Free Shipping over $149 w/coupon DIFree | 3,100+ Products | 98 Brands | 12,000+ Reviews | 1,950+ Detailing Articles
Close Menu
Clean ⋅ Shine ⋅ Protect
Cookies are disabled in your web browser. To shop with Detailed Image, please turn cookies on and then refresh the page.

How To Clean Your Rubber and Plastic Floor Mats

by

Great floor mats are a necessity if you plan to keep your carpets clean, especially in colder weather climates where these areas see not only snow and salt, but simply more moisture overall. Without a floor mat, all of that dirt, grime, etc. can get lodged deep into your carpets and their longer fibers can hold onto the dirt, making thoroughly cleaning these mats extremely hard without the use of an extractor. With rubber or plastic mats, you can keep almost all of the contamination contained on the mat instead of in your carpet fibers, which allows for much easier removal. When needed, just remove the mats from the vehicle and deep clean them.

Below are the floor mats from my Maverick that have not been cleaned since the colder fall/winter months started.

Dirty Floor Mats

Dirty Floor Mats from the Side

Dirty Floor Mats Close Up

As you can see, you have some dirt, grime, mud, even some small pebbles that were on the bottom of my shoes or boots. The good news here is that these mats are easy to clean and I can show you how I like to take care of them.

Tools for Cleaning Floor Mats

Here are a few of the products I keep on hand that I like to use for a quick and easy cleaning process.

To start the process, I give the mats a quick shake to remove any loose debris and quickly rinse them with the garden hose.

Rinsing Floor Mats

After rinsing, the floor mats look nice but still need a deep cleaning to remove any caked on grime. To start, I cover them with the Gtechniq W5 Citrus All Purpose Cleaner.

Mats Sprayed with Gtechniq APC

I then attach the Light Duty Speedy Drill Brush to my cordless drill and at a slow speed I work the brush over the mats. The W5 will foam up a bit and during this process dirt and grime will loosen and break apart from the surface.

Cleaning Mats with Drill Brush

Cleaning second photo

Cleaning secondary shot

Cleaning up close photo

After using brush

After only a few passes, the mats look like they are covered in a thick snow foam. Follow up with a simple rinse, which will remove the contamination that you just loosened from the surface.

Rinsing after cleaning mats

Even though this process will remove almost all of the contamination, you might be left with a few spots that need a direct scrub and if that is the case, reach for the Detail Factory brush and a small spray of the W5.

Spot Cleaning with Detail Factory Brush

One more quick rinse and the mats are clean!

After rinsing close up

After rinsing side shot

This easy mat cleaning process really makes quick work of contamination no matter how dirty your mats are. Just do not forget to protect them after cleaning to keep them looking their best for a long time. I personally like the 303 Aerospace Protectant, but any dressing that does not leave a slickness behind will work great!

16 comments on How To Clean Your Rubber and Plastic Floor Mats

  1. Eric Doner says:

    Thanks for his Reece! We get a lot of gnarly WeatherTech mats here in CO. Been using Adam’s Rubber Mat & Liner Cleaner with tire brush 2-3x. Need to start using my drill brush! Duh!
    Thanks again, Dr. Detail.

    • Reece @ DI says:

      The drill brush was a game changer for me and I am always looking to try out new items. I will have to give the Adam’s Rubber Mat Cleaner a go!

  2. Terry says:

    So the real question is how to give them the new appearance once they are clean? I have been using tire shine then running that over with an all purpose cleaner to remove the slickness. Is there a better product out there?

    • Reece @ DI says:

      Terry – I have an article coming out soon covering protection on mats. I personally use the 303 Aerospace Protectant, but you want to find a dressing that leaves behind little to no slickness.

    • Ron West says:

      Tuf Shine Tire Cleaner will deep clean the mats and Tuf Shine tire clearcoat leaves a great shine without being slippery. Lasts a long time. Brush onto mat with a 2′ wide bristle paint brush.

      • I personally use Koch chemie green star 1:10, once I clean the mats, while still wet I will mist a water based dressing and let it dry naturally in the sun and it looks factory and is not slick. Way faster to do it this way! Give it a try! Might be a little dressing left I just mop up with a microfiber towel

  3. Kimberly Mc says:

    I’ve been using KCx Gummifix on clean rubber all weather floor mats. It’s not the best smelling product, but it works without adding slickness.

  4. Mary says:

    Great job Reece! I use the exact same process to clean the rubber floor mats. The drill brush makes cleaning a whole lot easier and quicker. For the dressing I apply Autoglym Vinyl and Rubber Care, the floor mats always come up looking like new without leaving any slickness behind.

  5. Steve Landy says:

    I wish there was a way to get the marring of the mats. After I have them clean they are still full of marks from shoes.

  6. Mike says:

    Gummifix to get it looking like new again. That’s what it’s meant for. (Also can use on other rubber, engine, running boards etc).

  7. Kenny says:

    Seeing Maverick floor mats is sweet; that’s what I drive. Also, thanks for the write-up here!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Commenting Rules

  • Try to keep your comments as relevant as possible.
  • Don't be abusive: no personal attacks or any other nastiness.
  • Feel free to express your opinion, but do so in an eloquent way.

If you do not respect these rules your comments may be edited or even deleted.

My Offers
15 Off Sitewide Holiday Sale
Free Stuff
Quantity Discounts - Buy More, Save More!
Big Discounts While Supplies Last - Clearance Items - Shop Now
Close overlay