My older minivan far back carpet got ragged and tattered. A replacement one would cost over $100, which I may never have to spare, being low income. I finally discovered that those large spikey bottomed office desk mats of flexible vinyl often tossed on the curb are excellent to place down over the old carpet which doesn't even show through, providing an excellent water-resistant flooring cover, for free.
Wonderful recycling and reinventing fun!
By Lynda from TX
This page contains the following solutions.
Don't toss old floor mats from your car. Use them under your car in the garage to catch leaking fluids, as door mats to store shoes on, or to keep dirt and debris from being tracked into your home.
Cut leftover carpet scraps to size as floor mats in the car for winter use. They can be washed when necessary.
I cleaned my car mats that had coffee stains, cola stains and dirt on them by filling my large deep sink and putting Mr. Clean in and letting them soak. After a while, I took them out and washed them off with a hose outside on the driveway. They came out beautifully clean.
Our original carpet was looking tacky, and the rubber mats would not stay put, so we bought a 4.5 by 7 foot area rug for $22. We cut it to fit over the original carpet.
Wash your carpeted car mats in the washing machine with laundry detergent and hang inside or outdoors to dry.
