How to wash bath mats and bathroom rugs

To wash bath mats, check the care label, shake them out outside, then wash on warm with your regular detergent, two mats at a time at most. Tumble dry cotton and chenille mats on low. Hang rubber-backed and memory foam mats to dry, because dryer heat breaks down the backing. Wash them once a week in a busy bathroom.

Why do bath mats need washing so often?

A bath mat spends its life damp, warm and stepped on. It catches water, skin cells, hair and whatever comes in on feet. That combination is what makes a mat smell musty, and why a mat that looks fine can still be the source of a bathroom smell.

What do you need?

• Your regular laundry detergent
• White vinegar or baking soda, for musty mats
• A soft brush, for rubber backing and shower mats
• A drying rack or a spot to hang mats flat

How do you wash bath mats step by step?

1. Read the care label. It tells you whether the mat is machine washable, the water temperature and whether it can go in the dryer. If there's no label, go with cold or warm water and air drying.
2. Shake it out. Take it outside and shake off the hair and grit, or vacuum both sides. Loose debris clogs the washer filter.
3. Wash two at a time at most. Wet bath mats get heavy and can throw the washer off balance. Add a couple of towels to even out the load.
4. Use warm water and regular detergent. Cotton and chenille mats can take warm or hot water. Use cold or warm for rubber-backed and memory foam mats, on a gentle cycle.
5. For a musty mat, add half a cup of baking soda to the wash, or a cup of white vinegar to the rinse. Don't use both in the same cycle.
6. Dry it right. Tumble dry cotton, chenille and polyester mats on low. Hang or lay flat anything with rubber, latex or foam. Make sure it's fully dry before it goes back on the floor.

What about mats with rubber backing?

Rubber and latex backing is what keeps a mat from sliding, and it's the part that fails first. Heat, bleach and hard scrubbing break it down. Wash these mats on a gentle cycle in cool or warm water, never with bleach, and hang them to dry.

When you see crumbs of backing in the washer, or the backing has cracked, replace the mat. It no longer grips the floor, and the crumbs can clog the washer drain.

How do you hand wash a bath mat?

If a mat isn't machine washable, or you don't have a washer at home:

1. Shake it out.
2. Fill the tub with a few inches of cool water and a teaspoon of detergent.
3. Let the mat soak for 15 minutes, then work the suds through with your hands.
4. Drain, refill with clean water and rinse until no suds come out.
5. Press out the water, roll it in a towel to pull out more, and hang it to dry.

How do you clean a suction-cup shower mat?

These sit in water all day and grow slime underneath. Soak the mat in the tub in warm water with a cup of white vinegar or a squirt of dish soap for 30 minutes. Scrub the suction cups and the underside with a brush, rinse and hang it over the shower rod to dry. Lift it out of the tub after showers so the tub floor can dry too.

How do you keep bath mats fresh between washes?

• Hang the mat over the tub edge after every shower so both sides dry.
• Run the exhaust fan during showers and for a while after.
• Keep a second mat in rotation so one is always clean and dry.

A damp mat on a damp floor is how mildew starts. For the floor underneath, see how to clean bathroom floors.

What a house cleaning covers

On Standard House Cleaning, RoutineCare, and Deep Cleaning, PureRenewal, the bathroom floors are cleaned on every visit. On Deep Cleaning, the floor is done at the edges and behind the toilet.

FAQ

How often should you wash bath mats? Once a week in a bathroom with daily showers, and every two weeks in a guest bath. Wash them right away if they smell musty or stay damp. Hanging the mat over the tub edge to dry between showers stretches the time between washes.

Can you put a rubber-backed bath mat in the dryer? It's safer not to. Heat cracks and crumbles rubber and latex backing over time. Wash it on a gentle cycle and hang it to dry, and replace it once the backing starts flaking.

How do you wash a memory foam bath mat? Check the label first. Many can go in the washer on a cold, gentle cycle with mild detergent. Skip the dryer, press out the water with a towel, and lay it flat or hang it to dry fully before it goes back on the floor.

How do you clean a suction-cup shower mat? Soak it in the tub in warm water with a cup of white vinegar or a squirt of dish soap for 30 minutes, scrub the suction cups and the underside with a brush, rinse, and hang it to dry. Many plastic and rubber shower mats can also go through the washer with a few towels.

When should you replace a bath mat? When the backing cracks or leaves crumbs in the washer, when it stays musty after washing, or when it stops lying flat. A mat that slides on the floor isn't doing its job.

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