A welcome mat has to do a lot of work, when you think about it:
• It has to provide an effective means for visitors to remove dirt, mud, vegetation, and other debris (some of which you really don’t want on your floors) from their shoes.
• It can’t slip around when people are wiping their feet on it.
• It must be pleasant to look at (or, at minimum, not unpleasant) because it’s one of the first things visitors see that signal your taste, style, and possibly even interests.
• It some situations it must be low enough so that a door can open over it.
• In other situations, it must be high enough to serve as a sort of small step, to make it easier for visitors to step up and into a raised doorway.
That’s why the welcome mat is the unsung hero of the home and deserves our appreciation and its own national holiday. OK, maybe not that, but it is true that you will despise your welcome mat if it doesn’t fulfill your specific needs. Here’s a guide to choosing the best welcome mat for you and your front door.
Stylin’
The Gorilla Grip mat has a rubber backing and is available in 18 styles. Gorilla Grip
Look for a rubber-bottomed mat that has a fabric woven into the top. Rubber won’t slip on most surfaces, is waterproof (so that it won’t absorb standing water), and durable (remember both the top and bottom of the mat will be abraded). The fabric removes moisture and dirt from shoes and traps it in its lower layers so it won’t re-adhere to shoes. Such mats are made in various patterns to accommodate different tastes.
Go Big
SlipToGrip’s Jumbo door mat is 42-inches wide and is perfect for use on a patio or deck with a sliding glass door. SlipToGrip
You might be tempted to choose a small mat in this situation because you like the way it looks, but small mats in front of big doors tend to be overlooked, kicked out of place, and tripped over because people don’t always walk through the exact center of large doorways. Get a large mat that covers the entire entrance area to ensure clean floors and unbruised bodies.
Raise It Up
The Kempf Natural Coco Coir welcome mat is made from coconut fibers and is one inch thick. Kempf
Many doorways are raised off of ground level, some more than others. High doorways, or those with wide thresholds, are much easier to navigate if a high welcome mat is placed in front of it. Even an inch-thick mat will provide enough of a lift to make crossing into the house a much easier process.
Waterproof
The Achim wrought-iron style rubber welcome mat is perfect for use in doorways that are often wet. Achim Home Furnishings
Doormats made of any kind of fabric will retain water and take a lot of time to dry out. If your doorway is open to the elements or otherwise wet much of the time, get a wrought-iron style rubber mat. Rubber won’t absorb water, and the patterned rubber shapes will remove dirt from shoes. Such mats also work well for high-mud areas because the mud will fall between the rubber shapes instead of remaining on the mat itself.