How to clean a coir doormat (and when to use all-weather instead)

                                                                                         Damn Good Doormats Founder Spoon Popkin

You bought a doormat with personality. Keep it that way. Every design we make comes in two materials, sustainable coir doormats or all-weather with recycled rubber backing, and which one you picked (or should pick) changes how you take care of it. Here's the real answer, not the vague one.

Coir or all-weather? Pick based on where it lives, not the design

Every design in the shop is available in both materials, so you're not choosing a look, you're choosing a spot.

Ask yourself one question: does this mat get hit by rain, snow, or direct sun?

If the answer is no- my mat will be protected (covered porch, breezeway, mudroom, indoor entry), coir doormats work and work better doing it. If the answer is yes- expect my mat to get soaked all the time, get an all-weather rubber rug. Coir under an open sky will fade fast and fall apart faster.

Sustainable Coir Mats

Coir is coconut husk fiber, and your design is machine-printed with high quality inks. That ink is UV resistant & holds up to sun exposure, but coir itself is not weatherproof. Keep it out of direct sun and rain, or the fibers will break down and the color will go with them.

Coir mats ship rolled up in a box. When yours arrives, open it outside if you can, so the loose fibers that shake free during shipping land outdoors instead of on your floor. Give it a good shake. It'll shed a little more over its first week or two at your door as the fibers settle. That's normal, not a defect.

Shake it out gently to knock dirt and loose fibers free. Coir doesn't like getting soaked, so don't hose it off!

All-Weather Mats

These are recycled rubber with a fabric front, and they're built for exactly the spot coir can't handle. UV resistant, waterproof, non-slip, and you can hose them off when they get gross. Leaves, mud, snowmelt, salt, none of it is a problem.

They work anywhere you need a mat that doesn't care about weather: front steps, back door, mudroom, even as a pet feeding area, bath or kitchen mat inside. Rinse with a hose, let it dry, done.

What counts as normal wear

Every mat we make eventually shows use. The print on coir will mellow with sun exposure over time even when you're careful about placement, and the fibers will fray a bit at the edges with foot traffic. That's a doormat doing its job. All-weather mats hold their color and shape longer, since rubber and UV ink take abuse better than natural fiber, but nothing outside lasts forever.

If a mat you just bought looks damaged out of the box, that's not normal wear, that's a problem, and we want to hear about it.

Quick reference

Can I hose off a coir doormat?
No. Coir is coconut fiber, and soaking it breaks the fibers down and pulls color out with the water. Shake it out or use a stiff broom. Save the hose for the all-weather mats.

Why is my new doormat shedding?
If it's coir, that's normal. It ships rolled up, and loose fibers work themselves free in transit. Give it a shake outside when it arrives, and expect a little more shedding over its first week or two at your door while it settles in. It stops on its own.

Can I put an all-weather mat right outside, no cover at all?
Yes. That's what it's built for. Recycled rubber and a fabric front that's UV resistant and waterproof, so open front steps, exposed porches, and full snow and rain are all fine.

Will the design fade?
Eventually, yes. The UV ink holds up well, but direct sun over time will mellow any printed design, even with careful placement. All-weather mats hold their color longer since rubber and UV ink take more abuse than natural fiber. Either way, that's wear, not a defect.

My mat looks damaged and I just got it. Is that normal?
No. A little shedding on a brand-new coir mat is expected. Visible damage out of the box isn't. Email us and we'll sort it out.

Not sure which one fits your entryway? Every design in our shop comes in every size & two materials, sustainable coir doormats or all-weather with recycled rubber backing.

Questions about a mat you already own? Email us and we'll sort it out.