Tips for Choosing the Right Doormat for Your Home
Doormats serve a practical purpose: to absorb water and trap dirt and debris before someone enters your house. But they can be so much more than that. Doormats create an impression of the type of welcome visitors will receive when you open your front door. They also give a hint of your personality and style. We’ve got some tips for choosing the right doormat for your home.
Material
Doormats may be made of natural materials like coir (coconut fibers), jute, rubber, fabric, or a combination of rubber backing and fiber top, like MatMates™. All have their merits, but consider how well the material will absorb water and trap dirt and how easy (or difficult) it will be to clean.
Coir, for example, is great for scraping off dirt and mud, but the fibers can break down and stick to shoes and boots, which you’ll then track into your house. Rubber works great as a non-slip backing, but if a mat is made solely of rubber, it won’t function as well as one that incorporates fabric in its design. A rubber-only mat may contain rain and snow, but it won’t absorb it.
Size
Measure your front door and porch landing to get a sense of what size doormat will look best for your space. A mat that matches or is slightly narrower than your door works well. Too wide, and the mat can overwhelm your entry, making it feel crowded.
Versatility
Changing your doormat throughout the year is a lot of fun and creates a festive welcome for every season. Here at Studio M, we offer our unique MatMates™ recycled rubber tray, which can hold your choice of dozens of different decorative door mats. You can swap out mats with seasonal images, florals, your favorite breed of dog, or your family name with our customized doormat options.
Outside and Indoors
Choose a durable mat for outside your door and another for guests to land on when they step inside. For the interior mat, but sure to consider clearance. You need to be able to open the door over it without the door getting stuck or pushing the mat around.
Make sure your mats have a non-slip backing to keep folks stable as they wipe their feet outside or remove their shoes inside. When choosing a doormat for your home, select a mat that’s noticeable and large enough so that visitors won’t miss it. You don’t want your guests’ visit to start off on the wrong foot with apologies for tracking slush and mud into your home. Instead, you’ll have happy guests with clean shoes and a place to remove wet boots. Then, you can get on with socializing and having a wonderful time!
