As a neat and tidy Flickr photographer demonstrates in the photo above, one of the best ways to prevent a bathmat from getting all stinky and mildewy is to hang it over the tub in between uses. This way, it dries faster and makes it harder for bacteria to build up. Plus, if you have a cat who likes to roll around on it (like Sophie does), a sister who has long hair and lets clumps of it drift down while blow-drying, or guests who come over and want to use the bathroom before taking off their shoes, a bathmat can get pretty gross-looking in a matter of days.
I’m pretty good about keeping mine off the floor, but as of today, I’ll be taking it a step further and toweling off while I’m still standing in the shower — this means even less moisture will end up on the mat, which means I’ll need to clean it less often.
Photo courtesy of Anna Banana on Flickr
October 2, 2007 at 8:32 pm
Maybe you should knit some like the one in the photo! Very snazzy.
October 3, 2007 at 4:58 pm
yes…..that’s hair….from my head.
haha KIDDING!
January 12, 2008 at 8:11 pm
Save on the mat! Use a towel! Ours hangs on a hook when not in use and is only on the floor while stepping out of the tub (we towel off in the tub), and standing at the sink still in bare feet. I find it’s only needed to keep dampish feet from feeling “tacky” on uncarpeted flooring. It’s cleaner than a mat, more readily washable, and cheap to replace–get one second hand, or use a worn one. Every two weeks it goes in the laundry, but it never really gets dirty–depending, I suppose, on how clean the floor is! I only sweep (with a dry mop–I’m so glad we don’t have carpets!) once every week or two, but then there’s only two of us (no pets), and we’re pretty tidy.