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Whether it’s desert dust or sloppy snow, we all know how quickly the floor of your truck gets dirty. Rubber floor mats are a great investment to protect your truck’s interior from dirt, grime, and stains. Cleaning rubber floor mats is necessary to get rid of the filth, but over time, black floor mats can still look dirty after you’ve cleaned them.
How do you make black rubber floor mats – or any floor mat – look like new?
Keep reading to learn a few tips from the experts at LINE-X®.
How to Make Rubber Floor Mats Look New
To get started, you’ll need to gather a few supplies and tools. We’ve provided a few suggestions but if you can’t find the exact brand, use your noggin or ask someone at the auto parts store for guidance. All these items can be found at your local auto parts store or automotive section at a big-box store:
- Garden hose or pressure washer: A pressure washer makes this job easier but a garden hose with a jet nozzle will do fine. Don’t have a jet nozzle? Create a jet spray with your thumb, you should have two of them.
- Cleaning brush: Stiff brush, big brush, square brush – it doesn’t matter. Use what you have.
- Commercial cleaning product: It could be car wash soap. Maybe dishwashing soap. A degreaser will also work. Anything that makes bubbles should do the trick.
- Microfiber towel: A cotton towel will do in a pinch but if you want to up your truck cleaning game, you should really have a few of these.
- Trim shine: This product goes by a few different names and is sold under different brands. As long as it restores the color and shine of automotive trim, it’ll do the job.
Pro tip: Products like “Armor All” and others like it that are designed to make your car’s interior shiny can make floor mats shiny too. But they can also make them greasy and slippery, which is not ideal for something you put your feet on.
Once you have all the supplies, it’s time to get started: Pick a nice day to work outside, or else plan on working in the garage. If it’s the middle of winter you could do this in your bathtub, we won’t judge, but your partner might.
Get Rid of the Filth
Remove your floor mats and rinse them thoroughly with water. Apply the soap and use the brush to scrub them well. Don’t be shy now, get in there! Use a stiff brush if you have lots of crud on your mats. Once your arm is tired, rinse the mats again.
Dry The Mats
Once the mats are free of suds, dry them well with your microfiber towel. If you’re lazy or have several mats to do, you can lay them in the sun to dry. In a rush? Use a leaf blower or an air compressor.
Restore the Mats
This is where the magic happens. Many people stop after drying the mats, but for that “new car” shine and appearance you don’t want to skip this step: After the mats are dry, apply the trim shine product. This product is typically sprayed or wiped on the mats but follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for best results. Wipe off the excess product with a clean microfiber rag. Voilà.
