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Hubby wants them for the kitchen; I'm afraid they would just soak up (germs) and never wash clean and dry sanitary (yes, I'm some what of a germ-o-phobe!).

Some say that edges curl up/possible tripping hazard.

Are you asking about the anti-fatigue mats? I was thinking about getting one or two for the kitchen - the tile floor is killing my feet. I'm curious as to what others say about cleaning/care.

quote:

Originally posted by junk collector:
Are you asking about the anti-fatigue mats? I was thinking about getting one or two for the kitchen - the tile floor is killing my feet. I'm curious as to what others say about cleaning/care.

Yes...they prob have a dif name depending on who sells them...lol!

Thanks - my concern would be the dog hair sticking to the mat. My guys are confined to the kitchen during the day.

I bought some at Kohls last year, called Chef Mat to use at my office for the reception desk. When I left in April, I took them home(seasonal job) and really love the one at the kitchen sink. Have not minded (much) doing dishes as no hip pain.
Directions say use a moist cloth and mild detergent. I can't see the dog hair sticking much - but mine are same color as the dog and I'm not much of a clean freak (at home anyway).

Just got a Wellness Mat from William Sonoma for Christmas. It feels like heaven under my feet. The floor was tiled 2 weeks ago and it is hard but the mat in front of the sink is wonderful. I have 3 large dogs and no hair sticks to the mat. Cleanup is with soap and water.

I've been thinking about getting a couple too. They've gotta make my poor feet, ankles and knees feel better!

i need a couple of them for my place

So, do you really need to spend $100+ to do a good job?

had one and it traps moisture and stained my floor under it .When I went from cold weather and opened windows when the weather got nice it seem to feel sticky under my feet and then I pulled it up and it had already started to stain floor .It was a gift but sure not worth the money my friend spent on it and went on there websight and showed them pics of what it did .They told me that I should have picked it up every day and allowed the floor to breathe under it .They did finally give me my friends money back and i bought something else for my house with it .Friend felt so bad about what happened but not her fault how would she have known .I didn't know either why would they not tell you this and add a warning .

CJO, We have tile in our kitchen. Every time I would stand there cooking for any length of time, my back would begin to bother me. So I thought that one of these mats would at least help take some stress off.

I actually purchased ours at Big Lots! Put one in front of the sink, the stove and the refrigerator. If I had to do it all over again, I would like one longer one to put where the sink is and then a shorter one in front of the stove. The reason I say that is because if one isn't used to stepping up on a different surface, it is possible to trip since they are thicker. That being said, I still like ours a lot. I honestly treat them like any other type of flooring.

When it is warmer, I would simply take them outside on the deck and hose them off, use bleach or whatever cleaner of choice and allow to dry or use an old towel or something to dry.

During colder months, I simply sweep them off or lean them over to shake off any cat hair, dirt/etc then take paper towels (or old cloth) and use whatever cleaning product of choice and wipe down...dry...return to spot.

When deciding upon a color, I opted to go for a darker color that would compliment our tile. I was afraid that a lighter color would drive me bonkers.LOL However, we do have cats so the darker color shows cat hair and dust easier. It's sort of a catch 22 deal. I guess you just have to decide which is the lesser evil~

Additionally, if I had to do it again, I would probably opt for a better quality mat. The ones I bought have seams around the edge that are beginning to show wear. I was looking in a store the other day and noticed that their mats didn't have a flat seam all the way around. Theirs were simply one level...difficult to explain but looks like one piece instead of dropping down to a flat edge all the way around like ours.

In general, I really like them.

quote:

Originally posted by sissy77:
had one and it traps moisture and stained my floor under it .When I went from cold weather and opened windows when the weather got nice it seem to feel sticky under my feet and then I pulled it up and it had already started to stain floor .It was a gift but sure not worth the money my friend spent on it and went on there websight and showed them pics of what it did .They told me that I should have picked it up every day and allowed the floor to breathe under it .They did finally give me my friends money back and i bought something else for my house with it .Friend felt so bad about what happened but not her fault how would she have known .I didn't know either why would they not tell you this and add a warning .

Glad you got your money back. I thought you were going to say it stuck to your floor and ruined the flooring. And, who the heck has time to take the mat up everyday??? ...and where would one put it in the meantime???

This past winter I rented two different places in Florida for one month each (from the same landlord). Both places had tiled kitchens and both had the gel mats. I ha ted them!

I'm a barefoot type person but could not tolerate standing on them -- they seemed dirty and germy to me. Always had to make sure I had flip flops or shoes on. AND, they were stuck to the floor so I just had to clean around them.

On the other hand, the tile was hard on my legs and the mats were a relief to stand on. Might have been different if I had been the only person to have ever used them and cleaned under and moved them regularly.

That's interesting. I've never had our mats stick to the floor. But that would not make me happy if they did and discolored the floor or ruined it in some way. Wonder if it has anything to do with the backing that's on the mat???