It is inevitable that dirt and grime from your shoes, spills from food and drinks, and anything that you put into your car will land on your floor mats. All floor mats will eventually get stained over time and really dirty if they are not cleaned. Making the time to give your car a proper cleaning including your car floor mats can be challenging. There are many different types of rubber and carpet floor mats, but generally cleaning car floor mats is the same. We recommend always checking your vehicle manufacture recommendations and testing your cleaning method in a small area first. We have many car care products that make detailing your car's interior and exterior, a more enjoyable experience.

Here is our step-by-step guide on cleaning your car's floor mats so you can maintain a clean, hygienic car.

What You Will Need To Clean Floor Mats

Make sure you have everything you need to thoroughly clean your car's floor mats before beginning. Here’s what you’ll need:

1. Vacuum

2. Soap

3. Scrub Brush

4. All-Purpose Cleaner - APC (Optional)

5. Interior Detailer (Optional)

6. Scrapper (Optional)

7. A bucket

8. Water hose

9. Air Compressor (Optional)

How to Clean Rubber Floor Mats

1. Remove

   The floor mats should be removed from your car to avoid getting moisture on important places like the brakes and the clutch.

2. Vacuum and Shake

   Shake off your mats to get the loose dirt off. Then continue to place them on a flat surface. Make sure that the area around is ok to get a bit dirty. Grab your vacuum to remove the remaining debris, dust, and hard particles stuck into the rubber grooves. Remember to vacuum the area under the floor mats in your car.

3. Scrap

   If your floor mats have anything that is sticky or stuck to the rubber, take a scraper and remove the grime the best that you can. Make sure to be careful to not scrap too hard so you don't damage your mats.

4. Scrub or Pressure Wash

   Rubber floor mats are able to withstand a pressure washer. After pressure washing them, add some soap or apply some of our APC (All Purpose Cleaner) and scrub the mats using a stiff scrub brush until the remaining dirt is removed. The nice thing about using pressurized water is it can get into small crevices in the floor mat that is hard to get with a scrub brush.

Rinse & Dry the Mats

To remove any remaining dirt or carpet cleaner, rinse the mats with a hose or a bucket of water and let air dry. An alternative to air drying is using a wet/dry shop vac to vacuum up the liquid from the mats. Once they are dry, put the car floor mats back into your vehicle.

How to Clean Carpet Floor Mats

1. Remove and Shake

   The floor mats should be removed from your car to avoid getting moisture on important places like the brake and gas pedals. You also do not want to get moisture on the carpet under the mats because it can cause mold.

   Shake the floor mats out to remove any loose debris.

   Place the mats on a flat surface and make sure the area around is ok to get a bit dirty.

2. Vacuum

   Grab your vacuum and remove remaining dirt, dust, and other particles. Also, vacuum the area under the floor mats in your car, this will give it a nice clean area to return to.

3. Scrap

   If your floor mats have anything that is sticky or stuck on, take your scraper and remove the grime the best that you can.

4. Scrub

   Add some soap or APC (All Purpose Cleaner) to your bucket. Then scrub the mats using a stiff scrub brush until the dirt is all removed.

   You may need to use a commercial spray-on carpet cleaner for your floor mats if they are heavily soiled. Follow your floor mat cleaning instructions if you have them.

   Tip: You can put your carpet floor mats in a machine washer but make sure it is on a delicate setting. Pause your washer mid-cycle after it has agitated for a few and let the floor mat sit and soak for a while, maybe an hour or so. Then use a pre-rinse cycle and if your mats need it, add an extra rinse cycle. After they are done, lay them out in the sun to dry or use the other methods shown down below.

   Note: Never place any floor mats in a dryer.

5. Rinse & Dry the Mats

   To remove any remaining dirt or carpet cleaner, rinse the mats with a hose or a bucket of water and let air dry. One alternative to air drying is using a wet/dry shop vac to vacuum up the liquid from the mats. Another alternative is using an air compressor to dry your mats. Once they are dry, put the car floor mats back into your vehicle.

   Note: It is important that carpet mats are completely dry before putting them back in your vehicle. This will help avoid causing any damp smells in your vehicle.

Conclusion

🫧 Maintaining a clean and organized vehicle includes regular cleaning of the interior including your floor mats. Maintaining your mats by making them look nice and smelling fresh will make your car more enjoyable to ride in and it might just increase the life of your floor mats. You can easily clean the floor mats by using the right products, tools, and cleaning methods, but we highly recommend checking out our 5-Star rated Ethos All-Purpose Cleaner or our 5-Star rated interior detailer on your car!