Is it okay to wash bathroom mats?

Question

I was afraid the rubber surface on the bottom would melt -- it seems like a fire hazard...

Answer 1

You can wash them. You shouldn't dry them in the machine. Lay them across something (like a couple of chair backs), so air can get at both sides. Heavy ones may take a day or too to get really dry.

Use warm water. Washing them in hot water (especially doing it more than a couple of times, but sometimes even on the first time) will make the rubber backing start to crumble.

Answer 2

Wash in cold, but don't dry. The rubber will fall apart if you dry it. Another thing, sometimes the rubber will fall apart in the wash too. If you feel more comfortable hand washing it, that works too! Be sure it is all the way dry before you put it down. If you leave it on the floor wet, after a few times, there will be a yellow stain where the mat was! Not pretty! Good Luck! :)

Answer 3

Do you mean wash them in a washing machine? They do come apart in a washing machine, and especially if you dry them in the dryer. It is safer if you just soak them in the bath tub and scrub them with a brush. You can also add a little bleach to the water, but wear rubber gloves if you put your hands in the water.

Answer 4

Nope, not in the wash. Its the dryer you need to worry about. I have seen the backing flake off cheap mats. I usually let mine air dry, even the more expensive ones. I wash mine once a week.

Answer 5

You can wash it. Use only warm water, and don't put it in the dryer on high. (I dry mine on the delicate cycle---it takes a while, but the backing holds up pretty well that way.) Eventually, that backing WILL wear out, but you really do need to wash it every once in a while!

Answer 6

Wash those mats, hang them out, but realize time also kills the rubber. It dries and falls apart. Don't fret, just get new ones.

And then there's the issue that the rubber can stain linoleum underneath and that stain can't be removed................ I hate rubber backed mats.

Answer 7

Human shampoo is not properly pH balanced for dogs. Using human shampoo once, or rarely, will not have a noticeable effect on your dog - but using it regularly will. So - since you need to bathe your dog today - go ahead and use the human shampoo - but get an unscented, hypoallergenic dog shampoo for future doggie baths. While human shampoo is inappropriate for dogs over the long run - it is incorrect to say it should NEVER be used. That said - I would never use it unless it was an emergency (i.e. dog rolled in shyte and bath can't wait) Why unscented? Your dog likes different smells than you do. He'd prefer to just smell like his fresh and clean self - not like tacky fake vanilla coconut or flowers.

Answer 8

You can machine wash them. Do not machine dry them. Line dry them. The rubber will discintigrate and collect in your dryer. It's an awful mess.

Answer 9

Wash it
by itself and dry w/ no heat or let it hang dry


Note to self:
don't use Mephitix's bathroom hold it or go before hand

Answer 10

Of course you can wash them. Just put them on the gentle cycle and you can put them in the dryer on the air cycle.