How to Properly Clean Your Door Mat

There is an age-old battle that’s being waged at this very moment, as you read these very words! It’s a battle to keep those dire fiends—debris and moisture, outside of our home in order to save on costly floor cleanings, repairs, and replacements.

Our main weapons are vacuums, brooms, and mops—but most of the time it feels like nothing more than a losing battle. With the amount of heavy foot-traffic that most front doors see, it can start to feel like you’re constantly cleaning. Even after you’re done cleaning, within seconds, it will feel like you have to break out the broom yet again!

The humble dirt trapper door mat is truly an unsung hero in this epic battle against dirt and grime. Diligently, a home door mat will stand watch at the foot of your castle’s entrance, keeping careful watch of all that pass—unless you have some smart aleck who jumps over it. But really, all metaphors aside, a dirt trapper door mat serve a very useful purpose and can be your best ally in the fight to keep your home clean and safe.

However, to keep these products working properly and fulfilling their purpose you want to make sure that you are periodically cleaning your front door floor mats.

Here are the five most common ways to clean a dirt trapper door mat—keeping in mind that the methods you use will be completely dependent on the type of mat you choose.

• Shake Out
Oftentimes, a dirt trapper door mat can be picked up and shaken, whether they’re flat, three dimensional, or oddly shaped. This is the easiest and most common way to clean up a matting product because it helps to dislodge debris that has been lodged into the textured surface of the mat (if you have a textured mat). Even if your mat doesn’t have a richly textured surface (although we do recommend the use of textured surface for the added traction and grip they provide), it can still benefit from being shaken out.

• Vacuum Over
For flat products, whether they’re an indoor or outdoor rubber backed mats, a vacuum can easily be employed to clean them. While a good shaking can get rid of bigger and more obvious rubbish—such as gravel and chunks of mud, a vacuum may help remove finer material such as sand or silt. These finer materials are the sort of debris that present the greatest slip risks because they are harder to see and can more easily coat over flooring like hardwood, tile, or linoleum. And even if you employ a three-dimensional scraper of some sort, a vacuum with attachments can easily be used to suck up hidden debris throughout all of its nooks and crannies.

• Wipe Off
Every now and then your dirt trapper door mat may require a more thorough cleaning. If your product is flat, then the use of a damp cloth or mop can be more than enough to do away with residual dirt and grime—especially after a particularly bad rain or snowstorm. Don’t forget, even if mud dries, it won’t stop being a potential hazard to your floors and guests!

• Brush Out
Any dirt trapper door mat, except for overly delicate products (that probably shouldn’t be used in front door applications), can be brushed over with a broom. If you’re concerned that this may harm the structure of your mat, then you can use a soft-bristled broom, although we can assure you that these products are tough and made to stand up against far more abrasive treatments! With intricately designed mats as well as oddly shaped three-dimensional scrapers, a broom is a great tool to remove stuck-on dirt and grime.

• Rinse Off
This option isn’t available to all dirt trapper door mat, especially those made of fabric materials that could more easily allow the growth of mold and mildew (but again—you probably shouldn’t be employing these for your front door applications anyway). Products that are rubberized, and are therefore resistant to water, can easily be rinsed under the sink—or for added convenience—if you are using a home door mat, they can be washed off with a hose.

Your front door floor mats is going to consistently work hard to help keep your home cleaner and safer. And although there are many options to clean your mat—that doesn’t translate to difficult maintenance. Cleaning these products doesn’t have to happen often, although that does depend on the location where they are being utilized. Places with more rain and snow are just prone to seeing more dirt and grime, but even in situations that will require frequent cleaning the upkeep of your dirt trapper door mat will be easy.