How to Wash Bath Mats and Rugs?

[Andrew Sherman]

Can you machine wash a bath mat or bath rug? In most cases, yes. Your bath mat or bath rug’s manufacturer may provide care instructions on the tag. When possible, following these instructions is the best way to clean your bathroom rug or mat. Otherwise, it's always a safe bet to wash bath mats in cold water using your normal laundry detergent. Try to avoid using fabric softener as it can actually stain or damage your bathroom linens. Read our Stain Guide for more tips and tricks. As long as your bath mat is made of a durable fabric like cotton, it’s usually safe to clean your bath mat in the washing machine.

 

[Roxanne Emmerich]

First things first, before washing your bathroom rugs, check the care tags to make sure you’re not supposed to use any specific cleaning products or washer and dryer settings. Once you’ve done that, take your bathroom rugs outside and give them a good shake. You’ll be surprised — and maybe a bit repulsed — by the amount of dirt, dust, dander and hair that flies out of them. Additionally, if your bathroom rugs have plastic or rubber backing, go ahead and wipe that off with a dry microfiber cloth.

 

[Wayne Maillet]

As you can probably already imagine, choosing the right set of taps for your designer freestanding baths is a pretty important decision when redesigning a bathroom. You need to go for something which won't be overshadowed by the presence of your bathtub and will harmonise with your fixtures. Now, you can go down the route of wall or deck-mounted taps with one of these baths but, for a more striking effect, we'd recommend opting for freestanding taps. Available in both modern and traditional designs, they proudly stand next to the bath, giving the room a designer edge that is out of this world.

Keep in mind that some taps may require you to make modifications to your bathroom to fit them. Wall-mounted items will require you to drill into the wall before installation. You'll need to pay attention to the type of drill you use too, if you're drilling directly into ceramic then certain drill bits could cause damage. Deck-mounted taps require carefully drilled holes into the edge of your bathtub. This will require accurate measuring (not to mention a steady hand!) to avoid any problems. Some freestanding options, such as cast iron bathtubs may already come with pre-drilled tap holes which make life a lot easier.

With freestanding taps, you need to remove your flooring to install them so it's a pretty big job. The pipes need to run under your tiles but you need to make sure that you leave the copper tails sticking up enough so that the chrome shrouds can cover them. In all honesty, this is a job that needs to be left to the professionals as the potential for disaster can be quite high. Once they're installed though you'll truly appreciate the results as they're well worth the extra work.