[iconoclast]

I have actually never done anything for the floor mats.

I think i will use Scotchguard for auto but should clean them 1st (although they don't look dirty) what products do you guys use to clean & what are your opinions on Scotchguard?

 

[iconoclast]

I bought @ Walmart:
Scotchgard 3M Auto Fabric & Carpet Protector 10 oz., $5.88
Lifter-1 Instant Carpet Stain & Spot Remover 18 oz., $3.57

 

[iconoclast]

No one?
I can't imagine that everyone reading this has also never cleaned or treated their carpeted floor mats!

I haven't done anything yet. I'm thinking the stain & spot remover is just for stains and that I should not use it to Clean the entire carpet, which has no stains. Maybe I should use plain car wash soap or maybe baby shampoo or something mild like that?

 

[ABusLux]

I have cleaned them with a vacuum cleaner, and a sponge with carpet-cleaning foam.

 

[JohnC4S]

No one?
I can't imagine that everyone reading this has also never cleaned or treated their carpeted floor mats!

I haven't done anything yet. I'm thinking the stain & spot remover is just for stains and that I should not use it to Clean the entire carpet, which has no stains. Maybe I should use plain car wash soap or maybe baby shampoo or something mild like that?

For me nothing special beside vacuum. My 911 floor mats are 8 years old and still in good shape. However during snowy months, it is removed and weathertech floor liners are used to better trap snow.

John

 

[bob m]

No one?
I can't imagine that everyone reading this has also never cleaned or treated their carpeted floor mats!

I haven't done anything yet. I'm thinking the stain & spot remover is just for stains and that I should not use it to Clean the entire carpet, which has no stains. Maybe I should use plain car wash soap or maybe baby shampoo or something mild like that?

I guess most people just vacuum when need to and call it a day. You don't have to overthink this.
You already have a spot remover and protectant. But here's something simple and effective - https://www.griotsgarage.com/product/carpet+cleaner.do?sortby=ourPicks&refType=&from=Search
There are plenty of other carpet cleaners out there too - many are brushed in and vacuumed out. Cleaners will take out some of the "dirt" inherent in any carpet. Most people don't bother with that and at most just clean that spot.

 

[grim]

No one? I can't imagine that everyone reading this has also never cleaned or treated their carpeted floor mats!

I guess most people just vacuum when need to and call it a day. You don't have to overthink this.

You all don't think its a bit funny that there is carpet on the floor already, yet we auto enthusiasts don't want that carpet to get dirty or wear, so we put ANOTHER carpet on top of the carpet? Then fret over the dirt on that carpet? :laugh:

Porsche owners just throw them away and get new carpets to put over the carpet on the carpet. After all, they are just some carpet mats and not the real carpet on the floor.

Although I am with @JohnC4S and switch the carpet over the carpet on the 911 to weather techs in the winter.

 

[bob m]

You all don't think its a bit funny that there is carpet on the floor already, yet we auto enthusiasts don't want that carpet to get dirty or wear, so we put ANOTHER carpet on top of the carpet? Then fret over the dirt on that carpet? :laugh:

Porsche owners just throw them away and get new carpets to put over the carpet on the carpet. After all, they are just some carpet mats and not the real carpet on the floor.

Although I am with @JohnC4S and switch the carpet over the carpet on the 911 to weather techs in the winter.

I do hear you about all this but..... more than dirt, I worry about water/moisture. In the non winter months from wet shoes from the rain and in the winter from the snow - and even with winter mats have had that **** salt almost ruin the carpet. And that salt is very tough to get out. I have never cleaned any car's carpet, but have spot cleaned some stains and never did a Scotchgard treatment. But this is just a minor detailing effort and if a man wants his carpets clean, who am I t to question that? You should see the extent of what happens on a detailing forum. And since we are speaking of the carpets, when did every car maker's carpets get so thin and chintzy?

 

[fritz]

Mine are as clean as the day I got them because I bought the Porsche all weather ones and put the carpeted ones in the root cellar!

 

[iconoclast]

I didn't think this topic would be controversial.
There are many things car enthusiasts do re detailing that most car owners never do. Or they pay detailers do do.

I searched the forum & found nothing on this so, I posted.

As stated, I have never cleaned any car carpet, just shake them out occasionally & maybe vacuum if a lot of debris.

I just cleaned & treated my leather interior in 2 cars. I just helped a relative buy a used car which has cloth seats & had been offering suggestions; ck CTP, Ck tread depth, make a schedule so they know when maintenance items s/b done, etc. I suggested that they treat their seats with Scotchgard. (After seeing some videos on this & discovering Scotchgard makes a product specifically for autos.) I looked for a video to send them on How to. I was surprised that most of these videos were for using Scotchgard on Auto Carpeted Floor mats! I had never considered doing that. So, I thought why not do that to my carpets one time (& never again) My Macan carpets would vacuum clean (being < 2 yrs. old)

I do always switch to my Porsche all weather mats when going hiking so, don't get mud & large amounts of dirt on the carpet.

Then I thought that my other car is 17 years old & the carpet is dirty so, I should clean it b4 sealing in the dirt/stains with Scotchgard. And why not a quick clean for the Macan mats b4 sealing with Scotchgard? I assumed (apparently incorrectly) that many on the Macan detailing forum would have been doing this type of thing & there were dos & don’ts re which products to use.

My 1st thought was to use car soap & a scrub brush & then let mat dry & then spray with Scotchgard. But, what if others warned against that for some reason? Maybe car soap would damage the carpeted mats?

Hence, my post.

 

[fritz]

Funny thing: just got an email add from my dry cleaner; '20% off dry cleaning auto carpets'.
There's an idea for you?

 

[bob m]

Oh brother, I need to read things through more thoroughly as I thought the OP was speaking of the actual carpeting in his car, rather than the mats, even though I would still say clean em' if dirty and yes, Scotchgard them if you want. The OEM mats - like I mentioned about the car's carpet, are getting thinner and chintzier all the time. What I have done for many years on all my new cars is immediately replace the OEM carpet mats with the OEM all weather mats. As mentioned, if it's not snow to worry about it's wet and/or muddy shoes. Nice thing about the Weathertech mats are that they have sides that are high enough from letting the snow that's on your R foot not fall off and melt on the carpeting. Again, as mentioned, that road salt from the snow is very damaging and difficult to remove.
Anyhow, since I'm a bit obsessive I ended up buying a custom set of Coco Mats from this company (nice video with Jay Leno BTW) https://www.cocomats.com/ - waterproof and nicely retro looking and it appealed to my lazy side since it does not show dirt and whatnot and when needed get shaken out, no need to vacuum. NJ winters -its gonna be Weathertech.

 

[grim]

The OEM mats - like I mentioned about the car's carpet, are getting thinner and chintzier all the time. What I have done for many years on all my new cars is immediately replace the OEM carpet mats with the OEM all weather mats. As mentioned, if it's not snow to worry about it's wet and/or muddy shoes. Nice thing about the Weathertech mats are that they have sides that are high enough from letting the snow that's on your R foot not fall off and melt on the carpeting. Again, as mentioned, that road salt from the snow is very damaging and difficult to remove.

It used to be that people really did worry about the carpets. Not many people used carpet mat, they cost to much, then they would wear a hole in the carpet. Coco mats were popular for awhile.

I like the Weathertechs and put them in all my cars for some time for the wet/winter months and full time sometime. I hate getting the real carpet mats muddy. Too much work worrying about them

 

[bob m]

It used to be that people really did worry about the carpets. Not many people used carpet mat, they cost to much, then they would wear a hole in the carpet. Coco mats were popular for awhile.

I like the Weathertechs and put them in all my cars for some time for the wet/winter months and full time sometime. I hate getting the real carpet mats muddy. Too much work worrying about them

I like the new coco mats - custom fit, waterproof and don't show dirt, virtually stain proof. In the winter - it's gonna be Weathertechs.

 

[iconoclast]

I washed & spot treated the beige, 17 yr. old car’s floor mats today. Spent ~ 1 hr.

Removed mats from car & placed on (swept) driveway.
I filled bucket ¼ full & was about to use car wash soap & changed to Baby Shampoo, since very mild.
I used scrub brush, moderate pressure with soap solution
Rinsed thoroughly with hose.
Blot with old cotton towels
Sprayed “Lifter-1 Instant Carpet Stain & Spot Remover” all over & more heavily on black soiled spots. Let sit 1 min per directions & used included plastic cap scrub brush per directions on the soiled/stained spots.
Rinsed thoroughly with hose. Holding the mat vertical with one hand so water drips down onto driveway.

They are now drying in my garage.

I can state with confidence that the difference before & after is….
Nonexistent!

I will do no more treatment on these 17 yr. old floor mats.
My plan for the Macan (Gray mats don't seem dirty) mats will be to vacuum & then spray with “Scotchgard 3M Auto Fabric & Carpet Protector” to protect from future stains.

 

[srdiam]

I use WeatherTechs all year around. Less of a hassle to clean and more surface area of the car protected. When I wash my car, I take them out, use soap, hose them down, and let dry. Much easier than carpet.

 

[Thunder]

Yep. I use my Porsche all weather mats year 'round.

OP: Ceramic Pro makes products for interior, textiles, leather that are quite amazing. I just had the exterior of my S coated in Ceramic Pro, and though I did not do the interior, the demo's and videos of the products in use are impressive.