Bath mats are an essential item for any bathroom, but it is likely just like most people, you don’t care a lot about their care. They give you something soft and fluffy to step on while exiting the bath or shower, instead of a cold and slippery floor. Bath mats also provide you a lot of grip to your wet feet and save you from getting injured and by falling on the floor.
Taking care of your bath mats is as crucial as taking care of your premium towel range like Egyptian cotton towels, Organic cotton towels & Turkish terry cotton towels. A clean and dry bath mat is a simple pleasure after you take a bath. So what should you do to take care of your bath mats and how often should you clean them?
Whether you are using the bath mats in your business, such as a hotel, motel, bed & breakfast, salon, spa, or a Gym or even if you’re using them at home. In this article you will learn everything there is to learn about Bath Mats and the complete and most effective way to clean your bath mats.
What Are Bath Mats?
Bath Mats are not to be confused with either bath towels or bath rugs, the core difference is that bath mats are much thicker than towels. They are great in absorbing water and are generally placed on the floor to use for stepping on and providing a grip after bathing. Their primary purpose is to provide a dry and slip-resistant area for wet feet to step onto while you dry yourself with your towel. Bath mats are essential to have on a floor that is extremely slippery as it helps in minimizing the risk of injury.
Bath mats are distinct from Bath towels and bath rugs in several ways and they come with different care instructions. Bath mats are usually made from cotton and in addition to protecting you from slipping after you take a bath, bath mats also save the floor and rug from the water damage.
Difference Between Bath Mats & Bath Rugs
Let’s clear the confusion between Bath Mats and Bath Rugs. Most people are unable to tell each other apart. They may look the same but are not interchangeable. Bath Mats are more towel like and they are something you throw down on the floor to prevent from slipping. They are also helpful in absorbing excess water that’s dripping from the body after a shower. Bath Rugs on the other hand are a bit fluffier and they come in different materials besides cotton. Bath Rugs are basically more decorative rather than functional. Bath Rugs can be used as Bath Mats in some situations.
When you will step out of the shower, both will absorb the water dripping from your body but a Bath Mat will do a much better job than a bath rug. If you can afford it, it is a good idea to have a bath rug and then covers it with a bath mat. The concept behind is, Bath mats are easier to wash than bath rugs, and covering your rug will also help save it from water damage.
How Often You Should Clean Bath Mats?
It doesn’t matter whether you use a Bath mat or a Bath Rug, both of them should be cleaned regularly. How often you should clean them depends on several factors such as:
- The Amount of Usage
You need to determine how much use your bathroom gets every day and every week. You have to take into account the number of people and how often each person uses the bath or shower? If you live with a huge family or if you have frequent guest visits then it means the bath mat is being used multiple times throughout the week. This will cause the bath mat to get more often and become a home to bacterial growth more frequently. You need to wash the bath mats and rugs on a regular cycle.
- Amount of Water Splashes On the Floor
Regardless of the fact who’s using the bath and how frequently it is being used. Excess water will splash on the floor no matter what. The more excess water splashes, the harder it will be for bath mats and bath rugs to dry the water. Usually, this happens when kids are bathing as they love splashing the water everywhere. If your Bath mats and Bath rugs are exposed to water often then you need to have a regular wash cycle.
- Bath Mats & Rugs Have Rubber Back or Not?
A rubber back is more often found on the Bath rugs instead of bath mats. They help in keeping the rug in place and prevents it from slipping away with water. While this helps in increasing safety, it also means that you shouldn’t wash your bath rugs as often as you want to. You can wash them once every three to four weeks. The rubber backing tends to break down after continuous washing. If the bath mat or rug has a rubber back you can’t put them in the dryer as it will break apart in just weeks. That’s why you can put a bath mat over your rug to protect the rug.
The basic outcome of considering these factors is that you should wash your bath mats and bath rugs as frequently as possible based on the usage. With average use, bath mats can be washed once every week. Not washing them for a long time can cause them to breed bacteria and mold which won’t be suitable for your health.
How To Clean and Care For Bath Towels?
Regardless of popular opinion, washing and taking care of your bath mats is simple and easy. Below we have listed the step by step tips for washing your bath mats.
- Read The Laundry Tags
If your bath mats come with care tags or washing instructions then the first step is to read those instructions thoroughly. You will find specific tips and do’s & Don’ts for the washing and drying of your bath mats.
- Shake The Rug Outside
As both Bath mats and Bath Rugs stay on the floor, they collect a lot of dirt, hair, and dead skin. This extra dirt and debris can clog your washing machine, so it’s best to shake them out before they go in the machine. Shake the rugs thoroughly outside the house so the dirt doesn’t remain in the mats.
- Use Warm Water to Wash The Rugs
Throw all your bath rugs and bath mats in the washing machine. If you have bath mats and bath rigs in several colors then it is a better idea that you wash them in different wash cycles. You can use cold water for the wash, but warm water or hot water is a better choice for getting rid of all the germs on towels. If your bath mats or bath rugs have a rubber backing, don’t use warm water as hot water can break the rubber.
- Dry Them Thoroughly
Throw all your bath mats and bath rugs into the dryer and use the normal drying cycle. Avoid throwing any rugs with rubber backing into the dryer. Instead, hand them on a clothesline to dry. We suggest that you let all your bath mats and bath rugs dry off naturally and the sun will help in getting rid of any leftover bacterial residue and help them remove odor.
- Replace the Dry Bath Mats And Rugs
Fold extra bath mats and rugs and put them in the storage and place your recently washed mats and rugs in the bathroom. Before storing away extra mats and rugs, make sure that every corner is dried off completely as Bath Mats and Bath Rugs have a hard time getting dry in a dark place. This leads your bath mats and bath rugs to have a bacterial build-up.
