Your floor mats are dirtier than you realize – here's how to clean them in 20 minutes.
You can't see what's in front of you but the facts about your household and vehicle mats are enormous. Research indicates that floor mats can retain up to 85% of dirt that comes into your home or car. Each time you enter, your shoes trap a mixture of outside dirt, allergens, bacteria and moisture in the fibers or ridges of your mats. They are the ultimate buster for dirt and keep it from all over your hardwood floors, carpets or vehicle floorboards. But, there is a limit to how much a trap can contain before it overflows.
When was the last time you did a proper, not a vacuumed, clean on your mat? Like most people, it's probably months since you have given them a thorough cleaning, or it may be that you have never done so. Vacuuming will pick up the loose top layer debris, but will not clean the ground-in mud, oils and bacteria that will cause odors and deterioration over time.
Fortunately, it's not too difficult to return them to pristine condition without needing the professional cleaning service or an expensive car wash. This all-in-one solution will provide you with a straightforward step by step solution to clean any mat in your home or car, stain solutions for common household messes and a definitive drying guide to ensure your mats remain fresh and free of mold.
What Kind of Mat Do You Have?
In order to buy a bucket of water and begin scrubbing, you need to know what your mat is made from. Washing the mat incorrectly depending on the type of mat can be detrimental to its health, so this step is important. Excessive water or intensive scrubbing can damage delicate foams or cause them to rot if excessive water is used on a natural fiber. Look for the type of mat you have below and follow the proper care guidelines for your mat.
1. Rubber Mats
They are very durable, waterproof, and are frequently found in cars, garages, and kitchens. They have a deep channel and ridges that will catch heavy mud, snow and liquid spills. They are easy to wash, but can attract a film of oil and grease if not washed. Proper car mat rubber cleaning is the best way to preserve the value of your vehicle's interior.
2. Fabric or Carpet Mats
They are found in bedrooms, living rooms and the typical car interior, and are created using woven synthetic fibres such as nylon or polyester or natural fibres such as cotton. Relaxed on foot and absorb liquids and oils very quickly, do not resist deep stains and fibre matting. Fabric Floor Mats are essential for ensuring that your floors remain clean and hygienic. And when it comes to caring for them, knowing how to wash fabric floor mats without flattening the pile is crucial for their longevity.
3. Coir Mats
These are the mats which are frequently found at your front door, but they are rough and bristly. Coir mats consist of natural coconut husk fiber with a vinyl or rubber backing and are renowned for their ability to remove stubborn mud and dirt from the soles of boots. They, however, being organic, are very sensitive to oversaturation and have to be treated in a completely different way from a synthetic material to prevent doormat clean-up failures.
4. Memory Foam Mats
Bathroom or kitchen mats are designed to be soft, comforting, and to relieve pressure. They have a polyurethane foam middle and are lined with a microfiber outer layer. They have great water absorption effects before shower, are good for joint relief at kitchen sink, but are highly porous, they are easy to trap soap residues within and moisture so they must be handled carefully so as to avoid breaking the core and mold growth.
What You Need (You Probably Have It Already)
No trips to the store or any special chemical formulas required for this project. In fact, using tough commercial cleaners can remove protective treatments from rubber or dissolve the fabric glues that bond fabric mats.
Before starting, grab these household items:
● Dish soap or mild laundry detergent: Great at removing surface oils and dirt that's stuck in the ground.
● Baking soda, the magic ingredient used to get rid of strong odors, absorb moisture and clean with a little bit of elbow grease.
● A stiff bristled scrub brush or an old toothbrush: Essential for moving dirt out of deep piles, rubber ridges or molded textured carpet.
● A warm bucket of water or a bathtub/hose outdoors to rinse the raised dirt away from your skin: For rinsing your soap and washing the raised dirt away from your skin.
● A microfiber cloth or dry towel: To absorb any extra water and clean smooth surfaces at the end.
That's it. If the mat is not very dirty or has severe chemical contamination, no special mat cleaner will be necessary.
How to Clean Your Mat - Step by Step
You've now located your material and collected your supplies, now it's time to get to work! This universal five-step is a kind of cleaning guide which will make the cleaning process go smoothly, and you don't need to put much effort into the cleaning work, but you will get many benefits.
Step 1: Shake it out
Remove loose dirt, dust and gravel by taking the mat outside and shaking it vigorously, held securely at the corners. If the mats are bigger and heavier, hang them over a deck railing or a strong clothesline and beat them with the back of a broom. A cloud of dust will probably billow from the material. Don't skimp this, washing a dirty mat will only spread the dirt around and make loose dust into a muddy paste that penetrates more into the backing or fibers.
Step 2: Brush off dry dirt first
Place the mat on a clean outdoors area or garage floor. Sweep the surface with a dry, stiff bristle scrub brush, focusing on corners, seams and deep textures. When brushing fabric mats, do it in several different directions to get rid of any pet hair or stuck-on dirt that is trapped in the fabric. This loosens dried mud on the edges of mats made of rubber. The remainder of the cleaning is much easier because most of the solids have been removed and then moisture is added.
Step 3: Wash the mat
Here is where you will use different techniques depending on what material you've determined in Section 1:
● Rubber mats: Fill a bucket with warm water and add some dish soap. Soak the scrub brush and go to work scrubbing off the surface. Brush in the areas around corners and shoe crevices where dirt tends to accumulate. To clean rubber car mats, use a garden hose to remove the surface film, then scrub away.
● Fabric mats: Add a tablespoon of mild laundry detergent to the warm water. Dip brush in suds and scrub in circular motions to put soap in carpet fibers. Avoid over-wetting the backing because heavy wetting can cause deterioration of the non-slip rubberized bottom. Or look at the care label, a lot of fabric bath and accent mats are machine washable on a gentle and cold-water cycle.
● Natural fibers require a minimalist touch - coir mats. Do not soak it, it should be spot cleaned with a damp cloth in a very diluted soap solution. When the mat is fully saturated with water, the fibers of the coconut will soften, swell and over time rot, thereby compromising the integrity of the doormat. Only clean those areas where you see dirt.
● Memory foam mats: Soft foam mats need some finesse to maintain the internal foam structures. Only wash your hands in a bathtub or large basin with cool, soapy water. Place the mat in the water and slowly push the soapy water through the top layer of the mat. Gently squeeze the dirty water out (don't wring, twist, or bunch up the mat), since the internal memory foam is very fragile.
Step 4: Rinse well
After the grime is removed, all soap residue needs to be removed. When using rubber or tough fabric mats, use a garden hose or a portable shower head to run clean, running water over the top of the mat until all the water is clear. If you have a memory foam mat, empty your basin, refill it with clean water and repeat pressing down in the water several times to remove the soap from the foam core. Ensure that all soap is removed, Residual soap on the mats will attract future dirt and will cause the mats to become soiled twice as quickly.
Step 5: Dry completely before putting it back
This is the one thing everyone rushes on, and the result is mold, mildew, structural rot and foul odors that stay inside your house or car. Do not put a damp mat on a car or floor of a hardwood house. When a damp mat is under a new installation, it's a breeding ground for bacteria because there is no oxygen flow under the mat. For more details on drying, refer to the details below in Section 5.
How to Remove Tough Stains and Bad Smells
However, sometimes, a general wash is not sufficient to deal with specific, deep-rooted problems. Use this handy cheat sheet to detect specific issues and perform quick removal stains from mats.
|
Stain / Problem Type |
Targeted Solution |
Application Method |
|
Pet Stains & Accidents |
Enzyme-based cleaner |
Blot up excess liquid immediately. Spray an enzyme cleaner directly onto the area; regular soap won't fully remove the uric acid crystals that cause the smell to linger and attract pets back to the same spot. |
|
Caked-On Mud |
Patience and dry brushing |
Let it dry first, then brush it off before washing. Washing wet mud makes it worse by driving the liquefied dirt particles deep into the base weave of the fabric or spreading it across rubber channels. |
|
Grease, Oil, & Food |
Concentrated dish soap |
Apply a few drops of high-quality grease-cutting dish soap directly onto the stain. Wait 5 minutes to allow the surfactants to break the chemical bonds of the oil, then scrub firmly with an old toothbrush. |
|
Lingering Bad Smells |
Baking soda treatment |
For an overall bad smell with no visible stain, sprinkle a generous layer of dry baking soda across the entire surface. Leave it overnight to absorb ambient odors, then shake or vacuum it off completely the next morning. |
|
Mold or Mildew |
White vinegar solution |
Mix equal parts water and white vinegar in a spray bottle. Scrub the affected areas thoroughly with a brush, rinse lightly, and dry in the sun to utilize natural ultraviolet sterilization. |
How to Dry Your Mat the Right Way
The number one cause of damaged floor mats is improper drying. Excessive moisture under the mat causes damage to the flooring below, delaminates rubber back up and ruins soft surface properties that you love. Be sure to thoroughly air dry your mat before returning it to the floor. Hang it over a clothesline, clothes hanger, or on a flat surface, such as a lawn chair, that is clean and raised. Avoid folding the sheet while it is still damp, since it can form pockets of water that tear the rubber backing materials and crack the sheet.
The drying times are quite different depending on materials:
Rubber mats: 1-2 hours in sun, then wipe with a microfiber towel to remove beads of water on the surface, then let the ambient heat dry the rest of the water from the textured tracks.
Fabric mats: 3-5 hours out of direct, intense sunlight to avoid fading. If the manufacturer's care label says it's safe, put it in a dryer on low heat; too much heat will damage non-slip rubber backings.
Memory foam mats: 4-6 hours or longer. The foam core is like a sponge and will trap moisture, so hang it in a high air-flow space. Don't put in a dryer, because the tumbling and heat will destroy the polyurethane core.
Coir mats: Leave in a well-ventilated and dry place for a few hours. Avoid direct exposures to extreme heat from the sun as it can make natural fibres dry and brittle and shed easily.
As a pro-tip, clean your mat on a sunny morning so that it's clean by evening. This helps to exploit the sun's hottest hours and means that you will not be without floor protection during the night.
Conclusion
Keeping your floor mats clean does not require elaborate gear or hours of tedious labor. By following the simple framework of shake, wash, rinse, and dry, you can eliminate up to 85% of the hidden dirt lurking right beneath your feet. Your mat touches the ground every day. Give it five minutes of your time. Take action today by pulling out your worst-looking mat and giving it a fresh start. Bookmark this page for your next seasonal cleaning day, share it with a friend whose car interior needs some attention, or read our next guide on deep-cleaning high-traffic household carpets.
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