nightdiff

What is best stuff to spray on floor mats to protect them from stains?

Jetfire

iTrader: (3)

carpet or rubber floor mats?

also what types of stains do you generally encounter?

nightdiff

stock carpet mats and usually dirt from city streets

lexusMnl

vacuum... buy the 3m mats

RA010623

iTrader: (1)

clean your shoes before you go in?

sydtoosic

get the AWM they're easier to keep clean. APC, brush, water and you're good to go.

BertL

As sydtoosic suggests, I too put All Weather Mats in my RX450h to make cleaning my mats a simpler procedure.

If you are insistent on retaining the carpet mats, I've done two things in the past:

1. I used 3M Scotchgard auto fabric and carpet spray protector to help with the carpet mats -- it's the same stuff you'd put on fabric seats to help make any spills "bead up". I'm unsure really how good a job it does on the mats from a dirt perspective, since I never did a half-and-half comparision on the same mats to find out. The 3M site however will show you all sorts of marketing info that may convince you otherwise.
2. You could put clear carpet protectors, actually another set of hard acrylic mats, over the top of your carpet versions. If you go this way, you'll have to be very careful with the type you use to ensure they do not slip and cause the infamous "acceleration stuck" problem. There are versions covered with nibs that tightly grip the carpet underneath and are made specifically for your MY. I ran like this in my RX400h for nearly 7 years without a problem and the original carpet mats looked like new after a good brushing when I traded it in a few weeks ago. The advantage of this approach is you retain much of the color of your original carpet mats if that is what you are looking for. ...but honestly, I think the all-weather-mats are a better approach if you can deal with mat black as your only choice -- they are not as slippery, have slight raised edges to keep dirt/water off your carpet, and you won't have any paranoia about them causing problems with the pedals. There are also after-market versions that come in other colors (but without the fancy Lexus RX logo).

tmf2004

iTrader: (15)

U could probably spray scotchguard on the mats and it repels dirt and liquid.. i had it on my new furniture a few years back but i was allergic to it..

nightdiff

ok going to buy the scotchguard thx

tmf2004

iTrader: (15)

Make sure its for furniture or hit up Rooms to Go

Big Mack

iTrader: (1)

DO NOT APPLY SCOTCHGUARD TO DIRTY MATS!!!

Clean them first or you will not be able to get them clean because the SG will bond with the fibers and latch any/all dirt to them as well.

I would highly recommend Tuff Stuff. It is available at pretty much every auto parts store, Target, and most retailers that carry any type of cleaning stuff.

This product is designed for exactly what you are trying to do and works wonders. You simply follow the directions, use some elbow grease, and vacuum away the remains. Once clean, give the carpet some time to dry, give it a good brushing with a carpet brush (parts stores have these as well), then cover with Scotchguard.

Alternative solution - buy a cheap set of basic mats off Ebay, use the tar out of them, clean when necessary, and save the Lexus ones for later. You can get decent mats on there for under $60 for a complete set, and many have different color options. I changed my tan ones for black because I like the offset (and the fact they don't show every spot).

Big Mack