These Mats Are Made By The Devil!

[Annalee]

Let me preface this by saying I am not trying to be rude .... but HOW are they getting so dirty?

I have some and use them under a ton of things and as rugs in certain areas but mine don't really get all that dirty.

I sweep and vacuum them off but only get down and scrub them if I see dirty spots. Then is just scrub them with warm soapy water and a sponge or brush (depending) and if it's really dirty...I break out the Mr Clean eraser.

Otherwise, just a sweep or vacuum daily (or more if necessary) does the trick.

I sweep/vacuum mine as well. Plus I still have area throw rugs around....The yellow mats seem to be the worse to show dirt....Now mine aren't as bright as when I got them which was over 10 years ago, but I tell myself if I had carpet it would be the same way.....We have a concrete floor underneath so mats were our most economical way to put flooring. I do like the idea of the magic eraser, have never tried that..... We do have a lot of tracking because during holidays we have extra company and they stay in daycare so that just adds to possible dirt-tracking.

I forgot to add, we got 4 thick clear plastic rolls at dollar store to put in the kitchen area and in front of door to protect the mats.....this works well.

[SignMeUp]

No shoes in the house eliminates 90% of the dirt that you sweep/vacuum. It makes a huge difference in my cleaning time and cuts down on aggravation from wet weather messes.
At first I couldn't get my parents to comply. Then I made a STOP sign and for some reason that caught their attention It was a red octagon and said "Take Off Your Shoes!"
There is a smallish area rug that they can step onto with shoes to do their sign-in, but that is as far as anyone comes with shoes on.
Now I tell prospective parents what we do, so that they are trained from the start and I never have any problems.

[JoseyJo]

Let me preface this by saying I am not trying to be rude .... but HOW are they getting so dirty?

I have some and use them under a ton of things and as rugs in certain areas but mine don't really get all that dirty.

I sweep and vacuum them off but only get down and scrub them if I see dirty spots. Then is just scrub them with warm soapy water and a sponge or brush (depending) and if it's really dirty...I break out the Mr Clean eraser.

Otherwise, just a sweep or vacuum daily (or more if necessary) does the trick.

- Mine used to need to be cleaned daily, but when I started enforcing no shoes off the entrance rug it got much much better! I still have to clean mine weekly (they just show everything and I am a little OCD )

[spud912]

I used to have some too....right by the front door . I have a no shoes policy, sweep and mop my hardwood floors regularly, no food or drinks away from the kitchen and dining area. Unfortunately they still got dirty! Not enough where they would need a scrub down daily, but they are a pain in the neck to clean! I used to take them outside and hose them off and scrub them with a stiff soapy brush.

[spinnymarie]

I forgot to add, we got 4 thick clear plastic rolls at dollar store to put in the kitchen area and in front of door to protect the mats.....this works well.

This is an awesome idea. We have concrete underneath as well, so it's the actual floor not just an area mat!

[melilley]

:: I have a set of those too but I have them stacked in the corner because I hate taking them out because of the letters. The kids like them but they chew on them or bend the letters to the point that they don't fit anymore and then are a tripping hazard.

I can't bring myself to get rid of them yet because they are so cute but GRRRRR!

I have those in my reading area and they are a pain! The kids are constantly taking the letters and border off. They eat, throw, and do who knows what with them. I was hoping to be able to "teach" them to leave them together, but I have had most of the kids for a year and they still take them apart-it must be fun!

[melilley]

I sweep/vacuum mine as well. Plus I still have area throw rugs around....The yellow mats seem to be the worse to show dirt....Now mine aren't as bright as when I got them which was over 10 years ago, but I tell myself if I had carpet it would be the same way.....We have a concrete floor underneath so mats were our most economical way to put flooring. I do like the idea of the magic eraser, have never tried that..... We do have a lot of tracking because during holidays we have extra company and they stay in daycare so that just adds to possible dirt-tracking.

I forgot to add, we got 4 thick clear plastic rolls at dollar store to put in the kitchen area and in front of door to protect the mats.....this works well.

Awesome idea!

[Annalee]

This is an awesome idea. We have concrete underneath as well, so it's the actual floor not just an area mat!

Yes, and if I remember correctly, we only spent $340 (over 10 years ago) to cover the 24x32 room...no way could we have put carpet with appropriate padding down for that....licensing loved it for safety issues on the concrete....indoor/outdoor carpet is the cheapest/durable, but it might as well stay concrete if we were going to buy that...::

[crazydaycarelady]

I would sweep and then maybe go over it with a mop of bleach water but that is it!

I have laminate flooring on half my dc and carpet on the other half. The babies get use to it and I don't have a lot of trouble with them falling or hitting their head on the laminate.

[BrooklynM]

I have wall to wall tiles from softtiles.com in my playroom and I just vacuum them and use the steam mop once a week. They are waterproof so they clean up nicely!

[DaisyMamma]

I have these mats and I am soooooo tired of scrubbing them by hand every single night!! There are 20 of them and they are such a pain in the a$$! It takes about an hour to clean each one.

I take them outside on the weekends to pressure wash them down, but they take forever to dry when they get totally soaked like that. So I can only do it that way on the weekends. Does anyone have any recommendations for a better way to clean these? I would be forever in your debt!!

And yes, I feel like I have to use them. I have all hardwood floors and I can't even begin to count how many times they've saved a baby from a giant goose egg. It will be at least another year before my youngest is skilled enough at walking to where I would feel comfortable not using them.

Can you switch to a thick throw rug?