If you are using your car for commuting daily, it can be hard to maintain the car’s interior. Moreover, travelling with pets or kids can make it even messier. Undoubtedly, hiring a professional is not possible every time you find your car carpets getting dirty. So, you better start learning about how to clean car flooring at home without anybody’s help.
Car carpets are dirtier than they seem as they have to deal with a lot. Car carpets are more prone to getting dirty with mud, shoe dirt, food droppings, and pet hairs. Over time, all of these keep piling up on the floor mats. The longer you keep the car floor mats dirty, the harder it will get to remove them.
Dirty carpets are not just unsightly; they can give rise to the growth of moulds and bacteria. This is unhealthy and can lead to sickness or allergies. It will also ruin the air quality inside the car and make it stink. Eventually, it will deteriorate the carpet material. Floor mats are among the essential car accessories. So, here’s all you need to know about cleaning it at home.
Step By Step Guide on How to Clean Car Flooring at Home
Before getting started, remove all the trash from the car and remove the car mats. If you are going for deep cleaning, consider removing the centre console and car seats. Once you remove them, inspecting and cleaning the car flooring will be easier.
The floor mats get dirty more often. Allow the carpets to dry for a couple of hours if they are wet. Using a stiff brush, gather all the dirt before vacuuming. Here are five simple steps to clean car flooring.
- Spot Cleaning
You may see stains that need a deep cleaning after vacuuming. You need only a few tools for spot cleaning, including a stiff brush, upholstery cleaner, and clean towels. You can remove most filth and stains with a standard upholstery cleaner.
You can even prepare your vehicle cleaner at home with vinegar, hot water, and liquid soap. Other stains, such as pen markings, require a different approach, such as hairspray or alcohol. At the same time, oil and grease stains require lacquer thinner. Using clear water, you can easily dilute salt stains.
Apply the cleaner of your 6to the stain. Test it in an inconspicuous place, such as under the car seat, to ensure it doesn’t discolour the carpet. Let the cleaner soak the stain. However, do not wet it entirely and underlay it. It will make it harder for you to dry it out.
Rub the cleaner over the stain and remove it with a clean cloth using a stiff brush. Repeat this step if you need to clean car flooring thoroughly and let it dry.
- Hand Scrubbing
You may use an upholstery cleaner, vacuum and a stiff brush to clean the car carpet for general cleaning. Spray this cleaner over a 4 or 5 square feet area of the floor mat. Using the brush, start rubbing the cleaner over the carpet and the vacuum. Repeat the same procedure over another section of the mat.
You might have to repeat this step for the second time if needed. You can rinse it using clear water but not using the hose. But the second time, when applying the carpet cleaner, spray some clear water over it and vacuum it. This step will help to remove the pungent odour of the cleanser.
- Steam Cleaning
A steam cleaner can be helpful for deep cleaning car flooring. The conventional steam cleaners come with a vacuum head and spray wand in one tool. It helps to apply the carpet cleaner and vacuum it up simultaneously.
When using a steam cleaner, make sure to follow the instructions that come with it. Start working on small sections of the carpet at a time and saturating the mat completely. A clothing steamer will also serve your purpose if you don’t have a steam cleaner. Finish off by vacuuming the carpet thoroughly.
- Air Drying
The leftover cleansers and water need quite some time to dry out. It helps to reduce the growth of mildew or moulds and foul odours. You may even let it dry naturally by leaving the car doors open in your garage.
- Prevention
Specific preventive steps may make your work easier. Most cars come with floor mats from the factory. However, you can even purchase additional floor mats for better coverage. It will help cleaning car flooring deeply. You may even invest in a stain guard spray that can save your time cleaning the carpets.
Such cleaners are widely available on the market. Using these cleaners, you can remove the stubborn stains on the carpets or seat coverings. Finally, it is your responsibility to keep dirt and trash away from the carpets to keep them cleaner.
Finally, you know how to clean car flooring with these steps. Check out Carorbis’s online car accessories marketplace to get quality car carpets. They have come up with the best and most genuine accessories for a car that fulfils your requirement efficiently.
Also Read: Things to Avoid When Buying a Used Car
