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I Love My All-Weather Floormats
Dec 27 2007 by Colette Fischer
12/27/2007
Mats Make Winter Mess a Thing of the Past
It’s that time of year again: Snow melts into big, brown, messy puddles, creating a temptation that’s just too much for my boys to pass up. Add snow, mud and dirt to those drenched little boots, and a big mess is imminent. I’ve created a failsafe in our home — a bulletproof mudroom, staffed by an elbows-protruding, hands-on-the-hips gatekeeper (me), surrounded by throw rugs, towels, and crates into which mucky items can be quickly thrown.
The car, however, is a different story. Without the luxury of a mudroom — or the heart to institute a “car shoes only” rule — the amount of muck that is tracked into my car, especially during the winter, is astounding. I’ve given up on the seat backs for now, but the floor has won my attention.
I had a set of cheap plastic mats in my old SUV, the thought being that plastic would prevent stains from boots and other dirt collectors. Well, these useless mats were forever overflowing with muddy water and/or spilled something-or-other. Quickly, a minor annoyance turned into a major dilemma: Jackets, extra sweatshirts, cell phones or mommy’s planner found their way onto the floor, only to soak up the gook. You get the drift. Even worse, these flimsy protectors slid up under the driver’s pedals and got caught in the doors. Considering what a complete nuisance they were, I’m amazed at how long it took me to ditch them.
Wisdom finally prevailed, and with the purchase of our most recent vehicle I finally indulged in a set of all-weather, heavy-duty rubber floormats. My mind was made up when I drove a Range Rover outfitted with these rugged mats. I was convinced this accessory would solve all my floormat headaches. Now that I’ve got my new heavy-duty mats, water pools in a tray at the bottom, but the top of the mat remains as dry as possible.
Last but not least, whenever too much dirt, snow or snack remnants find their way into the grooves of my black mats (which seems to be daily), I simply douse them off with our garden hose (which I’m sorry to say does not happen even close to daily). No scrubbing, staining or stress. Now that’s my kind of accessory!
You are lucky that your factory all-season floor mat actually traps the puddle.
Both mine and my mom’s Honda does not.