Being possessive of your car’s interior is not wrong. After all, you’ve bought it after a long time of waiting, and its well-being will keep it in good condition for long years to come.
What keeps your car’s aesthetics and value maintained is the clean cabin and particularly the car floor mats. But, before you start cleaning your floor mats, do you know how about can you put car floor mats in the washing machine?
Some car floor mats are made to stand machine washing, while others are not sturdy enough. Find out below if and what type of floor mats you are washing in the washing machine.
Can You Put Car Floor Mats In a Washing Machine?
You can definitely put your floor mats in a washing machine, but a few conditions apply. Your car mats should have a tagging on being “machine wash safe.” Besides, the material of your car mats will tell you if there’s a possibility to throw them in the washer and dryer.
Rubber and plastic floor mats are restrained from going into the washing machine. Apparently, they will tear apart and lose their shape. However, a few manufacturers allow you to put them in the washing machine as well. So, you need to confirm it through the manual coming along or giving your manufacturer a call.
Another way you can wash the floor mats in the washing machine is by going to the Laundromat. However, we’d still not suggest it and prefer cleaning them by hand in your driveway.
Related: How to Wash a Floor Mat to Get Debris Out?
What Types of Car Floor Mats Can Go in a Washing Machine?
Exceptional cases are always there, and car floor mats are one of a kind. Two types of mats can go in the washing machine, and we’ve listed them below.
Fabric Car Mats
There are hundreds of mats made out of nylon or cotton. If your floor mats are manufactured using these fabrics, you are allowed to throw them in the washer. However, make sure they don’t consist of rubber backing or plastic edges.
Carpeted Car Mats
Another type of car mat that allows you to throw it into the washer is carpeted floor mat. Since they are sturdy enough, there’s no issue pouring them into the washer. Make sure to check its backing as it shouldn’t have rubber or plastic counterparts.
Why Can’t You Wash Rubber or Plastic Mats in the Washing Machine?
Except for a few rubber mats, some plastic and rubber mats cannot stand the machine wash, and their aftermath can be disappointing. Let’s know what will happen if you throw them into the washing machine.
Deformation
If you’ve noticed, there are grooves and ridges built on the car floor mats. Running a machine cycle on rubber floor mats can damage this grooved pattern that is made to trap dirt, mud, and dust from your shoes. Ultimately, your rubber floor mats will lose their functionality.
Wrap Around
After a few experiments, it’s been found that the rubber mats wrap around when they go through a machine cycle. This means they won’t lay flat on your car’s ground and might get in the way while you drive. And this might lead to an accident.
Machine Might Disrupt
Sometimes, there are plastic components in floor mats. These floor mats are rightly kept from throwing into the machine since they might damage your machine. So, it’s much better to keep your appliance safe, and sound and hand wash your floor mats.
Related: Can You Put Car Floor Mats In The Dryer?
Decreased Lifespan
Granted that throwing car floor mats in the washing machine can be convenient and ease your life, it does reduce the lifespan of your floor mats. And, you’d never want to let your buy go in vain – especially if you’ve bought expensive mats from a brand like Weathertech.
It’s better to avoid machine washing your floor mats and opt for handwashing them. For that, you’ll only need a hose or water bucket, liquid detergent, and a bristle brush, and you are good to go.
Conclusion
Can you put car floor mats in the washing machine is a common question every car owner asks when cleaning his car cabin.
You can wash carpeted and fabric floor mats in the washing machine. However, throwing the rubber and plastic floor mats into the machine can result in their deformation, decreased lifespan, wrapping around, and disruption of the machine in a few cases.
Instead, opt for a safe method that is hand washing and keep your mats in good shape and as good as new for long years to come.