A floor mat or industrial mat for your vehicle is the floor covering that protects it from anything found under the soles of your shoe or slippers when you enter your car, such as the elements, debris, dust, mud, and dog poop.
Most brand-new cars available from dealerships come with their own rubber mats. However, you as a motorist have the choice to customize them with other custom industrial mat types like pickup floor mats, sedan floor mats, and carpet floor mats.
If your mats get damaged, it's also easy to replace them with duplicates or upgrades of the original since they're not nailed or screwed to the car floor or anything.
A Guide to Purchasing the Best Industrial Mat for Your Car
- Bigger Mats for Nonspecific Mats: When buying aftermarket nonspecific mats for your vehicle that are deemed "universal fit", err on the side of caution and buy the ones that are bigger than your original mats when buying online. Many of these non-car-specific mats are ready to be cut down as required but if you're lucky you should end up with a perfect fit.
- Rubber Floor Mat Care and Maintenance: Don't leave your newly bought floor mats in the sun for too long after cleaning them out. Actually, it's preferable that you air-dry them instead. Rubber that's sun-dried can end up damaged, cracked, and crispy after solar overexposure. Use a fan or limit their sun exposure for the sake of safe drying.
- Buying Rubber Mat Sets: When buying an OEM or aftermarket replacement set for your mats, keep in mind what are the different types of floor mat for cars. You have your front driver side floor mats, rear driver side floor mats, and passenger side floor mats. Some of the mats can overlap over each other while others are specifically made to fit into the unique shape and crevices of your make and model of car.
- All-Weather, All-Season Floor Mats: Go for the all-weather, all-season floor mats that are industrial-grade for better protection of your car floor. Sure, the mats that your car came with aren't usually industrial-grade, but plunking in extra money for thicker and tougher mats will allow you to deal with climates that have dramatic seasonal changes and whatnot.
- Avoid Rubbery-Smelling Industrial Mats: Buy 100% odorless mats instead of industrial mats that reek of a rubbery scent. Stinky mats don't only ruin the smell of your car from the inside, making you nauseous and your head throb while you're driving. A good, dependable mat shouldn't smell like that and the "industrial-grade" mat you bought at a discount might be less sturdy and more toxic to your health than you think.