How do I clean my mats? Will they go in the washing machine?
July 19th, 2006 by Danny the web stig
People do ask us this question — but it is not a good idea to put mats in the washing machine. The mats may stand up to it, but your washing machine may not! As your washing machine costs hundreds of pounds, and a set of mats costs £5-£25, it’s better to buy a new set than risk ruining your washing machine!
You can of course vacuum your mats, but if this isn’t working out then probably the best thing to do is to take them to a garage that has a coin operated pressure washer. You should be ble to blast away at them to your heart’s content without doing them any damage (take them out of the car first!). This will blast out all the dust and grit, plus it will remove most hairs, pine needles, straw or whatever else is making them look grubby.
Once you have finished, put them in a bin bag and put them in the boot (they will be wet) and take them home. You can then hang them on the washing line or radiator to dry.
If you have a particually expensive set of mats and don’t want to risk this, or you haven’t time to wash and dry them, then the next best thing is to get a stiff brush such as a scrubbing brush, and give them a good brushing. This is good exercise! (In otherwords, it’s hard work!). Take them ot of the car and hold them up against a wall so that they are vertical… this is the important bit as when you brush them the dust will jump in the air, so if you lay them flat they will fall back onto the mat. If you brush them when they up against a wall, the dust and grit will fall to the ground.
So remember, professional valeters do it up against the wall.
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