Floor mats are often the most neglected part of a car’s interiors. You know it’s there, but you don’t really pay attention to it. It’s literally the thing you step on while you’re on the road, truly a luxury taken for granted by many. But it’s not without its quirks.
It attracts a lot of dust and dirt (most come from your shoes), can be hard to clean, and annoyingly doesn’t stay in its place. These small problems have easy solutions—hacks, if you will—which have been conveniently rounded up for you down below.
- Secure Floor Mats in Place by Installing Snaps
Floor mats getting out of place all the time can be a source of frustration for some people. It’s no one’s fault, really. There simply isn’t too much friction between your car floor and the downside of your floor mat. An easy fix is getting yourself a screw-snap fastener kit. With the help of a screwdriver and hammer, assemble the snap mechanism where you sandwich your floor mat in between, and screw the entire thing down to your car’s floorboard.
- Make Your Floor Mat Weather Resistant with Carpet Protector
The fabric is the most common type of floor mat. It’s also the cheapest available, but over time, it starts to sag. It can be hard to clean as well because it accumulates excessive amounts of dust and dirt. One remedy is to make use of a carpet protector that you cut out and lay on top of your floor mat so that people’s feet land on the plastic instead of the mat.
- Yoga Mat to KidproofYour Car Floor
When you have kids in the car, chances are you’re familiar with the struggle of making them behave for the trip. Because if they don’t, the floor mat and upholstery become basins for food bits and toy accessories.
You can kid-proof your car, the floor at least, by putting a layer of cutout yoga mat on top of your floor mat. This offers the added advantage of easy cleaning because you can just strip off the yoga mat and clean that instead of your actual floor mat.
- Customize Your Floor Mat with Colorful Fabric
Car floor mats only ever come in varying shades of black or grey. If you’re lucky, there are rubber or weatherproof mats that are either transparent or in beige. While most car owners prefer it that way, some might like to have the option of injecting character to their vehicles.
On your fabric of choice, outline the floor mat. Make sure that the outline is wide enough to wrap the floor mat around. Put additional space on the sides before you cut the fabric out in case your measurements were off. Sew the entire thing except for one side, which is where the mat goes in.
- Throw Your Dirty Floor Mat in the Dishwasher
It sounds gross, but ask any person who has worked in the service industry, and they will tell you that rubber floor mats, the kind usually used in restaurant kitchens, can be cleaned in a dishwasher. Why not use the same technique for your car floor mats? Of course, it goes without saying that you should not put in your dishes together with the floor mat.
You will probably have to remove the top rack of the dishwasher to make room. That’s usually done by removing some small clips. Place the mat with the upper surface facing the water spray. Don’t forget to turn the auto-dry off. The heat might melt your floor mat.