Door mats can get extremely dirty over time. When anyone entering your house comes inside from the outdoors, everything clinging to the bottom of their shoes makes its way onto your doormat. Most people don’t think of cleaning their doormats until they are beyond noticeably dirty. Cleaning one is quick and easy to do. A clean doormat will improve the general appearance of your doorstep or front porch. You should always read the manufacturer’s instructions before attempting to clean it in the event there are any special instructions. However, here are some general guidelines to follow that are applicable to the majority of doormats:

1. Check to see what your doormat is made out of before deciding how to clean it. Doormats with nitrile rubber backing can be machine washed and dried. If the back of your doormat is vinyl or rubber, you can use your water hose to get most of the dirt and grit off.

2. Vacuum the top of the doormat with your vacuum to remove dirt that is deeply embedded.

3. Use some mild dish soap and a scrub brush to get rid of stains that didn’t come off when you hosed down or machine washed your doormat.

4. If you are unfortunate enough to have ground-in gum on your doormat, don’t despair. There are products available specifically for removing goo that can remove the gum. Citrus cleaners also work well for this.

4. Remember to shake your doormat out every other day to lessen the chances of future dirt buildup. Doing this will ensure that your doormat will stay cleaner for a longer period of time.

5. If you have a coconut shell or coir doormat, you may just have to accept the fact that it will not come completely clean. These doormats are notorious for becoming moldy and getting very nasty. If you have one of these doormats and it is very dirty, your best bet would be to just replace it rather than attempt to clean it.