Often when you get new car mats or regular household mats, immediately, you will have to live with a lingering rubber odour. This is due to the mats being partially made from rubber while others are fully rubber. The rubber helps to make the mats durable and easy to clean. But most people don’t like the smell as it can be nauseating and even cause headaches for certain individuals.
The good news is that you don’t have to put up with this smell in your car anymore. In our latest post, we provide tips to show you with how to remove rubber smell from car mats. Here’s a step-by-step process to remove the rubber smell from your car mats:
Get warm soapy water in a bucket
The first step is to get a bucket full of warm water. Make sure you have enough water to match the number of mats you want to clean. The warmth of water makes it more chemical soluble, so it will be more effective at cutting through the rubber smell. Using soapy water will make the process even easier to not only to get rid of smells but also remove some of the dirt.
Submerge the car mats in warm soapy water
The easiest and cheapest way to deodorize your car mats to keep them fresh and clean is to submerge them in warm soapy water. Soak them in the water for about thirty minutes or more. When you get them out, be prepared to do some scrubbing.
Scrub the mats with a clean cloth
The next step in the mat-cleaning process is to scrub the mats with a clean cloth. You’ll want to take away any dirt or residue that your vacuum has missed by scrubbing between the grooves of the mat. If necessary, get a hard-bristled brush to do the scrubbing. The scrubbing will do most of the cleaning work for you, but you should still be prepared to rinse your mats when you’re finished.
Rinse the car mats in plenty of water
Don’t forget to rinse your mats thoroughly. Rinse them in plenty of water, either using tap water or with a high-pressure hose so they are completely wet. The goal is to rinse them to get rid of the soap and dirt. Again, the secret here is plenty of water.
Dry your mats in direct sunlight
The best way to dry your car mats is to take them out in direct sunlight. This means that you don’t just get the heat from the sun but a fresh breeze around the mat. Take a vacuum cleaner and clean the mats by getting all the excess water out. It's important to dry your car mats after they've been wet so that they don't lead to any type of mouldy smells. Not only will it smell bad, but it will also ruin the car mats themselves. For this process to be effective, do these three things:
- Put the car mats in direct sunlight for more than three hours.
- Place the car mats in a way there is airflow underneath them. Find a way to do this even if it means hanging the mats on a line.
- Often, your mats should smell fresh after three hours. If they don’t, continue to keep them out in the sun until the odour disappears.
Why do I get a rubber smell from car mats?
Rubber mats are great because they're durable and they're good for keeping dirt and dust under control. It’s important to remember that rubber mats naturally give off an odour due to them being made of rubber. Natural rubber may also give off volatile organic compounds, releasing smells. The volatile organic compounds are released by heat, sunlight, and wear.
It can be difficult to find a set of car mats that does not have a funny “new” smell. But nowadays, manufacturers are getting better at removing these compounds. They chemically treat the rubber material to minimise the rubber smell on car mats. Next time you go shopping for car mats, ensure you choose low odour mat options.
One of the main reasons we often end up with rubber-smelling mats is because we don’t give them enough time to let the air out. You want to be sure you have enough time to work on the rubber odour issues that are common with mats before using them. Our car mat collection at Click Car Mats has no one icky car mat.
A summary on how to remove rubber smell from car mats
The natural rubber smell of car mats usually fades away on its own. But when it doesn’t, wash the mats thoroughly by using warm soapy water. Scrub to remove any trapped dirt. Then dry them in the sun for as long as necessary. The easiest way to do this is to hang them somewhere in the sun and allow air flow around them. The rubber smell will fade away with time.
