Best Floor Mat Cleaner Picks for You This Year
Floor mat cleaner is important if you want to keep your car’s floor mats looking like new. Many people neglect to keep the floor of their cars clean and that can start to look pretty bad over time.
If you live in a cold climate, you’ll probably end up tracking lots of salt and other winter-related debris into the car. As someone who lives in a Northern state, that’s why I buy floor mat cleaner.
For those of you in warmer climates, you likely bring dirt, mud or other things into the car. That’s why I decided to put this list together of the top brands for cleaning it out.
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Table of Contents
Products and Information on Them
Chemical Guys CWS20316 Foaming Citrus
WeatherTech TechCare Interior Detailer
Adam’s Rubber Mat & Liner Cleaner
How to Clean Your Car’s Floor Mats
How to Make Your Own Floor Mat Cleaner
Here’s a quick breakdown of the ones we’ll be covering here and additional products you may need:
| Product | Best Used For | Click to Buy |
| Chemical Guys CWS20316 Foaming Citrus | Carpet & Upholstery | Buy Now |
| Turtle Wax T-244R1 Power Out! | Carpet, Mats and Odors | Buy Now |
| WeatherTech TechCare Interior Detailer | Fabric, Plastics, and Odors | Buy Now |
| Adam’s Rubber Mat & Liner Cleaner | Rubber Mats and Liners | Buy Now |
| Chemical Guys Heavy Duty Brush | Cleaning when brush is not included | Buy Now |
| Bucket | Diluting Cleaner with Water | Buy Now |
#1 Floor Mat Cleaner: Chemical Guys CWS20316 Foaming Citrus Fabric Clean Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner
This is the #1 best seller on Amazon. This solution has been used by thousands of other people who really seem to enjoy it. It easily removes dirt, odor and stains.
Some important specs about this floor mat cleaner:
Fabric Cleaner: Cleans cloth, carpet, upholstery, and more.
Application type: Spout
Breaks down and removes stubborn stains
Works on indoor and outdoor fabric, so, you can use it to clean the patio furniture.
Additionally, you can use this floor mat cleaner for upholstery and carpet.
A Few More Points
It comes with the deep cleaning benefits of biotechnology, so you will benefit from that as well. Also, there are no toxic chemicals, ammonia, bleach, color damaging deterrents or solvents.
What the Manufacturer Says:
“Fabric clean combines a superior biodegradable degreaser with an enzymatic odor eliminator for immediate odor control and long-lasting deep cleaning benefits of biotechnology. Naturally occurring microbes in fabric clean degrade the organic compounds that cause odor, eradicating them completely leaving behind a fresh scent.
There are no chemicals, ammonia, bleach, color-damaging detergents, or solvents. This biodegradable formula removes oil, grease, dirt, coffee, tea, wine, juice, and pet stains from any water-safe indoor or outdoor fabric. Fabric clean is highly concentrated and should be diluted one part product to 20 parts water. That means .8 ounces of the product and 15.2 ounces of water for this 16-ounce bottle.
Fabric Clean creates foaming bubbles for professional detailing results. Cleaning foam isn’t just for fun; scrubbing bubbles serve a practical function: The oxygen-infused cleaners of Fabric Clean lift and separate dirt particles and stains from deep within fabric in carpets and upholstery.”
All in all, this floor mat cleaner looks like a really solid product.
A Really Helpful Video Explaining The Dilution:
Like many consumers confused by how dilution ratios work, I set out to figure out one of the most important parts of using this cleaner. The good news is that the Chemical Guys actually made a video explaining it below:
Here’s the chart from that video:
Source: chemicalguys.com
#2 Turtle Wax T-244R1 Power Out! Carpet and Mats Cleaner and Odor Eliminator
This floor mat cleaner has thousands of positive reviews on Amazon. It’s formulated with Odor-X odor eliminator to help remove odors caused by pets, cigarette smoke, food and mildew.
Now that’s something! There’s a detachable micro scrub brush that reaches deep into carpet fibers and rubber mat crevices to remove the toughest stains.
There’s also removable brush caps which allow cleaning in tight spots.
Advanced cleaning formula deep cleans and deodorizes. In addition to cleaning, it also leaves a soil repelling silicone shield for protection.
#3 WeatherTech TechCare Interior Detailer
This floor mat cleaner helps prevent dust buildup and it leaves no sticky residue, which is a bonus!
It helps eliminate odors, it’s safe to use on virtually all plastic, vinyl, painted metal, chrome and fabrics. It’s made and packaged in the USA.
Owners of Weathertech floor liners have left very positive reviews of using this with them, so, it will probably work great for you if you have those liners!
#4 Adam’s Rubber Mat & Liner Cleaner 16oz – Protectant & Rubber Floor Mat Cleaner
This one looks pretty good, too. It’s a citrus-based car cleaning formula – specialized formulation to get the floor of your car looking like it just rolled off the factory floor.
It’s equipped with a special blend of surfactants & cleaners that removes harsh oxidation, dirt, and grime from rubber floor mats.
This floor mat cleaner will also help with avoiding slipping, there’s non-slip protectant & cleaner. It’s a solvent-based degreaser that gets to work fast on heavily soiled floor mats. It’s infused with the protectant, so your floor mats will be functional and not too slippery to use.
I really like that there’s a foam activated formula. The design to foam when agitated is really cool. In addition to that, there’s a 110% satisfaction guarantee and it’s USA made, which is a bonus.
How to Clean Your Car’s Floor Mats
Now that we’ve gone over some of the best products, here’s how you can actually clean your car’s floor mats. It’s a pretty straightforward process, although there are differences between cleaning rubber and carpet floor mats in cars. Let’s start with going over cleaning the rubber mats.
Rubber Mats
1. Take the Rubber Floor Mats Out of The Car
You need to clean the mats outside of your car. If you try to clean them in the car, then you run the risk of damaging your car’s interior with any water.
2. Shake/Knock and Debris off the Mats
Depending on how much there is, you might just be able to shake everything off. If there’s mud, dirt and other grime caked on there, consider using something like a shovel or even a rug beater.
3. Spray the Mats with Clean Water
Your hose is probably a good option here. That or you could use a spray bottle. Just get them nice and rinsed off to take care of any more of that debris on there.
4. Spray with Cleaner and Scrub
I recommend using some of that Adam’s Polishes Rubber Mat & Liner Cleaner mentioned above. It should take care of anything that the shaking, hitting, or rinsing miss.
Once you’ve sprayed some of that on there, scrub with a stiff bristle brush like this one.
The Turtle Wax floor mat cleaner is also great for this and has a brush attached, so you don’t have to buy one if you go with that.
5. One More Rinse
Spray a little more water on there to rinse the mats one more time.
6. Hang and Dry
Find somewhere that you can hang them up to dry. You could always just towel them off, too. Either way, once they’re dry, put them back in your car.
Carpet Mats
1. Remove From Vehicle
The process for carpet mats isn’t too different than the rubber ones. The first thing you’ll want to do is remove them from the vehicle.
2. Knock Out Dirt and Anything Else Caked In There
Either hang the rugs over a clothesline and hit them hard with a rug beater or just smack them against a hard surface. That should knock the big stuff out that’s caked in there.
If they are on a clothesline still, put them on the ground so they’re flattened out.
3. Vaccuum Them
Using a vacuum cleaner, go over the carpet floor mats a few times. This should take care of anything else left on or in them.
4. Apply Floor Mat Cleaner
I recommend using the Chemical Guys CWS20316 Foaming Citrus Fabric Clean Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner. In order to use that, shake it well and dilute the solution to 1 part product and 20 parts water.
Mix the solution and water in a bucket or spray bottles like these from Amazon. Then, spray the floor mat cleaner mixture on the surface you need to clean.
Using a bristle brush like this one (also from the Chemical Guys), agitate the area gently.
5. Blot and Wipe the Area Dry with a Premium Microfiber Towel
If you want to go with the Chemical Guys all the way, check out these microfiber towels that they make here on Amazon. Once that’s done, consider vacuuming the area one more time.
How to Make Your Own Floor Mat Cleaner
If you don’t feel like buying any, there’s actually a way that you can just make your own. Be warned, though, that this method also requires getting a scrub brush, spray bottle, and some ingredients to actually make it.
It’s probably more trouble than it’s worth unless you have these things laying around the house, but here’s what you’ll need:
- 3-4 Drops of Bleach
- Teaspoon of dish washing liquid
- 1 Cup of Warm Water
Mix those ingredients together thoroughly in a container or put them directly into a spray bottle and shake it around. There you go! You’re all set with some home-made floor mat cleaner. Apply it using the steps mentioned above.
Consumer Warnings
Some of the cleaning solutions mentioned in this article do come with warnings.
Chemical Guys Fabric Clean Warnings:
Skin, eye, and respiratory irritant. Harmful if swallowed. Avoid eye and skin contact. Do not breathe vapors. Use only in well-ventilated areas. Do not swallow. FIRST AID: IF SWALLOWED – Do not induce vomiting. Immediately call a doctor or Poison Control Center. Going to Poison.org may help in a situation like that. EYES: For eye contact, rinse thoroughly with water for 15 minutes. Then, remove contact lenses if present after the first 5 minutes. If irritation persists, then call a doctor. IN CASE THIS FLOOR MAT CLEANER CONTACTS YOUR SKIN: Wash thoroughly with soap and water. If irritation persists, call a doctor. IF INHALED OR VAPORS BOTHER YOU: Move to fresh air. In case irritation persists for any exposures, then call a doctor. KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN AND PETS.
Contains (CAS No.): Alkylbenzene sulfonic acid (CAS 68584-22-5), Sodium C10-16 pareth-2 sulfate (CAS 68585-34-2), Sodium hydroxide (CAS 1310-73-2), Alcohol (CAS 64-17-5), Laureth-10 (CAS 68002-97-1), Benzene, C10-16-alkyl derivatives (CAS 68648-87-3), Sodium bisulfite (CAS 7631-90-5). For more ingredient information visit chemicalguys.com. Toll free number: (866)-822-3670.
Warning: This product can expose you to Sulfuric acid, which is known to the State of California to cause cancer. For more information, go to www.p65warnings.ca.gov.
Turtle Wax Power Out! Carpet & Mats
CAUTION: EYE IRRITANT, CONTENTS UNDER PRESSURE. In case of eye contact, flush with water for 15 minutes. Do not puncture, incinerate, or store above 120 degrees F. Do not use near heat, sparks or open flame. KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN. Keep from freezing.
About the Author:
Bob Buckley is the Founder of This College Life