How to Clean Car Floor Mats

Even if you love your car and take great care of it, chances are your floor mats are going to get a bit dirty after a while. Luckily, floor mats protect your vehicle’s interior so that everything stays spic and span. However, every once in a while you’ll probably want to clean your car’s floor mats. Whether you and your passengers have tracked in mud or dirt or you’ve accidentally spilled some coffee during your Mesa commute, things happen! Let’s learn how to clean your car’s floor mats so you’re prepared the next time you want to spruce up your ride. We hope you rely on us for all your car care tips, from cleaning floor mats to removing stickers from your car.

Cleaning Your Car’s Floor Mats: Supplies

You’ll need a couple of things before you get started. Here are the necessities based on the type of floor mats your vehicle has:

• Rubber Floor Mats: Wondering how to clean rubber floor mats? You’ll need a vacuum, rubber floor mat cleaner, a stiff bristle brush, a hose or bucket of water, and a microfiber towel or a place to hang your mats while they dry.
• Carpet Floor Mats: Carpet floor mats are slightly more difficult to clean, but you’ll need a lot of the same materials. You’ll need a vacuum, carpet floor mat cleaner, a brush, a hose or bucket of water, and a place to hang your mats. If you have a wet vac on hand, you can use that instead of hanging your mats to dry.

How to Clean Rubber Floor Mats

First, let’s dive into how to clean your rubber floor mats! To begin, you’ll want to remove the mats from your vehicle to avoid damaging the interior with water. Next, you’ll want to follow these steps:

• Shake out the mats away from your car/anything you don’t want to get wet
• Rinse the mats with water to get the bulk of the dirt and grime off
• Use your rubber mat cleaner with a stiff bristle brush to scrub away any additional dirt or debris.
• Rinse the mats clean, making sure to get rid of any excess cleaning product.
• Dry the mats with a microfiber towel or hang them up to dry. Before you put your rubber mats back inside your car, you’ll want to make sure they are completely dry.

How to Clean Carpet Floor Mats

Have carpet floor mats in your car? Similarly to their rubber mat counterparts, the carpet mats should be removed before you start cleaning. Next, you’ll follow these instructions:

• Vacuum the floor mats to remove dirt that has seeped into the fabric.
• Shake the floor mats and hit them against a hard surface (you’ll want to do this outside). This helps remove dust and dirt particles.
• Use a cleaner on the floor mats, making sure to follow application directions from the product you chose — instructions can vary by brand, so be careful to read the directions!
• Continue cleaning by scrubbing the mats to remove any stains.
• Rinse thoroughly after you’re done cleaning, and make sure you fully rinse out the cleaning product.
• If you own a wet vac, you can vacuum your floor mats again to remove additional dirt while simultaneously cutting down the drying time.
• If you don’t have a wet vac, simply hang your mats to dry! Again, be sure that your mats are fully dry before putting them back in your car.

Rely on Cactus Jack's Auto for All Things Auto!

Now that you know how to clean your floor mats, you and your vehicle are ready to hit the Surprise streets once more. If you have any other questions about car detailing or simply want general car care tips, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at your convenience! We’re here to help with whatever you need, whether that’s learning how to properly wash a car or how to clean your leather seats. We hope to be your resource for all things car care tips in the Glendale area!