How To Protect Your Rubber and Plastic Floor Mats
by Reece @ DI
I covered how I like to deep clean my all weather floor mats the article, How to Clean Your Rubber and Plastic Floor Mats and I highly recommend checking this article out first. Once you get your floor mats free of contamination and they have dried off, you want to dress them to not only keep them looking their best, but to also stop future dirt and grime from sticking to them.
The 303 Aerospace Protectant is my favorite dressing for floor mats for a few reasons.
- Deep, dark, natural looking finish
- UV protection
- Minimal slickness left behind
I am not a fan of glossy finishes personally and I have found that many products that amp up the gloss also tend to drastically increase slickness to the mats as well. Not to name any products directly, but I have tested a few that added so much slickness that I had my foot slip out from underneath me when I was getting into or out of my vehicle. Some may not mind this, but slickness is what pushes me from one product to another in this specific detailing area. While I use Aerospace, there are many great options out there, so find what works best for you.
Now onto application, which is incredibly easy!
Simply spray the 303 Aerospace Protectant onto the mats.
Make sure to cover them as these mats generall soak up a good amount of product, especially if it is your first application.
I wipe them down with a low nap microfiber towel and use the Detail Factory Brush to help hit any cracks, crevices, or deeper areas on these mats.
Once finished you have mats that look deep, dark and natural! What product do you use to protect your mats? Leave it in the comments below!
For my client vehicles, I tend to use 303 for interior vinyls and dash components, but favour Griot’s Rubber and Vinyl Dressing under the hood and on rubber or plastic mats for its subtle finish and excellent longevity.
Robert – Thanks for the suggestions, I will have to add the Griot’s item to my list to test for sure!
Hard to recommend doing this. It may not seem really slippery at first but get into the car with wet shoes from rain and it is.
Up until a month ago, I would dress the mats with Adams ceramic spray coating. It darkened the mats a little and added almost no slickness.
Since then, I tried Koch Chemie Gummifix. It does everything I want and leaves no slickness whatsoever. Yes, it’s pricey but the results are better than any product I’ve tried.
I have heard this works great on “rubberized mats” without making them slippery however I heard it makes the plastic mats a little too slippery……. What are your experiences?
Do you dilute the Gummifix in order to spray it? And if so what is the ratio.
I don’t spray it. It’s alcohol based and evaporates very fast. I squirt some on an autofiber saver applicator and rub it on the mat.