Chemical Guys Mat Renew Floor Mat Cleaner and Protectant

[kevincwelch]

Hello, Autogeek Friends!

For those of us who live in the northern states and typically line the footwells of our cars starting late fall, we all have noticed that our footwell liners get dirty. Sometimes, really dirty. In the past, I've taken my car to the local coin op and blasted the mats with the pressure washer and used a little APC on them to get them clean. I made the mistake once of putting some Hyperdressing on them to avoid making them look faded, and man, was that a mistake. My shoes were slipping and sliding all over the mats.

So, when I saw that Chemical Guys had a rubber and vinyl mat cleaner and restorer, I was excited to try it out.



The Product Description

Cleans, restores and protects the appearance of your rubber floor mats

Chemical Guys Mat Renew is another innovative product from our friends in California. Mat Renew is an all-in-one cleaner, restorer and protectant for your vehicle’s rubber floor mats. Chemical Guys Mat Renew restores the original appearance and feel to rubber floor mats and vinyl floorboards in one easy to use product. Chemical Guys Mat Renew contains UV blockers to ensure treated surfaces are protected against cracking and fading.

Chemical Guys Mat Renew breaks down and releases dirt, oil, grease, grime and food beverage residue from all rubber floor mats – arguably the dirtiest part of any vehicle. Why spend hours polishing your paint and conditioning your leather only to ignore the rubber floor mats?

Unlike greasy tire gels which are commonly used to restore gloss to faded floor mats, Chemical Guys Mat Renew doesn’t leave the surface slippery or overly shiny. Instead, your rubber floor mats will look and feel like the day they were brand new. UV blockers penetrate deep into the rubber to continuously block out harmful UV rays that degrade the rubber floor mats over time.

Chemical Guys Mat Renew is very easy to use. First, rinse the rubber floor mats to remove any loose dirt and grit particles. Next, spray a liberal amount of Mat Renew onto the floor mats and gently scrub with a soft bristled brush. Thoroughly rinse the mats with a strong jet of water and allow them to air dry.

Chemical Guys Mat Renew solves a problem that plagues most car care enthusiasts. Stop ignoring your rubber floor mats for good!

16 oz.

I have the WeatherTech liners that were designed for Tesla, and they do a great job of keeping the fabric of the footwells clean and free of ice, snow and dirt -- as all WeatherTech floor liners do!



So, I decided to run a test of CG Mat Renew against Meguiar's D108 Super Degreaser (10:1) and Meguiar's D101 APC (4:1). Here are a few shots of the second row floor liner. This has about 1 month's worth of kid activity.



I divided the mat into 3 sections.

• Section 1: CG Mat Renew (CGMR)
• Section 2: Meguiar's D108
• Section 3: Meguiar's D101

I generously sprayed section 1 with CGMR, and then followed the instructions on the bottle:

Directions: Rinse rubber mats using clean water. Spray Mat Renew Cleaner and Protectant directly on surface. Use a stiff bristle brush and gently scrub mats to remove dirt, mud, and grime. Rinse using clean water. Dry using a clean microfiber towel, compressed air, or let air dry. Replace mats and reattach fasteners where applicable.

The CGMR has a fruity chemical smell to it. It is certainly not pungent like a general APC or Iron X (I hope not!), but it isn't anything exciting and pleasant like WG Uber Rinseless Wash either. The sprayer provided by CG is a simple no frills sprayer. It does not foam the liquid, but I noticed a reasonable spray distribution of what I would consider medium-sized droplets.

I made 6 section passes using a stiff bristle brush, and as you can see, the CGMR generates a nice foamy mixture.

CGMR





I repeated this process using D108 (middle section) and D101 (3rd section).


D108


D101


The entire mat was rinsed with water and then dried using MF towels.



CGMR


D108


D101


Chemical Guys Mat Renew is a self-contained cleaner and protectant. Applied liberally to a rubber or vinyl surface and agitated with a stiff bristle brush it produces a nice foamy cleaning mixture and washes away very easily with water. Once dried, the surface is clean. There is no sign of dirt, grime or residue left on the mat, and I would consider the floor mat to be restored to the original appearance of the mat.

However, the results produced by D108 and D101 looked exactly the same. To the touch, I could appreciate no difference among the three sections. No section felt slick, and no section had any residual dirt or grime remaining. I had assumed that D108 (for sure) and D101 would leave a faded look behind, but there was nothing to suggest this.

What I am unable to determine at this point is if CGMR did indeed leave any protectant behind. When rinsing the mat (unfortunately no pics), I didn't notice any more beading on the CGMR section when compared to the D108/D101 sections. Therefore, I'll have to revisit this test in about a month or so when I clean the mats again. It will be interesting to see if simple wiping results in easier, more complete cleaning on the CGMR section when compared to the other two sections.

CGMR is $8.99 for 16 oz of spray. D108 is $16.99 (sale price, regularly $19.99) for 128 oz and D101 is $13.99 (sale price, regularly $19.99) for 128 oz. That makes both D101 and D108 $0.16/oz, and even after dilution, a 16oz bottle of D108 or D101 is significantly less expensive than a bottle of CGMR.

Is the extra expense of CGMR in the protectant?

I was reluctant to spray the D108 and D101 sections with some 303 protectant for fear of making the surface too slick, but perhaps that will end up being a flaw in my review. Adding a separate protectant like 303 would add additional expense to the D108 and D101 sections; however, many are likely to already have an APC and a protectant spray of some sort, and this would obviate the need for CGMR if the performance is ultimately comparable.

Is Chemical Guys Mat Renew worth it?

If I look at this from a cleaning perspective, I would say it isn't. (This is the first and only test of the product.) If I look at it purely from an economical standpoint, I would say it isn't. (Again, is the price of CGMR due to the protectant?) If I try to answer the question of whether this protects the mat in the long run and, therefore, saves you money in time or replacement, I can't make a conclusion. However, my suspicion is that it won't.

On the other hand, if you are looking for a decent smelling and self contained cleaner/protectant, GC might be a good option.

Time will tell!

[Sicoupe]

Nice review Kevin! Thanks for sharing.

[Ricorocks]

Nice review Kevin!

I have this stuff & never seen that much foaming action, after brushing/agitating. Perhaps I'm not using enough. When I run out I will not re-purchase.

[kevincwelch]

Nice review Kevin! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks!

Nice review Kevin!

I have this stuff & never seen that much foaming action, after brushing/agitating. Perhaps I'm not using enough. When I run out I will not re-purchase.

Thanks for the comment. I did spray it pretty liberally. Still, I felt the D108 and D101 sections were more foamy. The degree of foam may be unrelated to its cleaning ability, however.

(Sent via my mobile device)

[AZpolisher15]

I wonder if we would see a difference on more traditional rubber mats. I have weathertechs in my truck (DD) and they are 7 years old. It doesn't matter what I hit them with (APC, 303, Megs natural shine protectant) they look brand new when I'm done! Seriously, BRAND NEW. An impressive product to say the least.

[PA DETAILER]

Was curious about the product. Might pick some up to maintain my weathertechs.

[kevincwelch]

I wonder if we would see a difference on more traditional rubber mats.

Either tomorrow or next weekend, I'll be attacking my wife's car. Her car has some more traditional rubber all-weather mats. I'll see if that makes a difference there.

[PA DETAILER]

Have this in hand. Will also report my findings after first use.

[PA DETAILER]

Used this yesterday on my weathertechs. I did indeed like the product. I also felt it left a little protection behind. Good product.

[briarpatch]

Thanks for the review.....I've heard and read similar things about that product. I've used Meguiars APC (4:1), as well as Greased Lightning to clean mine, with similar results (although the Greased Lightning was a little better). I purchased the WeatherTech Floor Mat/Liner protector (8LTC38K), and it does seem to help a little, and make them look new(er).