Are coir door mats good?

The many ways that coir door mats are good.

If you are looking to buy a new door mat, you have probably already come across a confusing selection of potential door mat materials. Rubber, plastic, nylon and coir. What is the best option for you?

Only you can make that decision, but we can help you make sure it’s an informed one by letting you know the pros and cons of each door mat material. We aim to provide free, unbiased matting advice to anyone that needs it, so let’s talk about coir.

Are coir door mats good?

 

In what ways are coir door mats good?

1. They’re good for your house

The main reason you need a door mat is to keep your home or workplace clean. Coir mats are one of the most effective scrapers on the market. Their naturally sturdy coconut fibres vigorously scrape the soles of shoes with no effort from the wearer at all.

As well as removing dirt and debris, coir door mats absorb very high quantities of water too. Every particle removed from shoes is then stored within the structure of the mat, out of sight until you get round to cleaning it.

Cleaning your coir door mat is easy, too. Just follow these door mat cleaning instructions. The cleaning steps are the same for every material, but make sure you let your coir mat dry thoroughly before using it again.

 

2. They’re good for the world

After its fantastic cleaning abilities, the main reason that coir is so popular is its low ecological footprint. Coir is made from coconut husk, which is a waste by-product of the coconut industry.

Over 60 million coconuts are produced each year, but once their flesh is harvested and processed, the rest is sent straight to landfill. Coir production allows us to use that by-product for good, creating products that may otherwise use fossil fuels.

As well as coming from a sustainable background, coir is completely biodegradable. That means we can place our coir mats back into the earth, and they can contribute towards the growth of something new. It’s time to ditch the single-use mats and use coir instead.

 

3. They’re good for your people

Keeping your home or workplace clean might be the first reason to get a door mat, but there’s another major one too. Slips, trips and falls make up a huge portion of workplace injury claims, and the right entrance mat can reduce these significantly.

Coir mats are rarely backed with rubber, because of the issues that appear when they are – more on that later. That means they need to be fitted into a recess to provide protection from slips. Using a mat recess is optimal because it also prevents trips (something that a loose laid mat does not).

By being absorbent, non slip coir mats also prevent slips from wet floors. For a more detailed explanation on this, check out this post on how non slip mats work.

 

4. They’re good for your style

Practicalities aside, we love coir because it looks so good. It’s natural and rustic to suit that modern Aussie style, but it also looks perfectly in place in industrial and agricultural settings. There really aren’t many places that a coir mat won’t look in place.

If the natural colour isn’t your style, you can choose from dyed black and charcoal colours that blend a little easier with a dark interior. If none of that works (or you can’t stand the shedding), go for a synthetic coir door mat instead.

Print your logo on your coir door mat to keep it looking good and working hard to get your brand name out there. Branded logo mats are the most hands-off marketing strategy you could want.

 

5. They’re good for your garden

Coir is a good door mat inside and out. Despite being biodegradable, it is one of the most durable materials there is. Place it in compost and it will break down easily but place it outside your door and it will last and last.

Coir is absorbent, so it works best undercover or in a dry area. It can get wet momentarily but you should dry it out in between uses to keep it working as long as possible.

There are a couple of other factors to consider when deciding which mat will work well in your garden, so check out this post on keeping coir outside for more help.

 

6. They’re good for your wallet

Coir door mats come at a great price, especially when you consider how much time and money you save cleaning. Add the cost of alternative materials on the planet into the mix and it’s clear that coir is one of the best door mat materials on the market.

Custom sizes and personalisation usually cost extra, but that is the same for any mat material.

 

In what ways are coir door mats not good?

1. They can’t be backed with rubber

We covered the ideal way to prevent slips, trips and falls with coir mats, which is fitting them into a recess, but what if you don’t have a mat well?

A major problem with coir mats is that they are rarely backed onto rubber. The process of moulding the fibres with rubber backing tends to damage coir, so many of them use PVC backing instead. PVC does not offer much protection from slips, so loose-laid coir door mats should be attached to the floor in some way if used for safety.

PVC is also not the best option from an environmental perspective, so that could be considered another reason that coir door mats are not as good.

 

2. They shed their fibres

The number 1 problem with coir door mats is the mess their fibres make when they shed. Being an entirely natural product, coir does lose some fibres over time. These are annoying to clear up and require vacuuming about once a week.

To reduce the amount of shedding from your coir door mat, fit it into a mat well and invest in a high-quality product. The better-quality coir you buy, the less shedding and more wear you will get out of it.

The only way to completely eliminate shedding is to opt for a synthetic coir option instead. The same look and effectiveness, less mess.

 

3. They have thick pile

There is no option for a low pile natural coir mat, because of the structure of the coir itself. This can cause problems with wheelchair and pram users, as well as in areas that see wheeled traffic.

Thick pile is also slightly more difficult to clean, as the fibres can hold more dirt and debris than other materials. If you don’t know where to start with cleaning your doormat, check out this handy infographic.

 

Does coir make a good door mat?

Coir is one of the best door mat materials because it looks good, works really well and has a positive impact on the environment. Coir’s absorbent yet durable fibres are fantastic scrapers, keeping your floors clean and your people safe as long as they live.

Browse our range of coir door mats to find one that suits your home or workplace.

If you want to know more about your door mat options, or if you’re looking for some recommendations, feel free to reach out to the team. As always, our matxperts are ready and waiting to share their mat-related knowledge.