High traffic bath mats

July 7, 2013 11:21 AM

I need a bath mat that can withstand the high traffic in our bathroom. I currently share a bathroom with approximately ten people, and we have been unable to find a mat that can stand up to that much use.

The mats I have bought so far tend to mold because they are constantly soaking wet. Would some sort of rubber mat fix this problem? Are there any mats that quick dry? The bathroom floor is black and white subway tile, and I'm definitely open to unique suggestions. I'm just sick of a soaking wet floor in there!

posted by jaksemas to Home & Garden (27 answers total)

With that many people, the only solution is a house rule that everyone wipe up spilled water after showering.

Or a floor drain.
posted by yohko at 11:25 AM on July 7, 2013 [1 favorite]

You should also pick the mat up off the floor between uses. Hang it over the curtain rod. There are microfiber mats and towels are are supposedly "quick drying" but I haven't tried them.
posted by ancient star at 11:30 AM on July 7, 2013 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Just as a quick follow up- this is a rental, so no permanent modifications can be made to the bathroom. Also, it's a standing shower with a glass door, so no tub or shower curtain is present.
posted by jaksemas at 11:36 AM on July 7, 2013

What kind of mat are you currently using? You may just need to buy multiple bath mats and wash frequently. Also make sure everyone is hanging the mat up after use, and either turning on a vent fan or opening a window after showering.
posted by radioamy at 11:40 AM on July 7, 2013 [1 favorite]

I always lay my bathmat over the edge of the tub. This also helps keep it clean in the winter, when I tend to run in from the outside and don't immediately take off my shoes.
posted by xingcat at 11:49 AM on July 7, 2013

I would probably use a thin quick-dry microfiber medium sized towel folded in half. If looks aren't important I would write BATHMAT on it with a sharpie. I would keep a plastic suit hanger (the kind with the two clips for folded trousers) in the bathroom and hang up the bath mat towel after each use, and wash it frequently (at least once a week).
posted by elizardbits at 11:53 AM on July 7, 2013

Also: people need to dry off IN* the shower to minimize how much water they are tracking out of the shower. And, yeah, hang it up to dry between uses.

*I had no idea that there were barbarians that just dripped all over the floor until my brother came to stay with us for a visit. Completely soaked bathmat!
posted by amanda at 11:55 AM on July 7, 2013 [9 favorites]

Everyone gets their own hotel-style towel bathmat.
posted by peagood at 11:56 AM on July 7, 2013 [2 favorites]

Yeah, one of those yoga towel s that are silicone on one side, microfiber on the other, cut to fit outside the shower area.

For in the shower, any mat will do but the bigger surface area the better. Cut a hole in it, stick a suction cup in the shower or a belt hanger off of the shower head & hang it up between uses. Launder once a week.
posted by tilde at 11:57 AM on July 7, 2013

I second the advice to insist that everyone dry off in the shower, regardless of what kind of mat you use.
posted by waterisfinite at 12:08 PM on July 7, 2013

I use a Kikkerland doormat. It doesn't absorb water, but it sort of traps it in its mesh. Mine is basically indestructible. Downside is no hotel fluffiness when you step out of the shower, though.
posted by spaceheater at 12:10 PM on July 7, 2013

Are all ten of you collaborating to solve this problem? If so, I like the behavior modification strategies listed...
- hotel style bathmat that doesn't stay in the bathroom
- dry off in the shower
- clean up your own water

But with ten people, I can't imagine that you can train everyone to improve their behavior. It may just be that you have to accept the fact that you have a wet bathroom floor.

good luck!!!
posted by jazh at 12:17 PM on July 7, 2013

The answer to this is not obvious. It is...the bathmat is actually three bathmats, and they get swapped out every evening, and included in a load of towels. With ten people in the house, that is a load of towels every other day (if you have a huge machine) where each person uses their towel four days in a row and the laundry day alternates. Throw the mat in Every Time.

Why the third mat? Someone will forget to throw the towel load in the washer or the dryer. Everyone will want the fresh dry mat.

If each person is responsible for washing their own damn towels, then they are now responsible for acquiring and washing their own damn bathmat. (A hand towel will do if you're already mostly dry, has the benefit of being inexpensive, and is not any more trouble to wash.)

Whatever you do, the bathmat is not a fluffy synthetic thing.
posted by bilabial at 12:20 PM on July 7, 2013

I used to share a bathroom with 11 others, multiple bathmats is the way to go here.
posted by Cosine at 12:23 PM on July 7, 2013

What about a wooden slatted bathmat? It would make for a more secure/non squishy footing as you step out, although it would still let water go on the floor.
posted by LobsterMitten at 12:25 PM on July 7, 2013 [8 favorites]

Definitely go with a wooden bath mat. Bonus is if its too hard for dainty feet, they will be more likely to dry off in the tub.
posted by thirdletter at 12:31 PM on July 7, 2013 [3 favorites]

For that high traffic a bathroom, all of these answers are off the mark. There is no bathmat that will stand up to 10 showers a day without getting so wet it molds unless laundered every day. You need a wooden bath mat, and you need to actually mop the floor between uses.
posted by DarlingBri at 12:31 PM on July 7, 2013 [2 favorites]

Highly recommend this wooden mat from Crate and Barrel.
posted by valeries at 12:37 PM on July 7, 2013

Yeah, you need to not use a bathmat. Bathmats always get gross.

You can get a wooden bathmat, which is great and all, or for a quarter of the price you can buy a rope or rattan welcome mat (like what you'd use outside your front door). It's not going to be plush, but it'll stand up to constant abuse without getting gross.

If it does ever get gross, just hose it off and let it dry in the sun.
posted by phunniemee at 12:42 PM on July 7, 2013

Use a doormat. They work fine and are very sturdy.
posted by zeek321 at 12:52 PM on July 7, 2013

A river stone bath mat would be functional and fancy-looking. Examples: one, two.

Cork is non-slip, fast-drying, sustainable, and naturally mold/mildew-resistant.
posted by divined by radio at 12:53 PM on July 7, 2013 [1 favorite]

A doormat or small area rug (VERY low pile, rubber backing) would likely work. Home Depot and the like sell oriental-style rugs/runners for about $20 that should work.
posted by jaguar at 12:58 PM on July 7, 2013

I actually really like the feel of a good bar mat under my feet....they'e indestructible, and you can just throw them in the dishwasher. Granted, I used a small one in a studio apartment back in the day, but I've always kind of missed it (and how easy it was to clean).

I also wanted to say that a stone bath-mat like Divined by radio suggested would work really well; we used one in a pretty high-humidity bathroom that we had, and it helped it stay dry alot.

Also, with that many people, you're going to need to make sure to clean it with a bleach-rag once a week; this will help inhibit any nasties from growing on the underside of whatever.
posted by furnace.heart at 12:58 PM on July 7, 2013

What peagood said. A towel style bathmat for each person is a good choice because it:

- Absorbs any water left over after a reasonable attempt at drying in the shower
- Can be easily hung over a shower door, the edge of a bathtub, or an appropriate piece of furniture in each person's room to dry between uses OR can be washed immediately with the wet towels
- Comes in various attractive colours
- Is dead easy to wash

Don't even try to find one mat that will hold up to ten different people showering daily.

I grew up with rubber backed bathmats. NASTY. Never again!
posted by maudlin at 1:13 PM on July 7, 2013

You need a stack of the cheapest cotton terry towel-style bath mats you can find and a hamper that can be placed in or near the bathroom. When a mat gets soaked or smelly, it goes in the hamper. Somebody needs to launder the contents of the hamper every few days WITH BLEACH.
posted by Orinda at 1:35 PM on July 7, 2013 [1 favorite]

FWIW we have a rubber backed bathmat and the only thing that happens is that if we take two showers in a row without letting it drip dry in between, it gets sodden and disgusting and we still have to mop the floor. I can''t imagine the rubber backed bathmat that would hold up better under ten showers.

A sisel doormat is an option but at heart, with 10 people showering, this is purely a volume of water issue. Look at what they do in other high-volume shower areas, like gyms: they lift people's feet off the floor, and mop.
posted by DarlingBri at 3:05 PM on July 7, 2013

I use a mat that's all fabric - sort of like a very heavy duty towel. I got it at Ikea and (in a feat of cleverness that I regularly thank past-me for) I bought two, so one can be sitting around in the linen closet, already laundered, so I can deploy it after the cats puke on the one on the floor.

I've never had luck washing mats more than a few times before the backing begins to shed off and then it's a short ride to 'falling apart'
posted by rmd1023 at 6:09 PM on July 7, 2013