Doormats are pretty practical things. Their main focus in life is to give the person arriving at a house somewhere to wipe the grime of the streets or the mud of the fields off their shoes, and stop it being transferred into the home. Door mats offer a layer of protection for your flooring, and can even improve the air quality in your home by trapping those pesky dust particles before they have a chance to get airborne.
In fact door mats are so awesome that in an ideal world, you’ll have two of them per entrance.
First off you need an exterior door mat. This is best known as a scraper mat because that’s what it does — scrapes the mud and dirt off your shoes or boots. A scraper mat needs to be abrasive and made out of tough material such as coir. Coir mats have short, dense fibre that stands up to the elements and won’t fade in the sun.
Your second door mat is one that goes just inside the door. It should be an absorbent mat because its function is to soak up the excess moisture from shoes once they’ve been scraped, or if you’re coming in out of the rain. This is also a safety measure as stepping straight onto a tiled floor or bare boards can be a slip hazard in wet shoes, especially if there are multiple people coming in and out at once. A non-slip doormat will protect your floor from damp and offer a safe surface to stand on. Interior mats are washable and come in thousands of different designs so you can find one to match your interior décor. with
The Last but by no means least, we all know that door mats do so much more than clean your shoes. Door mats are part of the first impression that others have when entering your home. After all, they’re not known as entrance mats or welcome mats for nothing! Custom door mats are a great opportunity to give a personalised welcome to your home, or start the visit on a relaxed note with a humorous message. Door mats also make ideal birthday gifts or housewarmng presents!
How to choose a door mat
The ancient Greeks and Romans used mosaic designs to define the threshold between the street and the home. These days, we use door mats, which serve a functional purpose as well as a welcome. Because the primary role of a door mat is to clean shoes, you need to find one that does the job! Good quality rubber or coir matting with an efficient short pile is a must, because it cleans soles better, so less dirt comes into your home, and you can spend less time cleaning your floors and more time doing important things such as watching Netflix. Does size matter? Yes, it does. Choose the biggest mat to fill the space so that incomers are forced to actually put both feet on the mat. Door mats come in several standard sizes, the most popular being 400mm x 600mm. But you can buy extra wide door mats for large porches or to sit outside sliding patio doors. If your door mat is going to be sitting out in rain and shine, choose one without a backing material so that the moisture can seep through. (Note that excessive rain may fade a design over time.) A PVC or rubber backing is suitable for indoors or undercover areas.
TIP: If your door mat is going indoors, check that there is space to glide over it without it getting stuck every time someone opens the door.
How to clean a door mat
How to clean something that’s made for cleaning? A heavy shake every now and then and a brush with a stiff broom will get rid of most of the debris from your mat. Or you can do like they did in the ‘50s and hang it over a fence, then hit it with a carpet beater. (Mask wearing recommended.) Otherwise you can simply vacuum it along with the rest of your flooring, or spot-clean a stubborn stain with mild dishwashing liquid and a scrubbing brush. This will keep your door mat looking its best and provide a positive first impression of your home.
Personalised door mats
Personalised door mats make a great entrance to your home, and a quirky and playful gift for friends and family. At Hardtofind you can choose from a large selection of personalised door mats, featuring names, initials, logos or messages. Looking for inspiration? From a friendly ‘Welcome’ or ‘Bonjour’ to the topical ‘Did you text me first?’, we have heaps of suggestions to get the ideas flowing. In top quality coir matting, they will also stand the test of time and not simply serve to bring a smile to the postie‘s face. When searching for your personalised door mats at Hardtofind, check the ‘Can be personalised’ box in Special features.
So now you’re sold on the virtues of personalised door mats! Browse these pages and you’ll find a selection of the best personalised door mats Australia-wide. At Hardtofind you’ll also discover a wide range of other things to make your home welcoming such as lamps, artwork, home fragrance and cushions.
