Cleaning the dried mud and spilled coffee off your rubber car mats is quick and easy with a high-pressure garden hose and a squeeze of dish soap.
Introduction
Rubber car mats may not be as attractive as cloth mats, but they're a lot easier to clean. A highly pressurized garden hose will do the heavy lifting, and you can use that bottle of soap by your kitchen sink to erase the memory of your spilled coffee.
Cleaning rubber mats too often or with harsh soaps will actually wear them out sooner than your own feet, but a simple cleaning once a year will help the mats protect the carpeting underneath.
Tools Required
- Five gallon bucket
- Garden hose
- Garden hose spray nozzle
- Soft-bristle brush
- Vacuum with crevice tool
Materials Required
- Mild dish soap
Project step-by-step (4)
Step 1
Remove the Mats
- Vacuum your mats before removing them from your car. “This is an often overlooked step that dumps dust and debris everywhere if not done,” says Parham Koukia, operations manager at Panda Hub.
- Take all of the mats out of the car and lay them on a flat surface.
- Vacuum the floor carpet underneath the mats.
Step 2
Spray the Mats
- Rinse the mats with the hose with the high pressure nozzle on a jet stream setting to remove dirt, dust and hard particles. “If you want to, spray them down with your cleaning solution and let them sit for a minute or so,” says Koukia.
- Give the mats a shake after spraying.
If you have access to a high-pressure washer, it can make it easier to remove stubborn grime. “Just make sure the water can run down to prevent stains and don’t put the nozzle too close to the mats, because some pressure washers are strong enough to damage the rubber,” says Zabitis.
If you’re unsure about how far away you need to be, start at a long distance and move closer to test it out, says Koukia. “If you can, turn down the pressure,” he says. “You may also soak yourself if you get up close on high pressure.”
Step 3
Scrub with Soap
- Squeeze a generous dollop of liquid dish soap into the bucket. You can also use an all-purpose cleaner or specialized rubber cleaner.
- Fill the bucket with an inch or two of water to mix with the soap.
- Dip the soft-bristle brush in the soapy water and then scrub the mats, paying extra attention to any stains and scrubbing in all the grooves. “Don’t use harsh brushes, especially if you care about the aesthetics of your rubber floor mats, as they can scratched and damaged more easily than you may think,” says Zabitis.
- Spot clean any stubborn areas.
“When it comes to cleaning products, there’s no need to go crazy with serious chemicals, such as bleach,” says Zabitis. “Most basic cleaners work great on rubber and plastics, and if the final result doesn’t satisfy you, just repeat the process, and you should get a better result.”
Step 4
Rinse the Mats
- Spray the mats again with the high-pressure garden hose to rinse away the soap.
- Let the mats air dry completely on both sides by laying them flat in full sunshine or hanging them over a railing. Hand drying them first can speed up this process.
- Re-install the clean mats. “Don’t place them back into your car unless they’re fully dry or they can trap moisture between themselves and carpet and lead to some pretty musty situations,” says Koukia.
When you’re done, do not use silicon trim sealant, says Koukia. “It will be slipperier than wet ice, making it a genuine danger to get in and out of your car,” he says. “It may seem like a good idea if you randomly find it in your garage, but it never ends well. If there are sealants you’d like to use, ensure they’re intended for that purpose.”
About the Experts
- Parham Koukia is lead detailer and operations manager at Panda Hub in Toronto. He has spent more than a decade mastering the art of car detailing, after turning his passion for automobiles into his profession.
- Evaldas Zabitis is an automotive expert at carVertical.
