If you think that a door mat's purpose is just to add decorative appeal to a home, you should think again. Front door mats offer a range of benefits, such as helping to preserve your tile, carpet or wooden flooring from unsightly and unhealthy contaminants and keep your home looking clean and spotless for longer. Placing an entrance mat at each door in your home will encourage your family and visitors to wipe their feet and prevent mud and dirt being tracked into your home. About 75% of the dirt and grime in the floor is tracked in on the bottom of shoes. Entrance mats serve as a barrier to prevent dirt and dust getting into your home.
There are many different types of door mat products available on the market, and trawling through them all, learning about all of the different features and benefits of each product, can take up far too much time of your valuable time. That is why I've put together this guide to make the process simpler as well as to help you choose the right door mats for your entrances.
Outdoor, Indoor or Covered Door Mats
The environment in which you place the mat will play a great part in determining the type of mat you should choose. Mats designed to soak up water, for example, shouldn't be placed outside because you will end up walking over something resembling a damp sponge when the weather is wet. In the same way, an all-rubber scraper mat won't work effectively at removing fine dirt and moisture if used indoors.
For an outdoor entrance, you will need a mat made from a material that is resistant to all types of weather and will stay effective in various weather conditions. Remember that this mat will be the first line of defence, so it needs to be effective at removing heavy dirt, sand, mud and grit. The mat should also be drinkable to allow water to flow away from the surface of the mat and not be held into it. Mats made from rubber with raised scrape nubs and drainage roles are a popular choice for outdoor entrances. Rubber is a very durable material and will not split, crack or curl whatever the weather it faces.
Indoor mats, need to be able to stop both the dirt and water into your home. With that said, make sure you invest in a mat that will perform well. Its isn't smart to buy a cheaper, less effective mat because you will end up paying more in carpet cleaning costs, replacing damaged floors, not to mention the increased risk of slips and falls you and your family will be exposed to. Invest your money wisely in an entrance mat with raised sections to wipe and scrape footwear. The mat should have a fabric top to be able to soak up and contain moisture. You will have to clean this mat regularly to prevent it from becoming saturated with dirt and water.
If you have an outdoor area that is covered and requires a mat, we recommend you to buy a door mat that is quick-drying and that remains effective in all temperatures. The mat should also be able to remove heavy dirt, sand, mud and grit. A rubber-backed mat is a good option here is it won't rot, split, crack or curl in varying temperatures.
Size
Experts recommend a minimum of 3.5 to 4.5m of entrance matting to remove 90% of tracked-in soil. However, as you may have noticed, the majority of entrances you come across don't have anywhere near this amount of entrance matting. A rule of thumb to help you judge if your current mat is the right length or not is by looking a little beyond the edge of the mat. If you can spot soil, moisture or damage to the floor as the end of the mat, this is a sign that the coverage is not right for the circumstances.
Dry vs Wet Entrance Areas
For a wet area, the mat should have good absorbency properties. You may also need a mat with a longer length. For a low traffic area, a cotton mat can be an effective option as it will have time to dry. But if there is a lot of traffic, then a cotton mat may become overloaded in wet and unable to contain the water. For busier areas, a mat made mainly with nylon is a better option. For particularly wet areas or when it snows, we suggest you using a bi-level mat with a dam system. Mats with this system have raised rubber edges to contain liquid on the mat and prevent it from spilling off the edge. This type of mat will allow the water to fall to the lower level while individuals walk on the upper level and not through the water itself.
