I Think All Bath Mats Are Gross — But I Found a Better Option

Bath mats are some of my favorite things to browse when I’m shopping online for bathroom decor. There are so many cute and kitschy options out there, and they’re often at pretty reasonable price points. But as much as I love the idea of a bath mat, my shopping never results in an add-to-cart situation. Truth be told, I think bath mats are so gross, and no tufted sardine tin or pasta noodle can convince me otherwise (they are adorable, though!).

While bath mats are a great avenue for fun and funky decor moments (seriously, where else can you get away with an oversized Kewpie doll in your home?), they’re supposed to be functional — and, in my experience, they’re anything but. The classic tufted bath mats I’ve had never seem to fully dry, always get moldy (even with regular washing), and love to stain — even my dark lavender or printed styles. Mine also always ended up looking like a ratty old rug in the center of my bathroom, which meant I needed to replace them more often than made sense. 

I’ve tried and failed to make bath mats a thing in my apartment many times. I have one in my guest bathroom that doesn’t bother me (that much) and has mostly held up, but only because I literally never shower in there. My husband and I share a larger bathroom with a double sink setup, and I’ve added two separate bath mats under each sink, then replaced them with a long runner and eventually removed the rugs altogether. So far, nothing has stuck for all of the reasons I mentioned above. 

My bathroom floors are currently bare, so I’m eyeing my next solution. After much research, my plan is to get a lattice wooden bath mat I can drape over the tub (and hide behind our shower curtain) when it’s not in use. This will help me address all of my bath mat woes while also making it easier to Swiffer my floors between bathroom cleaning days. 

That said, it’s good to have something to step onto after a hot shower or relaxing bath so you don’t slip and fall or walk on cold tile. Lucky for me, there are plenty of good bath mat alternatives. You can opt for a bamboo bath mat or something called a Bath Stone, which supposedly dries super fast and prevents bacteria growth. 

Whatever alternative you choose, if you’re equally disturbed by having a tufted rug in your bathroom (or just now find yourself rethinking bath mats altogether), know that you don’t have to subject yourself to a mold, bacteria-infested bathroom rug again.

Bathroom Break dives into the depths of your bathroom — from the history of toilets to how to make it smell like a spa. Check out all the stories here.