Air Marshall Eldritch

My grey mats are getting pretty stained/dirty. I was thinking maybe to throw them in the wash machine, but not sure if that's a bad idea.

How do you do it?

Anthony Orosco

Go to the local crocery store and rent a steam cleaner.

Use a spot cleaner you can also buy at the store. I think it's called "Folex"...I Think.....

Vacuum the mats real good and lightly spray them with the spot cleaner, let it sit for a few minutes then use the steam cleaner on them. If it is a cleaner without a unit to heat up the water the boil some water to put in the tank and use it that way.

Try not to use carpet shampoo as they can be difficult to extract from the fibers thus attracting more dirt.

OR you can invest in a Bissel Green Machine with optional hot water heater and use that on a regular basis.

Anthony

Kar don

I think thats too much hassle. Go to the parts store and buy the red aerosol can with the red brush on top. Its made by prestone and its a carpet cleaner. Great stuff.

Anthony Orosco

Too much hassle?

He wants them clean. If his intention is to avoid hassle then I would have suggested he go to the local coin op car wash, hit them with soap and rinse.

Carpet shampoo is ok but unless you can extract all the soap and surfacants then the mats will just get dirty twice as fast. Hot water injected into the fibers and then extracted, at times even without any cleaners, will remove stains and leave carpets soft and clean and not "crunchy" from soap residue.

Anthony

dmatre

OK guys, you may say I'm crazy, but don't knock it 'till you try it. . .

Remove the mats from the car, lay on the ground, wet fully with a hose. Sprinkle a SMALL amount of Tide or other laundry detergent, scrub briskly with a stiff (and clean) brush. Spray off with more water, and hang to dry. VOILA . . . mats look like new.

My wife has a Passat with light grey mats, my kids love chocolate milk, strawberry Pop-Tarts, etc. Everything comes out using the above method.

Please let us know if everything comes out.

theine

1- Wipe off your shoes before getting in the car.
2- Vacuum floor mats once a week.
Mine look like new!

CLK 320

In my home, I have a number of small oriental rugs. Given the tightness of the knots they will last a very long time with proper care. Believe it or not, the preferred method of cleaning first entails taking them outside and lightly beating them from the back in order to dislodge dirt and dust. This method has been used for centuries, and there used to be a special tool for the purpose, but I just use my hand. After that I use a small hand vacuum, but I get down on my hands and knees and go over the rug several times. (I like the Super Shark vacuum available in many houseware stores. Avoid vacuums that use a battery that needs to be recharged.) I do the same for the mats in the car, and they certainly have a lot more dirt and grit than the rugs in the house.

Air Marshall Eldritch

I had no idea this would be controversial!



I think I'll try both methods (prestone + steam). I do own a hoover steam cleaner.

Thanks for the opinions.

-rb