Guide to Buying a Doormat
Doormats
As we head towards winter its time to take a look at the often overlooked item that will help keep your floors looking cleaner and add to the first impression that guests have of your home. Which item are we talking about?.. The mighty doormat of course!
Much of the dirt that is bought into your home from shoes and be stopped in its tracks with a good quality door mat. Not only does a door mat stop dirt being bought in and make your life easier but it can also look amazing and set colour tone for rest of your house.
All door mats are NOT born equal so in this weeks blog article we will take a look at some of the different types and work out which is suitable for you.
Coir Doormats:
Coir is a natural fibre that is extracted from the husk of a coconut. They can come in both a PVC backed or unbacked form. The unbacked mats will allow water to drain through. These mats are available in a many different qualities, its important to check the thickness and weight because the super cheap ones will just fall apart over time. Quality really matters here.
Pros: These mats are excellent at scraping dirt off shoes and are also some of the best looking (in our humble opinion) mats around.
Cons: Coir is natural fibre so generally do shed a bit. Meaning over the life of the mat some of the mat will come into the house with you. This is quite minimal however but its something to be aware of when considering your new doormat.
Rubber Doormats:
Rubber doormats are the most functional mats, often used in commercial applications these can still be suitable in domestic situations where appearance isn't as important such as the entry from a garage.
Pros: Very good at removing dirt from shoes, generally have holes in them so water can drain through. They can also be used as comfort mats if you need to stand in one place for a long period of time. (more of a commercial use generally)
Cons: Not the most attractive door mats around. Generally just black in colour and functional looking. Can sometimes deteriorate in extreme cold. (generally not applicable to Australian climate however unless you live on a mountain!)
Synthetic Pile Doormats:
These doormats usually have a pile made from Polypropylene and have a rubber dam around the edge which acts as a barrier to stop dirt from coming off the mat and well as keeping moisture on the pile as well. These also usually have a non slip backing.
Pros: Excellent at removing dirt as well as the best at removing moisture from shoes, this is important to note. If its been raining these will do a great job at getting most of the water off the shoes and stop it from coming inside.
Cons: Not as good looking as a coir doormat generally. Polypropylene can also flatten over time so the life of these mats is sometimes not as good as a rubber or coir doormat.
Tips for using doormats effectively:
Use doormats at ALL entrances to your home: Even from areas such as garages. It will pay off because you will have to do less vacuuming
Mat both inside and outside: Meaning one outside the door and one inside. This gives you two opportunities to stop the dirt coming in. Often using a great looking coir outside the door and then a Synthetic doormat inside is a great combo because one will scrape the shoe and then any left over dirt or moisture will be absorbed by the second mat
Clean your doormats often: Over time a door mat can get so full of dirt it wont be able to do its job anymore. Just shake the mat or hit it against a solid surface and it will be good to go!
Of course Floorsome has you covered for all your doormat needs, see our full range of doormats here:
https://www.floorsome.com.au/collections/door-mats
Thanks for reading our blog post. If you have any comments to add please leave one below!
- Brett Ryder
