How Often Should You Wash Bath Mats?

Stepping out of the bath and planting your feet onto a fluffy bath mat is the ideal way to end a long soak in the tub.

That is until a whiffy odour starts to rise up from the mat in question, and starts an assault on your nostrils.

Yes, bath mats can dress up a bathroom and save you from slipping on the floor. But they can also be a delightful home for bacteria, mould and pongy odours to thrive in, if they’re not washed on a regular basis.

So, how often should you clean a bath mat? Find out how much you need to clean your bathroom mat below.

 

How Often Should You Wash Bath Mats?

As a rough guide, a bath mat should be washed at least once every week. This will keep it looking and smelling fresh, as well as being sanitary.

However, there is some wiggle room with this figure because a few factors will influence how often you need to clean your bathroom mat. These include:

• How often does the bath mat gets stood on?
• How many different people step on the bath mat?
• Does the bath mat get dried correctly?
• Do you have multiple bath mats or do you stick to one mat?
• Is someone sick in your home, and if so, should the mat be cleaned more frequently?
• Does the bathroom have good ventilation? (mildew will grow in humid environments).
• The mat’s material will dictate how much and how the mat can be washed.
• Does lots of water splash out of the bath and onto the mat?

Based on your answers to the points above, you’ll need to adjust how often you clean your bath mat.

For example:

If your bath mat is subjected to a lot of foot traffic it will need to be cleaned more frequently.

Depending on the number of people standing on the bath mat per day, you might need to wash the mat every three to five days instead. This will ensure the mat is hygienic.

However, if you are a single person, and you shower every two days, you may be able to wash the mat once every eight to ten days instead (assuming that you dry the mat properly in between).

Also, if the bath mat regularly gets drenched in water (kids playing in the bath), you might find it easier to wash the mat when it’s soaking wet, rather than trying to remove all the soapy moisture and drying it. So, you may end up washing the mat more often.

 

Do You Need to Wash Bath Mats?

Yes, you should absolutely wash your bathroom mats!

Bath mats come into contact with all kinds of germs on a regular basis. And it’s imperative that you get rid of these microorganisms before they have time to fester.

The following scenarios can make your bath mat dirty:

• If you’ve got lots of people stepping onto the same bath mat as they enter and exit the tub, germs can be passed back and forth between people very quickly.
• Some individuals choose to walk over bath mats with their shoes on, so they spread whatever muck they’ve walked on outdoors all over the mat.
• Bath mats can also be plagued by little accidents, like wee and vomit, so they need to be cleaned.
• Mould will grow on a bath mat if it is not dried properly.

With all of these scenarios in mind, you can start to appreciate why washing a bath mat is essential.

Not only will it protect you and your family from coming into contact with viruses, skin problems and germs, but a clean bath mat will also smell good and look tidy.

This, in turn, will make your bathroom a far nicer place, in terms of smell and sight.

The main benefits of washing a bathroom mat are:

• It will make the mat more hygienic.
• It’s safer for everyone involved if the mat is clean.
• It’ll make the mat less smelly.
• You won’t have to buy replacement mats as often, if you clean the one you’ve got.