Floormat annoying me - is there really anything I can do?

[rms64]

Ok interior experts....

My drivers side floormat is really bothering me - yes, this is a daily driver and I guess this is evidence of the inevitable, but I gotta try.

Is there really any way to get this looking better? I have a steamer, a crappy green machine "extractor", various brushes, etc. but it seems like improvement is becoming difficult if not impossible. Should I just fugettabout it and get a new mat?

I may try some Folex...other recommendations / process tips would be appreciated!

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/watermark.php?file=95616&size=1

[LSNAutoDetailing]

That mat looks pretty far gone.
If it's your daily driver I would suggest these

http://www.autogeekmobile.net/weattecfloor.html

[Mantilgh]

How or what do you typically do or use on them?

Wouldn't hurt to try Folex, but if it's been tough you might need something stronger or of different type of cleaner.

You might want to try a d-limonene (orange oil extract) cleaner. It could be oil and grease residue picked up from parking lots. To me, "basic" degreasers suck at degreasing.

[rms64]

I really don't have a solid process - interiors are not my forte - that said, I vacuum regularly and have used diluted APC (megs) in combination with my little green machine as well as OTC "foaming" products without great results.

I'm admitting a weakness here - be gentle :D

Definitely would like to get some weathertechs - they look awesome. Just trying to investigate things I could be doing better or with greater effectiveness. Thanks for the comments!

[Belair]

Looks to me like there's plenty of life left in your mats; don't see any worn through areas, they're just grimy. I've used Spot Shot in the aerosol can available at most stores like Walmart/Lowe's etc. & it's worked well. Here are a few more ideas from other guys:

Best Carpet and Upholstery Stain Remover (http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?54349-Best-Carpet-and-Upholstery-Stain-Remover)

[dcjredline]

I had a Corolla in the other day with a disgusting front drivers floor. There was no way my little Bissel would have made it through that.

This is what worked for me. Its a new attempt and I had very good luck with it.


Meguiars Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner (http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-carpet-and-upholstery-cleaner.html)
I doused the floor with it, VERY liberal. Waited about 1 or so min and agitated with my carpet brush. Let it sit for another min, then vacuumed up with my 5hp shop vac. It worked better than alot of other processes I have used that took alot more effort!

Give it a try!

[rms64]

I had a Corolla in the other day with a disgusting front drivers floor. There was no way my little Bissel would have made it through that.

This is what worked for me. Its a new attempt and I had very good luck with it.


Meguiars Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner (http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-carpet-and-upholstery-cleaner.html)
I doused the floor with it, VERY liberal. Waited about 1 or so min and agitated with my carpet brush. Let it sit for another min, then vacuumed up with my 5hp shop vac. It worked better than alot of other processes I have used that took alot more effort!

Give it a try!

Thank you Sir! At this point I'm considering this mat as my test bed and will try various options. Will report back on results.

[wytstang]

IF I was going to experiment I would grab a 5 gallon bucket and mix some h2o/apc at what ever ratio I felt like trying and let it soak for x amount of time. Then scrub the crap out of it (if you have a PC pick up the cyclo scrub brush to really clean it Cyclo Polisher Brushes turn your Cyclo Orbital Polisher (http://www.autogeek.net/cyclo-brushes.html)) ) and see what I get.

[Mantilgh]

I love floor mats because you can just pull them out and do whatever you want to them and not worry about over saturating with cleaner or whatever. And if they are your own and have time, you can go nuts.

Throw them in a bucket, or tub (or the bath tub) and let them soak, agitate, and hose em off. Or, dump a some of APC (use a non-caustic one) on agitate and pressure wash if you know there are no coffee or tannin stains in them.

I've thrown mine in both the washer and dryer (don't tell my wife). May want to use low heat in the dryer, or you can just hang them up on the line to dry.

If you want to try the citrus degreaser route, but don't know where to find some, I have been using GoJo non-pumice citrus hand cleaner. It works well, and I usually follow up with light APC to remove. Not that really leaves much behind. Don't use the solvent version. It does work, but is harder to remove.

Seriously, try the GoJo or a citrus degreaser. They work so much better than an APC style of degreaser for degreasing.

[J Cole]

You might actually try Dawn dish soap - I haven't used it on mats before but I know that when I get grease stains on my home carpet it removes them quite easily. If you use the Dawn or another degreaser I'd like it soak for a bit then use a stiff bristle brush on it, then use a pressure washer if you have one.

I've found that pressure washers don't work that well on actually cleaning the ground in dirt and grease in floor mats but work very well for flushing away all of the dirt and stuff that the soap and scrubbing will break loose.

Just a quick edit: if you use Dawn make sure to thoroughly clean it with an APC afterwards to get rid of the residue left behind by Dawn.

[BucboyInPa]

I would definitely soak it with APC,let it dwell for awhile,and then pressure wash them. You just have to be very VERY careful with older BMW mats they have that foam backing on the bottom side if you rough it up it will start to come apart. But,I bet pressure washing them will get them really nice.

[mcleod52]

I pulled the carpet mats out if my BMW first thing and replaced them with Weathertech mats for the winter and I am now patiently waiting for my cocomats to show up in a couple of weeks.