Bathroom rugs | bathroom rug

Bathroom rugs need not necessarily be made of any special or unusual materials, but there are some points to bear in mind, especially depending on how wet the bathroom rug will get.
There are generally two categories of rugs that are used in bathrooms: ones that are designed specifically and intended for bathrooms, and those that are not. This may sound obvious at first, but it clears the way for which we can understand which are the most suitable, and if there are any important considerations before placing any rug in the bathroom (and subject to the high humidity and constant moisture of a bathroom environment).

Rugs that are designed for the bathroom:

These are typically very plain rugs, and made of either cotton, or chenille. This is due to the fact that these are less susceptible to damage from water than perhaps wool is. There are a whole variety of these types of rugs to choose from, and prices start from as low as £2 GBP (less than $4 USD at the time of writing).
A typical bath mat will be in the dimensions between 40 x 70 cm and 90 x 60 cm. Of course they can be larger and smaller, but that is the typical dimensions.

 

Cotton bathroom mats: these are simply flat, thin, cotton mats created in a size similar to explained above. Cotton is a relatively durable material, but eventually constant wetting without proper drying will wear the rug out and begin to collapse the cotton strands.

Bamboo bathroom mat: these are thin, flat and solid rug pieces. They are of course in the colour of bamboo, and flexible to a degree, as you would expect from bamboo. Relatively well wearing in the circumstances, the only downside is that they are not soft on bare feet.

Chenille Bathroom mats: Although there are many types of Chenille fibres, most often referred to when talking about Chenille bathroom mats are either a form of Rayon, Acrylic, or most often polypropylene. Since the 1990s, the production of Chenille yarn has been very uniform, without any of the previous flaws and inaccuracies which used to plague this type of yarn. These man made fibres are great for the bathroom since they are a less susceptible to destruction through constant exposure to water.

Other rugs that are not really designed for the bathroom can and are used in the bathroom, but again, there is always the danger that they are not dried out properly and will become damaged beyond repair. For some this is not an issue since the rugs are not the most expensive rugs anyway.

Lets break this down a moment.

A kelim rug from Persia, China, India or Turkey is also another possible solution, and as these are all flatweave rugs, they are possible more suitable, simply because they will most likely dry out quicker, with less of a possibility for mould or mildew.

Kelims, most cotton rugs, and the like are flatweave, the typically oriental rug is a pile rug. Anything that is tufted, or knotted, will have a pile, to a greater or lesser degree. Those that have been woven, will usually be flatweave (i.e. very thin, flat rugs).

A pile rug is more likely to hold water in itself, and will most likely take longer to dry out. This will in turn, over time, cause damage of the foundations (that is the warp and the weft) and can of course result in mould in certain places. to read more about mould and how to deal with it, please click this link to read more about mold and how to deal with it, please click this link.

How to clean your bathroom mats.

Since these are designed to be used in water areas, they are relatively easy to wash. You can in most cases simply use a washing machine, but please observe the following:

Always check the washing instructions that come with the rug.

If you wish, use stain removers to tackle difficult stains.

If you have several rugs to clean at once, remember to separate rugs by colour!

Do not wash the rugs with any clothes.

Rinse the rugs thoroughly.

You can use the tumble dryer with an appropriate setting or for some fibres it may be more appropriate to allow the rugs to dry naturally.

To liven up the white rugs and restore a white colour, you can use either a small amount of non-chlorine bleach to water when washing, or you can use a small amount of hydrogen peroxide.

More interesting news and reviews for rugs and floor coverings to help you make an informed decision in your selection for your floor coverings can be found at www.rugsinformation.co.uk