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How to Clean a Car Carpet at Home: 7 Homemade DIY Solutions

By Christopher Davis on April 26, 2018

How to Clean a Car Carpet at Home: 7 Homemade DIY Solutions

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Everybody wants their car floor carpet to be shiny and glossy like a new penny. But over regular use, that remains just like a dream unturned. 

In practice, the dirt of your shoes and the hairs from your pets, tissue paper, smoking ash, etcetera are found on the carpet. No matter how aware you are, you can’t help clean the car carpet on a regular basis. 

But what’s the smartest way to clean it off like a pro? Will it going to cost you a fortune? Or just a few smart moves?

We’ve found the answer for you.

Before heading right into the guide on how to clean the car carpet, let us assure you that- cleaning your car’s carpet is an easy job If you go through with the right process. It will take less than an hour to perform.

Let’s take some moments, and get right into the steps-

Items You Need to Clean Your Car Carpet

  1. Powerful vacuum cleaner (our pick: VARSK 4 In 1 Portable Vacuum)
  2. Dishwashing liquid (our pick: Dawn Ultra Dishwashing Liquid Dish)
  3. Vinegar (our pick: Calyptus Concentrated Vinegar)
  4. A spray bottle (our pick: Durable Black Trigger Sprayer)
  5. A hard bristle brush (our pick: ZilberHaar Pure Boar Bristles)
  6. Towels (our pick: MagicFiber Microfiber Cleaning Cloths)
  7. Hot water

Make sure that these equipment and chemicals are at hand when you are going to start your work. Now get back to the discussion point-

How to Clean the Carpet in your Car?

Before we step into the process, let us warn you about one thing that you might have known already. As you see, the car carpet is supposed to contain a number of dirt forms into it. So, protect yourself with a mask, gloves, and work boots before getting started.

Once you’ve taken these precautionary steps, move forward with the following steps-

Determining Cleaning Times

Spring is here, the sun is shining, and you want to clean your car. To get started with this work, you need to take a little bit idea about it. What we mean is, you should do a thorough analysis and then evaluate the degree of dirt to be cleaned.

If you are habitual of shaking off your car carpets often and use your car rarely, then the maintenance time should be minimal. Doing that regularly, therefore, is suggested.

However, if you don’t have that habit, it will take at least one hour for cleaning your car carpet.

The thing to remember: You should invest in quality car carpets that allow you to protect yourself from dirt and natural weather degradation.

Cleaning of A Car Carpet Strains Step By Step Guide

Step 1: Vacuuming The Car Carpet

At first, vacuum the carpet. Your goal is to pick up as much dry dirt as possible. If you want to go the extra mile, vacuum under the car seats, in the gloves compartment, and in the trunk as deeply as possible to reach. Although these are not related to the carpet, this will reduce the rate of getting your car carpet dirty.

Step 2: Removing Stains from All Over the Place

Clean stains out of car carpet. Spread the hairspray on the ink stains then sponges with a rag. For coffee stains on car carpet or other similar stains, a glass of cleaner can be sprayed on the stain and rub the carpet until it fades completely. It’s advisable to know which products work best for which stains.

Step 3: Deep Cleaning

Now you have to deep clean the carpet of the car as a whole. So, prepare a car carpet cleaner at home.
In a spray bottle, mix 75ml of vinegar, 5ml of dish-washing liquid, and pour 500ml hot water. Spray generously all over the carpet and scrub thoroughly with a stiff bristle brush in a circular motion. Now, rub the carpet from one end to the other.

Step 4: Wait for 30 Minutes

At this step, you’ve to let the cleaner chemicals work on the carpet dirt and stain, and it will take some time. Let the solution penetrate the carpet of the car for thirty minutes.

Step 5: Drying It Off

Sponge the black car carpet with dry towels or paper towels. If possible, leave your car windows open until the carpet is completely dried up.

Household Solutions For Carpet Cleaning

1.Ammonia

This very powerful natural cleaning agent. With ammonia, you can clean easily a very dirty carpet with stains that are difficult to remove.

How to clean the car carpet with ammonia?

  1. Prepare a solution of a glass of ammonia for 1 liter of water in a bowl and add one or two drops of liquid soap.
  2. Wear hand gloves and mask.
  3. Apply the solution, then scrub the carpet.
  4. Rinse thoroughly with a sponge.
  5. Dry the carpet with a hairdryer or a towel.

2.White vinegar

White vinegar is a multi-purpose product that also uses as a carpet cleaner especially in the case of carpet covered with white spots.

How to clean the car carpet with vinegar?

  1. Mix 500 ml white vinegar, 200 ml water, and 2 tablespoons of dish detergent in a bowl.
  2. Pour the solution in a spray bottle and apply it.
  3. Scrub the dirty carpet, wait, and let the solution work.
  4. Wash the carpet and let it dry.

3.Baking Soda

It is another DIY way of cleaning car carpets. It removes the lingering odors of tobacco, food, and pets. So, baking soda to clean car carpet is one of the best choices.

How clean car carpet with baking soda?

Simply sprinkle baking soda on your carpet and let it work for half an hour before vacuuming.

4.The Steam Cleaner

If your car mat is stained, and if you have a steam cleaner, then do not hesitate to use the steam cleaner properly.

How to clean your carpet with a steam cleaner?

  1. Pour water into the steam cleaner.
  2. Add the cleaning solution.
  3. Place the carpet so as to avoid stepping on it while it is drying.
  4. Run the steam cleaner several times, rubbing it to clean the carpet without leaving a trace and without getting too wet.
  5. Then rinse the cleaning solution with clean water.

5.The Gall Soap

Another natural car carpet cleaner, which comes in liquid or solid form. Mix honey, sugar, and turpentine with the gall soap. It is reputed to be very effective on even the toughest tasks.

6.Homemade Carpet cleaner ( My Favourite)

Mix

  • 75 ml of vinegar;
  • 5 ml dishwashing liquid;
  • 500 ml of hot water.

Pour the solution into a spray bottle and apply it on the dirty carpet and you will get a clean carpet without using any machine.

7.Shaving Foam

Yes, you read that right. Shaving foam is a household carpet cleaner that you didn’t know.

Apply shaving foam over the entire carpet. Let it work for at least an hour and rub with a brush and you’re done!

Special Instance: Maintenance of Wet Car Carpet

Maintenance of a Wet Car Carpet

Assume that, you are driving, and a bottle of water spills on the carpet of your car.

This is really disgusting. Isn’t it?

Don’t let much time doing this work, your car carpet must not dry on its own.

How to Dry Your Car Carpet?

Right after cleaning it off, the immediate step is to dry it off for the next use.n Drying car carpet, it could not be done by laying it without in the sun.  Because sometimes it is difficult and boring to do it with dryer machines, as you know.

In case you want to make the drying process faster, there are some quick processes. For processing, you can follow two rules like:

  1. Wipe with a microfiber towel if it is a small amount of water.
  2. Use a wet/dry shop vacuum if the amount is large.

Moreover, you can keep open windows that will help your carpet to dry and also use a hairdryer to dry up the wet carpet.

The Risks Associated with a wet Carpet

Leaving the carpet of your car dry on its own can be the cause of two problems. The first is the growing of mold in car carpet padding.

Fast-drying of the carpet will prevent the growth of mold in massive quantities.

The other danger is the infiltration of water into the electrical circuits of your car.

It is a little bit risky so be careful about it.

Remove Stains from the Car Carpet

White Spots on the Car Carpet

Mix hot water with vinegar (¼ vinegar for 1 liter of water) to make a cleaning solution.

Apply the solution and Remove the white stains by rubbing with a hard brush.

Mud Stain

Dab the stains with a damp cloth and a few drops of white vinegar.

Then wash by hand.

The Stain of  Vomit

Clean the stain of blood with an ammonia solution.

Grass Stain

Rub the stains gently with a brush soaked in household alcohol or vinegar.

Remove the Odor from the Car Carpet

 Odor Eliminator

Spray the odor eliminator(Our pick: Rocco & Roxie Odor Eliminator) on the carpet and let it work.

The bad smell of the carpet will dissipate.

Baking Soda

Sprinkle the car mat generously with baking soda.

Leave it all night.

Vacuum in the morning.

Bicarbonate / Hydrogen Peroxide / Soap

Spray a mixture of 2 tablespoons of baking soda,1 tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide,2 teaspoons of dishwashing liquid,1 liter 1/2 to 2 liters of water.

Detergent

Pour a thick layer of detergent powder on the carpet.
Leave it for a night and Vacuum in the morning.

How to Clean Plastic Car Carpet?

clean plastic car carpet

Avoid powders and abrasive sponges for cleaning plastic car carpet.

Household Alcohol

Soak a sponge with alcohol and a few drops of water.

Rinse and dry after removing the stain.

Hydrogen Peroxide

Clean the plastic carpet with a cloth soaked in a mixture of 2/3 water and 1/3 of hydrogen peroxide.

Rinse properly and dry.

Detergent

Soak a sponge on the solution of warm water and detergent.

Clean the carpet with the sponge without the machine.

Last word

As you can see, the cleaning of car carpets is simple and effective. Repeat this process at least once every six months and keep your interior car clean and odor-free.

If you know any other way to clean the car carpets, don’t forget to share. Remember; Your experience may help our audience.

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