car or van.
-If you wish to take the extra step, you can go over the mats again, this time using a steam cleaner. Also, you may want to apply a freshener before vacuuming them again using a non-steam vacuum.
And there you have it, a few simple and straightforward tips for cleaning the two most common types of car mats. Apply these and your car interior will remain fresh and good looking without spending a fortune.