The presence of dirt outside makes it difficult to keep the inside of a house or a facility clean, which, in some cases, also increases the maintenance cost in big facilities. In places where there is a huge influx of guests or visitors every day, there is an increased chance of slips and falls due to improperly maintained floors. Different types of floor mats are used, not just in houses but also in places such as restaurants, schools, hospitals, factories, and retail stores. Proper place of mats in a facility not only helps in keeping the place tidy but it is also economical as compared to spending highly on cleaning teams.
Types of Floor Mats and Their Usage
Fortunately, there are mats for almost everything. Depending upon the specific needs of your business, you can carefully select from a variety of mats while staying inside your budget constraint. Let’s take a look at different types of mats.
Entrance Mats
Entrance mats are the first line of defence against soil and other debris. These are made up of nylon or a blend of thick fabric in order to rub off the maximum amount of dirt. Designed with ribbed patterns and borders to absorb the moisture, these mats play the most important role in catching dust and moisture from shoes. The back of these mats is made up of vinyl or rubber for a firm grip on shiny slippery floors.
Where To Use
Entrance mats, as the name itself suggests, are placed on the entrance of a building. These are often seen placed on the entrance of malls and hotels where the inflow of people is very high. The length of the mat matters so that people entering the building can at least take a few steps on it in order for it to catch the dirt.
Another similar type of mat is the “scraper mat” which is placed on the outside of the entrance gate. Made up of rubber, scraper mats are heavy-duty mats which also have raised surfaces unaffected by oil and grease and minimizes the risk of falling on floors.
Link Design Mat
Link design mats are made up of rubber providing high traction in case the floor is wet, greasy, or slippery. These mats have pieces of rubber joined together in a symmetrical fashion that creates an emerged surface texture providing extra grip.
Where To Use
Often placed at the entrances because of their design, these mats have the ability to remove dirt and debris from shoes but provide very little moisture absorption. Consider using entrance mats of wiper mats that function best for absorbing moisture and placed on the entrance for guests to wipe their shoes on a rainy day.
Link design mats, due to rubber surface and its grip, are mostly used in places where there is excessive use of grease or water such as factories, kitchens, and garages. These mats channel down to the base of the mat, keeping the upper surface dry and, in turn, assuring protection from slip and falls.
Oil Mats
Like link design mats, oil mats are also made up of rubber with ribbed designs and patterns providing an extra firm grip. Unlike link design, these are usually without any drainage hole but have a higher ability to absorb and tolerate thick liquids like oil, grease, coolant, and water as well.
Where To Use
The fine design mats are usually used in garages and areas where heavy machinery is present in order to provide traction to workers in case there is an oil spill. These are also found in the restaurant’s kitchens because it’s easier to clean. Usually, it comes in dark colors like black and grey to mask any spills and stains.
Anti-fatigue Mats
Anti-fatigue mats are designed to minimize the level of fatigue that can be caused by standing for a longer time. These mats are designed using rubber and when stepped on these mats, it compresses and distributes weight on your feet proportionately.
People who have to stand for long hours at their job can often develop pain in the leg, feet, and back which mixed with uncomfortable shoes can prolong. Anti-fatigue carpets provide cushioning to minimize that tiredness and help in preventing many health issues including circulatory problems that can be irreversible in some cases.
Anti-fatigue mats provide controlled compression due to their layered design and soft core providing satisfactory and comfortable steps. This enables workers wearing safety shoes with big insulated soles to walk comfortably.
Where To Use
Since the primary purpose of these mats is to provide some comfort while people are standing, these mats are widely used in airports, retail counters, laboratories, and workspaces among many other places.
These commercially used mats might seem expensive but if looked at for their long-term benefit, these are considerably economical and require low maintenance. A huge team of janitorial staff is not required once these are installed because most of the dirt entering the building can be stopped at the very entrance by entrance mats.
How To Clean Mats
While the job of mats is to clean the dirt off of shoes, there is a certain limit to which these can absorb that dirt. The cleaner itself would also require some cleaning to maintain a clean and sanitary environment.
Cleaning these mats is not as tough as it might seem due to their huge sizes.
For Rubber Mats
Mats that have rubber surfaces can be cleaned using a good detergent and thick brush. Follow simple steps to wash your rubber mat:
- Clean any soil and dust from the carpet using a brush or a broom
- Mix warm water with detergent and apply it on mat
- Thoroughly scrub the mat using a thick cleaning brush
- Make sure to clean in between the texture of mat for better results
- Wash off with clean water
For Other Mats
Mats like carpet or entrance mats are easier and require less effort to clean as compared to rubber mats. It can be done in the traditional way by simply using a vacuum which will suck all the dirt. For some mats, you can also use a hose to clean using pressured water. But before using water, read the instruction manual of that particular mat to know for sure if it is water sensitive or not.
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