Can I Wash My Car Mats in the Washing Machine? Learn How to Clean Car Mats the Easy Way!

The weather is finally warming up, and with it your desire to travel and explore new places. But first you need to take care of your car, since you probably haven’t had the urge to give it a good cleaning all these cold months, right? But now is definitely the time to do just that to ensure a comfortable journey for you and your family to destinations near and far. And of course, in this regard, we can’t do without a thorough cleaning of the car’s floor mats, which is the topic of this article. Find the answers to many questions, such as how to clean car mats and whether you can use your washing machine for this purpose, in the following lines!

How to Clean Car Mats?

Cleaning your car mats is optional and does not affect your safety while travelling. However, we have to admit that a clean interior is much more pleasant, and the fact that you can handle it yourself is another reason to do it. Throw away the unnecessary things, wipe off the dust and tackle the car mats. How to clean them and are there easy and quick ways, let’s find out!

Can I Wash My Car Mats in the Washing Machine?

In general, it is not recommended to use the washing machine to clean car mats. Most of the mats that are placed in the interior of the car are made of rubber. Of course, there are also those made of fabric, but again, they have rubber parts such as edges or bottoms. The problem isn’t that you’ll get them wet, it’s that the washing machine spins them. Actually, just a few spins are enough to warp the mats, or in the worst case, they’ll tear, stretch and generally be destroyed.

What You Need to Keep in Mind When Cleaning Car Mats?

As we have already mentioned, car mats can be made from a variety of materials, the most common being rubber and fabric. The cleaning process depends on the material used, and we’ll take a look at these two most popular options. There are significant differences when cleaning rubber and fabric car mats, with only the preparation stage being similar.

Before you start with washing the car mats, you need to remove them from the interior of the car, place them on a flat surface so that you are comfortable working. For the rubber mats, you can use a soft-bristled brush to remove all the dust, crumbs and accumulated dirt, while for the fabric mats, you need to use a car vacuum cleaner.

Cleaning rubber car mats

Rubber mats are the easiest to clean as they do not absorb dirt, and it always remains on the surface. Of course, this leads to the need to wash the mats more often, as once they get dirty, it is immediately visible.

Start by taking the rubber mats out and shaking them so that most of the dirt falls off. Mix liquid soap and water and use this cleaning solution and a brush or sponge to scrub well. Rinse with clean water.

In some cases, even if you wash the mat with just a hose, this will be enough to remove all the dirt. Keep in mind, however, that the water should not be very hot as the high temperature can deform the rubber.

You should then place the carpet in an upright position, i.e. hang it somewhere so it can dry. Or you can use a microfiber cloth to absorb all the moisture.

2 Easy Ways to Clean Fabric Car Mats

Fabric car mats should also be cleaned and washed by hand, as they can get ruined in the washing machine – if they have rubber parts, and also their fibers can also be damaged by the intense spinning. That’s why we’ve prepared two easy ways to clean fabric mats – wet and dry – that are worth a try!

Again, you need to start by removing the mats from the car and shaking them so that the dust and most of the dirt falls out.

Wet Cleaning

After the initial steps, move on to wet cleaning. All you need is water and detergent (laundry detergent or soap would do a great job) to make the best car mat cleaner. Mix some of your chosen detergent with warm water and apply to the carpet using a soft brush, scrubbing as you go. Rinse the mat with clean water – it’s best to use a hose, as a pressure washer can damage the fabric. Do NOT squeeze fabric car mats after washing to avoid deforming them – hang them to wring out and dry.

Dry Cleaning

You can also just use a vacuum cleaner to clean the fabric mats if they are not that dirty. In fact, regular vacuuming will save you a lot of the effort of scrubbing and washing, so it’s definitely worth it!

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