What is your bath mat situation?
I've used a towel style bath mat for decades, I think it's the most hygenic. It goes on the floor to shower, then gets hung to dry between showers.
I lay floors and hadn't seen a "permanent" bath mat in years but ran into one today. It was that typical shag rug style, bright pink. This was a clean house but it was strange to me, I didn't think anyone used those anymore.
I read this headline and immediately raced into the bathroom to see what was up, but yeah, they're still there. Everything seems fine.
My partner bought a diatomaceous earth bathmat to replace the rug in front of the shower. It's like stepping onto a piece of cardboard, so zero points for luxury. It does catch and re-evaporate the water well, so full marks there. Humidity is naturally low here, so no I have little to no worries about mold.
Huh, weird. DE? I've used it to filter beer at a small brewery and I use it as a natural insecticide.
In case anyone was wondering, as a powder, it dries the fuck out of insects who cross it
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth#Pest_control
Yeah; we’ve got one too - primarily for when you first get out of the shower. It’s really good for drying the soles of your feet, so you don’t slip on tile - and the water evaporates very quickly.
I love our DE mat. We had an issue with one of our cats peeing on the cotton mats while they were damp, which is why we switched, but i personally find it oddly luxurious. Clearly not soft and cushy tho.
This ^ I’ll have to give DE a try now
I have one if those and love it! It's never wet and the cat doesn't pee on it.
Never knew this was a thing. My wife has now ordered one 😆
It’s a literal towel on the floor, usually the last one used. Then after everyone has had their showers/baths, the floor towel goes into the wash and the towels used once by a person are hung to be used one more time.
I do also have bath rugs but they also can go in the wash if they sit wet on the floor. But typically an actual towel to catch the actively wet drippings.
Nice, recycling. I like the structured feeling of the floor mat towel but have definitely used yesterday's towel when necessary.
This is the way. Also: my bathroom floor is heated for that extra bit of comfort in winter.
I have a few nice cushiony ones that are quite comfortable to stand on. They stay in use for quite a long time before I swap them out because they don't get that dirty. Though I recently learned that may be because apparently some people don't towel off in the shower first like I do, and instead just immediately step out after finishing their shower, dripping water all over the floor. Thankfully, these people do not live with me. Lol
My wife and I shower together, someone is getting out sopping wet because either the other one is still going or there's just not enough room to both dry in the shower. Heated floor dries the bath mat just as well as the towel rail anyway
I’ve got dedicated bath mats that aren’t much more than a towel. They get washed when we wash our towels.
This. You're more likely to slip on a bath towel than an actual bath mat.
We have a specific towel we don't like
Glad that you asked! I weave rag rugs from dead clothing and sheets. It goes Sheet > Rag for spills > Cleaning rag > Teared into strips for weaving. When I have a full bag, I weave a new rug, having fun with the colors on hand. I get 60cm*1m absorbent rugs for the bathroom or the mudroom. Some are so cute my kid preempts them for her bedroom. They're resistant, thick, easy to wash, easy to discard when they get ratty.
I like that idea, I'll have to search how to do that.
Aaaand I read "your bath math situation"...
I have one of those stone bath mats. I've never like the plush ones, so I'd have a whole floor of this if I could.
I use a 100% cotton bath mat. About twice the thickness of a towel with a non-slip bottom. Gets hung to dry between showers. You can pick them up at Ikea for cheap.
We have those bathmats that are just mats without a rubber backing. The rubber backed ones tend to get really ratty and messed up in a dryer.
The pure cloth ones tend to last longer, imo. And they don't make your clothes smell like rubber. White ones work best, as they can be bleached as needed.
I remember reading something a while ago that said the rubber backed mats should never go in the dryer, and while I forget the exact reason, it wasn't just because the dryer damages the mat. Searching online, it looks like the rubber can also damage the dryer and poses an increased fire risk.
I do have a knotty shag looking bath mat, but it gets hung over the side of the tub after each shower and thrown in the wash with towels every week. It’s just a cheap thing from ikea, but matches my (more expensive) towels
I used to have towel ones but a little cushion is better.
I primarily look for no backing . While non-slip is certainly important, I prioritize something flexible enough to hang over the edge of the tub and that can be washed frequently without falling apart. I’m not sure what athletics people get up to that need the rubber backing anyway
I just got one of those stone bath mats and it's amazing. I always used to dry my feet especially and everything else in the shower. Now I just hop out and slop water all over it. It's so cool
Got a cheap one from (I think) IKEA. I prefer it as it catches most of the water when coming out of the shower. I know I can dry myself fully in the shower, but I find that's cramped.
I use a plush dedicated mat with a rubber back so it doesn’t slide around. The fabric is like soft microfiber I think. We use the ol squeegee method before stepping out of the shower so it doesn’t get drenched. I just toss it in the washer when it needs a cleaning!
My wife made some sort of Tibetan crochet for our showers. Feels great and can go through the was easily.
It is a rug I bought from Turkey. It works rather well.
I have a towel rotation. I use a towel for a couple of showers then it will go on the floor for a couple of days. Then into the wash.
I have had bath mats before and they have all gotten pretty gross or end up getting thrown out after a while.
We are just upgrading ours for our primary bathroom since we are doing a glow up. We are going to have two waffle style rugs / mats to fit our strange space. One for in front of the mirror and one in front of the tub. We have a large shag style one that was always on the floor but now has been upgraded to be used to get out of the shower and then hang to dry.
The "permanent" bath mat gives me the ick thinking about it.
We used to have a teak bath mat, but it wasn't that comfortable.
I have a towel rotation schedule. I have the new towel to dry myself off and the towel from last time to wrap around my waist and the towel before that (which I had wrapped around my waist the last time) goes on the floor for the same purposes as a mat. After that it goes in the laundry.