This $5 Hack Will Keep Your Bath Mat From Sliding—And Make it Easier to Clean

It’s time for new bath mats in my house, but it’s so hard to find the perfect set. I know exactly what I want: Two larger mats for under each of our sinks, and two smaller mats that will go near the shower and just outside the tub. The kicker is: I want them all to stay put and not slide around, but without the rubber backing that crumbles apart in the washer and dryer. These are not easy to come by.

Frankly, I do not understand the point of mats that don’t stay put. To me, they’re downright dangerous and I won’t take that risk in our bathroom with kids and tile floors and sharp bathtub edges. On top of that, they simply never stay where they’re supposed to, and always make the bathroom look messy and askew.

But there’s a new hack in town! This simple $5 solution cracks open the world of bath mat choices, and could turn one of your existing slipping and sliding mats into one that stays safely put.

Velcro strips—the name brand for “hook and loop” style fasteners—are just the thing to keep bath mats securely in place. Pick up a pack of self-adhesive Velcro and cut it into two-inch strips (if it isn’t in pieces already), or longer if your bath mats are on the bigger side. Then follow these steps:

1. Make sure your floor and bath mat are clean and dry.
2. Peel and stick the softer, loop-side Velcro to the corners of your bath mat.
3. Make sure the other half of the Velcro is attached to the pieces you just stuck to the mat, then peel the backing off those.
4. Carefully drop your bath mat into place, so the now-exposed, hook-side Velcro is stuck to your floor.

The Velcro keeps your bath mat in place, yet also makes it easy to pick up when you need to try it out or clean the floor underneath. You can vacuum right over the strips on the floor. And if you’re worried about the Velcro coming off the mat in the wash, you can probably add a few quick stitches with a coordinating-color thread to ward off that possibility.

Using Command-style fasteners makes this solution easily reversible and renter-friendly because you can pull the strip off the floor with little difficulty and zero damage.

Welcome to slip-free, safe, and always straight bath mat world!