Taking care of your car's carpet

The carpets of our cars bear the brunt of all the dirt our shoes carry into it, and dust and smoke affect them too. Different cars are equipped with different types of carpets, some have fabric carpets, and others have vinyl carpets. Vinyl carpets are easier to clean but not necessarily easy to maintain.

The first precaution to take would be to keep mats over these carpets, most cars come factory fitted with these. The mats stop most of the dirt from falling onto the carpet, but in the course of time the dirt can spill over. Most mats are made of rubber, some other of plastic, and they are pretty easy to clean and maintain. Dusting the mats and then rinsing them under a tap renders them clean. Using cleaning fluids and a cloth or brush can get rid of mud or other contaminants, then dry the mats. To add a bit of bling to rubber mats coat them with a bit of rubber dressing fluid (the same stuff used to shine tyres).

Carpets require a bit of hard work. Start cleaning the carpet in the boot and move forwards toward the cabin. An upholstery brush or a simple cloth dislodges the sand or other minute particles which get stuck in the carpet making it easy to vacuum it. Stains on the carpet can be removed by using fabric cleaning fluids and bristled brushes, scrub longer for tougher stains. A second sweep with the vacuum after this should ensure your carpet is dust free. Drying the carpet is very important, as damp carpets can be breeding grounds for germs and give off a very bad odour. Let air circulate inside the car by keeping all the doors of the car open.

NOTE: Carpets remain clean when your habits are congenial to keeping the environment clean.