Undeniably, a car is one of the most significant investments in everyone’s life. Whether you invest in a luxury or contemporary vehicle, paying attention to appropriate upkeeping is essential. The first decor your vehicle will need is a pair of car mats. Maintaining a car also involves caring for the car’s interior, from floors to dashboards. On that note, car floor mats are an absolute necessity and one cannot overlook the many functional and aesthetic benefits it holds. Your car floor can be pretty sensitive to absorbing dirt and mud from your shoes after a damp day. In such cases, a car wash isn’t the only solution. Investing in a pair of washable car floor mats is a sensible alternative.
How to clean and maintain car floor mats?
Australians spend around $50,000 on average buying a new car and furnishing it. Carpeting the car’s interior is one investment to make towards keeping up your vehicle’s value. However, maintaining and caring for floor mats is equally necessary. Car mats, like regular floor mats, are easy to maintain. However, they demand a different set of care, which may differ from other materials. For instance, caring for leather floor mats is different from rubber floor mats. Here is a list of tips to follow while washing and caring for your car mats without going wrong:
1. Always remove the mats to vacuum
It is always advisable to remove the floor mats from your car’s interior and clean them, even with mild vacuuming. To ensure this, always invest in a pair of removable floor mats. Removing the rugs from the interior and cleaning them is an effective way to get them 100% dust-free. With that said, always begin with shaking and dusting the carpet before other cleaning processes. You can use a duster brush or solely vacuum the surface to get rid of visible dust and other debris. The thumb rule is to brush down dust before applying any water-based cleaning agents.
2. Check the material
As already mentioned, the mat’s fabric determines what type of wash and care it demands. For instance, most rubber mats can get clean and clear by simply whacking them against the ground and washing them with water via a hose. For stubborn stains, use some mild rug spray or soap. Rewash the mat using water and air dry.
Despite that, if you want to wash your leather mats, several tips are there to keep in mind. Start by dusting the rug and then dip it into a solution made of mild leather-cleaning soap and water. Let the carpet soak for 10 minutes and air dry to use. However, ensure that the mats are not sensitive to leather cleaners. Check the label before washing.
3. Consider scrubbing
Sometimes, you might have to scrub off stubborn stains and dirt. Especially if your car mat is out of vinyl, scrubbing it can help achieve effective results. To scour these mats, ensure having a medium-bristled brush in supplies. For cleansing agents, you can use any detergent-based wash that generates ample foam so that scrubbing gets easier.
4. Pay attention to drying the mats
There cannot be anything worse than having wet mats stacked on your car’s floor. So, every time you wash a car mat, ensure that it is 100% dry before laying it in. The best way to efficiently dry floor mats on either side is to hand them outdoors. Keep them away from direct sunlight as too much exposure to the sun can stake their integrity. Use hangers to dry. Alternatively, clip the mats on a cloth rack to remove any moisture.
