Simple way to clean car mats ??

MSC6

MSC6

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Sep 23, 2008
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I need to clean some truck floor mats for a friend. It's a new truck but it's used to take care of some horses and the mats are dirty/muddy. No real ground in heavy stains but just messy overall. I don't have any special carpet cleaners or an extractor. Is there a basic way recommended to clean them with some OTC products. I was planning on just scrubbing and rinsing. Should I use an APC , laundry soap, OTC carpet cleaner ? Thanks for any info you can give.

And yes, she is getting some protective rubber mats but the damage is already done.
 
I would use a light APC mixture and then spray them down with a pressure washer. You will be amazed at what comes out...
 
Great, thank you both ! I was thinking about using the power washer, now I will for sure. :props:
 
I would blow, then vacuum, then APC with a carpet brush, then power wash, then extract with a wet/vac and then blow again.

I used this procedure for an 06 Toy Sienna Minivan that hadn't been cleaned in years with 3 kids and the mats and interior came out like new. (Didn't power wash the carpets)
 
inyadreems said:
I would blow, then vacuum, then APC with a carpet brush, then power wash, then extract with a wet/vac and then blow again.

I used this procedure for an 06 Toy Sienna Minivan that hadn't been cleaned in years with 3 kids and the mats and interior came out like new. (Didn't power wash the carpets)
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While I don't doubt at all that your results were great, there is a little more front end work than would be necessary in my opinion.

I have cleaned hundreds of mats this way:
•Pull them out of the car
•Beat the loose dirt out with my hand
•Pressure wash them until you rinse clean
•Use APC or cleaner of choice with brush on trouble spots/stains
•Pressure wash them until you rinse clean
•Depending on time, wet-vac then let air dry, or if you have time (and it is hot and sunny) just let them air dry.

I know that may not sound like a big deal, but when you are working against a clock it matters. On mats that aren't that bad, I usually only have to do the first three steps (+ the drying). Crank the pressure washer up and let it work for you. It amazing what a forced water "rinse" will get rid of.

Clean is clean, period. Anything not clean is dirty, it's that simple. You can't even preface clean with an adverb like "really" or "very" and be correct, so don't over complicate things. Just get them clean. :)

DLB
 
MSC6 said:
I need to clean some truck floor mats for a friend. It's a new truck but it's used to take care of some horses and the mats are dirty/muddy. No real ground in heavy stains but just messy overall. I don't have any special carpet cleaners or an extractor. Is there a basic way recommended to clean them with some OTC products. I was planning on just scrubbing and rinsing. Should I use an APC , laundry soap, OTC carpet cleaner ? Thanks for any info you can give.

And yes, she is getting some protective rubber mats but the damage is already done.
Click to expand...

How much time do you have?

I have some floormats from my parents' vehicle that needed a good cleaning. No stains, but with my regular Shop Vac, I couldn't get ALL of the dust and fine dirt out.

I vacuumed and beat them out really well, from there I misted them with 1:1 Simple green, agitated with a stiff brush, and used a hose with sprayer head to drench them. I rinsed them until the water came out clear.

No super special tools here, I worked with what I had, and let them air dry in the garage. Now they're super clean and don't smell at all, and that brownish tint they had before is all gone!

If you've got more tools, by all means use them, but if you need something simple and effective, you can't go wrong with this routine. Obviously, the only downside is the wait time for drying, which was not an issue since I had the car at my disposal. :props:
 
Heck if they fit a washing machine throw them in, I have done it multiple times! I do not have an extractor, powerwasher, etc. But I will put some light apc on it before I put them in.
 
While i dont have a extractor I usually will use some of the Chemical Guys Fabric Clean (diluted 10:1) and scrub the spots that are really stubborn. After cleaning I use a drying towel to absorb all the dirt and the mats come out clean every time. This gets everything but the worst of stains and in that case i will use the product at 1:1 for very heavy duty leaning (only had to do that once though).
 
TroyScherer said:
I would use a light APC mixture and then spray them down with a pressure washer. You will be amazed at what comes out...
Click to expand...

:iagree: This is the best solution I've ever seen.

Spray it on, allow the solution to soak then power wash and rinse.
 
I don't have an extractor or a pressure washer either. I first agitate with a stiff brush, then vacuum, spray lots of diluted Meg's APC+ on the mats, agitate with brush soaked in hot water (I keep a bowl of clean hot water near by for this), then wipe dry with a black microfiber towel...some of my "work-horse" ones dedicated to carpets.

I got some of the DA polisher brush attachments so I'm interested in trying those out instead of agitating by hand. Has anyone used those hook and loop brushes?

Also, I'm curious to try "washing" mats like some people have mentioned. I would only be able to use the fire-hose nozzle level of pressure but it seems to work well. Anyone tried this method below?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7xRz90X_nA
 
USe your favorate Automotive Carpet cleaner( Meguiars, Tuff Stuff, etc) and a hand brush along with water. I first spray the cleaner on the stain to get it loosen the dirt, after about 5 minutes I begin soaking my brush with water and scrubbing the carpet untill its clean. Next I rinse the floor mats off then I vacuum the excess water with a shop vac. Nothing fancy if you are doing this as a weekend project. After the mats are completely dry, I spray 303 fabric guard on the mats that way they are easier to clean next time.
 
I'd go to the quarter carwash and use the hangers/clamps on the wall and use the low pressure on the wand, everything should come out, $2.00 or so.

Sent from my SPH-M930 using AG Online
 
My method has been rinsing with water, sprinkle some powered laundry detergent, scrub with a broom, rinse, and suck out the water with a wet/dry vac. Not the most professional but works great and there's no need for specialty equipment.
 
When I see what collects on my vinyl mats I think goodness I don't have carpeted mats. No doubt the advice here is good, but I would make sure I had a sacrificial mat on top that I would plan on replacing every three years or so. There's only so much we can do on the cleaning front.
 
A good set of water retaining floor mats are worth a lot when you use a vehicle like this owner does. I think there's plenty of info on how to get them clean. Time to convince to owner to get a good set of mats appropriate for the truck.
 
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