Car floor mats are very essential for keeping your car interior clean and guard it from damage. Sliding mats can be hazardous as they can block pedals or make you slip. Hence, you need to secure car floor mats so as to avoid complications.
In order to keep car floor mats from sliding, there are simple things you can do. This will give you the opportunity to achieve the best result with the procedure and make your car look like new at all times.
The few tips below will help you to avoid frustration and danger as a car owner. You will learn how to keep your floor mats in place, the best ways of installing them to avoid sliding and various types of mats that can be considered.
How To Secure Car Floor Mats (Some Ways)
Use Sticky Strips
Sticky strips are very effective to secure car floor mats. Heavy-duty strips with sticky back can be applied and it is advisable to look for strips that are produced for coarse surfaces.
Use Double-Sided Carpet Tape
If you want to keep weathertech floor mats from sliding, you can use double-sided carpet tape. However, you will need to replace the tape after cleaning or replacing the mat. This is because the tape has the tendency of pulling up with ease.
Use Shelf Liners
We typically use shelf liners to prevent our shelves from daily wearing and tearing. Apart from this, they can also be used to prevent the shifting around of objects.
Your car floor covering can be kept in place with a shelf liner. When placed beneath the covering, it will create friction which will prevent unnecessary movement.
Screw Them In Place
You can go for a more lasting alternative – direct screwing of the mats to the carpet of the vehicle. This can be achieved by drilling holes via the mat. You should then use carpet screws to keep the mat in proper position. If you also have best truck bed mats but can’t secure them, you can easily apply this process.
Use Drapery Hooks
This is unusual but it works. You can make use of pin-on drapery hooks to get your car floor coverings in proper position. The hook has a lower part with a pointed pin which is embedded into the underlying carpet. The u-shaped part will then be connected to the covering.
Use Floor Mat Clips
Floor mat clips are particularly produced to secure floor coverings. They are very effective for holding mats in place in order to avert slipping and tripping. They work by clipping to the rear edge of the covering and possess sharp prongs that anchor into the carpet of the car.
Choose a Mat With a Non-slip Rubber Backing
You can consider replacing your car floor covering with one that possesses a rubber reinforcement. Since rubber naturally has a great level of stickiness, it will reduce sliding compared to others without a rubber backing.
In addition, you should go for a rubber reinforced covering that has a reasonable weight. The weight will also help in reducing the tendency of slipping so that you can get the best result.
Use a Non-skid Mat Underlay
You can get specialized underlays having non-slipping properties. The underlay should be placed on the carpet beneath the covering so as to avert sliding.
How To Install Your Car Floor Mats To Avoid Slipping
Proper installation of your car floor mats is very essential in order to prevent slipping. Look, you need to follow the steps below if you really want to get it right.
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Step 1: Clean The Car
It is very important for you to carry off old mats and get the underlying carpet cleaned properly. Lifting the old coverings should not be a problem for you. Getting the old one removed will create enough space for new ones to be properly fixed.
It is not advisable to install new coverings on old ones. You must ensure that you remove the old ones so that new ones can be directly installed.
You can vacuum the underlying carpet so that there won’t be any dirt hiding under. In addition, if you discover that there is heavy soiling or stains, you can clean the carpet properly. You can use carpet shampoo and water for the cleaning so that you will be able to achieve your desire. The car floor should be dry before going to the next step.
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Step 2: Clean The Car Floor Mats
If your car mats are new, there is every possibility that they will be fairly clean. However, it is very important for you to brush off debris or dirt that may stick to them before their installation into your car.
In a situation whereby you are making use of second-hand mats, don’t worry, you only need to vacuum them before installation. In other cases, you may need to use your hand brush, soap and water to scrub their hard surface.
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Step 3: Determine The Proper Position of Each Mat
You can lay the mats completely in order to determine how to place them. You should not place the coverings for the front to the back as this will not allow proper fitting.
Sorting them out will definitely take your time but you will really get the benefits of doing so. This aspect is very essential not minding the fact that you are using customized or standard coverings.
If you want the sorting out to be as easy as ABC, you should even out the mats. This will give you the opportunity to see all of them properly so that you will be able to know their right positions. You can spread them on the floor in your garage or driveway.
Some coverings are labeled so that it will be easier for you to know their proper position in the car. If they are not labeled, it is your job to figure out their position and I don’t think it will be a difficult task for you.
You can use their shapes as well as sizes to figure this out. Usually, shorter mats are meant for the back while longer ones will fit perfectly into the front.
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Step 4: Put The Mats in Your Car
Majority of car mats will directly lie on the floor right in front of the seats. In some other cases, there are factory retention posts that support them. Some cars have these posts while others don’t.
These retention posts are rods or hooks situated right at the center or on the sides of the seat’s floor. The brand and model of your car will determine the location of the posts and their number.
If your car’s retention posts and mats are particular to its manufacturer or model or both, there will be matching latch spots on the mats. Also, the coverings may be customized for your car and this will make matching fastening spots to be available. You should then go ahead to secure the latch spots to the retention posts and snap them in position.
You must ensure that the non-skid or gripping side of the coverings face down when you carry out the installation. Work all over the circumference of the mats making sure that you press them down properly so that they can be flat across your floorboard.
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Step 5: Check The Fit
You should make sure that you check your installation properly. The mat should not block the pedals as well as seat base so that you will not have any problem when driving.
The brake and gas pedals should be properly checked to ensure that there is no hindrance. They should move freely without banging around into the mats at any point in time.
The seats should be adjusted back and forth. You should also slide them along the rails. The seats should slide smoothly without colliding with the coverings.
Getting The Right Car Floor Mats
In order to get the best fitting for your car floor mats, you need to get it right when choosing one. Car coverings come with different qualities and specifications. There are many factors to consider when choosing one and some of them are discussed below.
Types of Mats
The type of mat you choose will go a long way in determining how best it will fit. There are different types available and you need to understand the difference in order to make the best decision.
Standard Car Mats
These are the most common car mats. They are ideal for protecting the floor of the car against liquid.
All-weather Car Mats
They are more lasting and can give protection to the car floor against liquid. They can easily be secured and do not slip unnecessarily. They work well in all weather, especially when the weather is nasty. They are very effective in retaining mud, as much as possible, in nasty weather.
Rubber Mats
Rubber mats stay securely in place and are waterproof. They can dry very quickly but when not protected from intense sunny or hot conditions, they can easily crack.
Heavy-duty Mats
These are also water-proof with the capability of securing properly into your car. They are very thick and this makes them to have additional layer of shield.
Metal Car Mats
Metal car mats are very durable. They are waterproof but have the capability of slipping with ease.
Bottom Line
If you really want to secure car floor mats, it is very essential for you to take the right steps. This will make it possible for you to get the best from the item and prevent unnecessary driving complications.
