Why do I need an entrance mat?

When you walk into a business, you’ll often step on an entrance mat. Chances are you haven't ever paid much attention to them, but there are some great benefits to having people set foot on a mat before walking across your floor.

1. Stop Soil and Water At The Entrance

Not all entrance mats are designed to do this. Some are aggressive and non-absorbent, while others are non-aggressive and highly absorbent. The most effective mats provide a combination of scraping, wiping, and drying to stop the maximum amount of contaminants from entering a building.

2. Store Soil and Water

Highly effective entrance mat solutions are designed to provide a place for soil and water to go to until it's time to clean. High yarn counts help a carpet mat maximize storage until the mat is to be cleaned. Highly absorbent matting helps prevent flow from the sides of a mat that cause damage and can lead to slip and fall dangers. Rubber backed mats provide a dam that will contain the soil and water for removal during cleaning (learn more in How to Prevent Slips, Trips and Falls).

3. Reduce Tracking of Soil and Water

Top surface design can help mats store debris, allowing high traffic while minimizing tracking into the facility. Mats with a high/low construction provides an upper surface for walking and a lower area where soil and water are stored until removed by cleaning. The amount of soil that a mat allows to be transferred to shoes is directly related to the construction of the mat. Highly effective mats boast high yarn counts and designs that force one to walk against the grain, thereby trapping large quantities of moisture and dirt, minimizing the effects of soil and water being tracked further into the facility. Low performing mats, such as those a cut pile top surface alone, will not hold up under foot pressure and will crush in a short period of time, thus allowing more water and dirt to reattach to shoes and be tracked into respective facilities. A high face weight not only extends the performance life of a mat but it reduces the need to dispose of mats frequently.

4. Create a Safe Surface

The top surface of any entrance mat will help increase the coefficient of friction in any application, helping provide a safer environment. The bottom of a mat can affect how it performs in relation to your facility's floor. Vinyl backed matting works well on smooth hard surfaces like concrete and tile, providing 100% surface contact with the floor. Rubber backed mats traditionally have cleats of some form that can grab into carpet floors to help reduce movement.