How to Clean a Car Carpet [Detailed 2023 Guide]

Published by Ahmad Jamal on May 16, 2022 | Last updated on May 15, 2023

Boots and shoes carry more than just sand or dirt, they contain various debris types, and once you ride your car, they all move with you to the car carpet.

Moreover, some people just like to eat, drink, and do more than that in the comfort of their car.

However, car carpets rarely receive the care and cleaning they need, therefore lies the importance of this guide on how to clean a car carpet.

Want to learn how to clean a car carpet? this Cleaners Advisor guide shall help you achieve it.

Table of Contents

Why You Should Know How to Clean a Car Carpet

Enjoying a car ride should always be accompanied with the cleanliness of the car, alongside the comfort of the driver and his passengers.

All of that can be hit hard with a bad-smelling car, where odor occupies the inside of the car, therefore you should know How to Clean a Car Carpet.

Additionally, those are the benefits of mastering How to Clean a Car Carpet:

Enjoy Your Fresh-smelling Car.
Keep Your Family Safe.
Maintain The Inside of the Car.
Prevent Further Mold Creation.

Types of Dirt You’ll Have to Face While Learning How to Clean a Car Carpet

Dirt.
Sand.
Mud.
Stones.
Food Left-Overs.
Beverages Spill.
Rain Water.
Cleaning Materials Left by Mistake.

Items & Equipment Needed While Cleaning a Car Carpet

Plastic Garbage Bags.
Protective Gloves.
Bucket of Soapy Water Or Pressure Water Source.
Strong Brush.
Car Vacuum.
Spray Bottle.
White Vinegar.
Steam Cleaner. (Optional)

Elephant in the Room: How to Clean a Car Carpet

image 1 750x445 1 — This is how tidy and clean your car should look

Moving on to the most important part of this guide, how to clean a car carpet while maintaining the whole car efficiently:

Start with Tidying Up The Car

Any untidy car would certainly contain empty bottles, food leftovers, some plastic bags here or there, and candy wrappers.

Start your car carpet cleaning by tidying up your car, removing all of the aforementioned junk, put them in the trash can.

Remove Floor Mats

As mentioned in the introduction, shoes bring on too much dirt to the car, and floor mats are always on the receiving end of it.

Therefore, fold the floor mats over, make sure they don’t spill anything over the carpet, and get them ready to be cleaned on the outside of your car.

This shall allow you to clean underneath the mats easily.

Get Floor Mats Cleaned

Most of the cars have rubber floor mats that can be cleaned with soapy water and a strong brush.

Others are okay with using pressure water to clean them without needing to use soap of any sort.

This step needs to be carried out sooner than other ones because they take plenty of time to dry off, so just get it done with, leave them to dry, and move on to the next step.

Car Needs Vacuuming

This is the step where you take your time, get your car vacuum or a standard vacuum, and get every corner of the car carpet vacuumed completely.

Most of the small dirt particles hide in the tiniest of corners, so you should obtain the best car carpet cleaner to complete this step.

Stains Are Next

Mix up the white vinegar with warm water, and shake them well inside a spray bottle with a small spray head.

Use this mix on stains that are hard to clean, as vacuums don’t work well on those kinds of stains.

Spray the mix on the spot only, and use a toothbrush with another small head to focus solely on the stain at hand.

Continue rubbing on the spot until it’s stain-free and clean.

However, some strong stain spots require doing this step twice, spray then rub again until it’s clean.

Optional: Steam Cleaners

Steam cleaners aren’t as cheap as you’d want them to be, however, they are most certainly effective on car carpets.

Even if you go to a detailing shop, they are most likely going to use a steam cleaner of some sort on your carpet, as it’s widely known for killing mold, germs, and bacteria effectively.

It also gets the job faster than most other options, and it doesn’t leave any trails that need cleaning behind.

One of the best benefits of obtaining a steam cleaner to clean car carpets is the ability to use your car nearly 10 minutes after you’re done cleaning, which is a huge plus if you’re in hurry and needed to get it done before moving.

How often Should I Clean a Car Carpet?

It depends on how clean you keep your car on daily basis. If you’re constantly removing dirt and junk, then you’ll need to clean your car carpet once per two months, or whenever there’s a need-to-be-cleaned stain spot.

However, if you rely fully on your regular cleaning to keep your car carpet clean, I advise you to clean your car carpet once per month.

How to Clean a Car Carpet FAQ

How can I clean my car carpet myself?

Get the simple cleaning tools like the soapy water, spray bottle, white vinegar, brush, toothbrush, and get down to business. Start with getting rid of the empty bottles and food junk in the car, then use the aforementioned tools to clean your car carpet yourself.

What do car detailers use to clean carpets?

They use steam cleaners to clean your car carpets fast, as they can provide you with a clean & ready-to-use car in less than 10 minutes.

Can you clean car carpet with dish soap?

Yes, dish soap can be used in the water bucket you’ll need to clean the mats & some easy spots on the car carpets.

To Wrap Up

This concludes the guide on How to Clean a Car Carpet, as it contained every single piece of useful information you’ll need to get your car carpet.

Starting with why you’ll need to know how to clean a car carpet, moving on to the dirt you’ll find there, and the equipment you’ll need to get the job done.

If you’ve faced any obstacles on your way to clean your car carpet, feel free to ask us in the comments section below.