Floor Mats Cleaning

[N1naz]

Ok opinion time.
What have you used to clean the rubber floor Mats on your Mach-E? After a long winter with sand and salt my Mats are looking rather grim, I’m looking for opinions on what you have used with success in cleaning these up and bring them back to looking good/great.

George
PS I searched through the forum for this and didn’t find anything.

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[Flint302]

I just use soap and water. Be careful about spraying anything greasy or slick on them.

 

[rad1234]

Just plain water. Garden hose spray and scrub with the bristles of a snow scraper. I try to stay away from chemicals unless really necessary. Usually dry by the time I'm done washing the car.

 

[cryptk]

Part-time car detailer here. Rubber mats are pretty easy, and I will mirror the recommendations here to stay away from any kind of a dressing or anything greasy. The last thing that you want is some armor All type product getting on your shoes and then you have crappy grip on your brake pedal.

If you are willing to spend a little bit of money on equipment, look into a drill brush attachment, it will save you a lot of time and elbow grease. Best part, you can use them on all kinds of other stuff as well, and they really aren't that expensive (assuming that you already own a drill).

As far as chemicals, I start with an all-purpose cleaner, My personal preference is Green Star from Koch Chemie diluted around 1:15 or 1:20 with water (a little goes a long way), but you could also use something like simple green. No need to spend a crazy amount of money here.

Then to make them look really nice, I use a product called McKee's 37 Floor Mat and Cargo Liner Rejuvenator. It's a little pricey, but because you are just using it at the very end to make them look good, and you have already done all of the cleaning with a comparatively cheap all-purpose cleaner, it doesn't take much. Just a light spray and then rub it in with a microfiber cloth and wipe it off. It doesn't leave any kind of a greasy residue or shiny finish.

Adams Polishes also makes a floor mat cleaner that you will probably see recommended quite a bit, it works decent, but not as good as the McKees in my opinion, but it is about half the price. Obviously, I find the extra cost of the McKee's worth it for myself and the vehicles that I detail.

 

[N1naz]

Thanks Flint302, rad1234, and cryptk for the suggestions.

 

[jwalther]

Dishwashing soap and a garden hose. Use a brush in addition if necessary.

 

[cryptk]

Dishwashing soap and a garden hose. Use a brush in addition if necessary.

Put away the dish soap, it doesn't belong anywhere near a car. The only exception to this is if you are trying to strip off waxes and such and you want to do it on the cheap.

Just get an all-purpose cleaner, simple Green is cheap and for most things, you can even dilute it to make it last longer.

 

[stoopid]

Put away the dish soap, it doesn't belong anywhere near a car. The only exception to this is if you are trying to strip off waxes and such and you want to do it on the cheap.

Just get an all-purpose cleaner, simple Green is cheap and for most things, you can even dilute it to make it last longer.

Agree on Simple Green being an awesome cleaner. For mats, being cleaned away from the car, dishwashing soap is absolutely fine tho. Just a bit overkill considering other options.

 

[jwalther]

Put away the dish soap, it doesn't belong anywhere near a car. The only exception to this is if you are trying to strip off waxes and such and you want to do it on the cheap.

Just get an all-purpose cleaner, simple Green is cheap and for most things, you can even dilute it to make it last longer.

You realize we're talking about rubber floor mats, and not washing the car itself? Using dishwash soap a couple of times/year will cause no harm.

 

[joebruin77]

You realize we're talking about rubber floor mats, and not washing the car itself? Using dishwash soap a couple of times/year will cause no harm.

I realize there are lots of differing opinions on this. Personally, I would not use dishsoap on rubber. Dishsoap can remove the natural oils in rubber and leave it prone to becoming dry and brittle. Yes, if you only clean your floor mats twice a year, dishsoap probably won't damage your floor mats. But if you own the car for many years, after 5+ years of using dishsoap, it could damage the rubber.

I second the recommendation for the Mckees 37 Floor Mat cleaner and rejuvenator. Not only does it clean really well, but it also conditions and "rejuvenates", all in one step.

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