Today I came across some floor mats that had definitely seen some better days.  They had dirt and various other stains ground into them.  Well I got to thinking, and decided this would be a great set to get some pictures of.  I am going to walk through what it takes to get the stains out the first time.  So for you to get an idea of what I was working with this is what the before picture looked like.

You can tell these mats are very, very dirty.  Some people would probably throw them out, but I feel that is a waste of money.  If these stains take two scrubbings to come out of the floor mats then so be it.  Maybe the one mat that is starting to wear thin from the heel could use replacing.  I still feel that getting the stains out of the floor mats will be best decision.

First I vacuumed the floor mats to get all loose dirt out of them.  After vacuuming the floor mats I banged them on the side of the wall to get any other loose debris out of them.  Another vacuum was done.  Once the floor mats had been vacuumed I began to tackle the stains.

Second I sprayed a degreaser onto them.  The degreaser was a 20-1 concentrate and it said to use it at a ratio of 5-1 for heavy stains.  Remember that each chemical you use will have different strengths depending on the type of application.  Remember to follow the directions for what type of stain you are trying to get rid of.  Least aggressive to start with is the only policy.  You can always add more, but if you have too much and the carpet fades your in trouble.  The last piece of advice I will give you for treating stains is to test in an inconspicuous area first.  Once again these will all be in the directions on your degreaser of choice.  Now that the floor mats had an even thin coating of degrease on them I let it do its thing for few minutes to break up the stain.

I prepared a bucket of fresh water and got my upholstery brush ready.  After about three minutes I dipped the upholstery brush in the wash bucket and then shook it out.  After shaking out the brush I began to work a back and forth motion vigorously.  The carpet began to foam up and I could see the stain beginning to come up.  After scrubbing the floor mat for a about a minute I dipped my brush in the wash bucket again.  I am now done with the first part of cleaning the stains off.

My next step was to get a clean terry cloth towel and blot the mat.  After blotting the carpet for the first time and finishing with a vacuum this is what they looked like.

Dont let this happen to your car

Here in Gainesville Florida the conditions for maintaining your car’s paint can be worse than a lot of other places.  This is due to the constant UV rays that are blasting your car’s paint as well as the rubber, leather, plastic, and vinyl.  The suns harmful rays can damage the automobile’s look very fast if the car is not properly maintained.  Gainesville Detailing advises that the car be washed and cleaned inside at least every two weeks.  This will prevent harmful bugs, acid rain, or any other contaminants from bonding to the paint and causing damage.  A full detail is recommended every 3-4 months.  Your particular vehicle may require this more or less frequently depending on how often it is used and the conditions that it comes into contact with. For instance someone who only drives the vehicle a few times a week and keeps it in the garage the majority of the time will not need to get their car detailed with wax and carpet shampooing as much as someone who commutes to work 50 miles a day and lives on a dirt road.   One of the biggest paint destroyers that Florida has is the “Love Bug”.  If left on a automobiles surface these little pests can and will eat through the clear coat and start damaging the paint.  This can happen in a very short period of time.  This is why you should not wait to get a car wash done after a long trip or if you notice any bugs starting to accumulate.

Here in Gainesville, Florida it rains about everyday a couple of times a day during the summer months. Some common school of thought is it’s best to push off the next car wash or detail.  This is true if the rain is continuous, but if you are going to be driving after the rain you may want to reconsider. Rain brings up a lot of nasty things that cars, trucks, and any other automobile may leave behind.  Some forms of damage that can be done to a car if left unwashed after rain are acid rain, fallout, oxidation, and road tar. Oil, and other forms of grease also are easily slung up along the sides of cars.  It is important to take action before the unwanted contaminants begin to deteriorate your cars paint. You can prevent this by simply getting your car washed after driving in the rain. Getting a car wash does a couple things.  First off a car wash will clean the car, and will protect it if washed with a quality car wash.  So just remember that whenever it rains your should at the very least rinse your car off.  The best solution would be to wash your car or have a quality detailing and car wash service do it for you.   Learn to use the rain to your advantage to clue you into whether your car needs to be waxed or not.  If the water beads up nicely like this

then  you don’t need it waxed.  If it does not bead up like the above picture then you should consider getting it waxed to protect the vehicles paint and clear coat.