How Often Should You Wash Your Bath Mat?

Almost every primary bathroom has a bath mat to provide an anti-slip surface for people to step on as they exit the shower or tub. Bath mats come in a variety of materials, including cotton, chenille, and microfiber, as well as hard surfaces like bamboo. You probably know your bath mat needs to be cleaned regularly to eliminate buildup, remove stains, and prevent odor-causing and harmful bacteria from developing.

But how often are you supposed to be washing these bathroom staples? Our guide answers that important question and provides additional information so you can choose the bath mat cleaning schedule that is right for your household.

How Often to Wash a Bath Mat

Bath mats should be washed once a week or once every other week, depending on usage. If you have a machine-washable bath mat, wash it alongside your towels according to your laundry schedule. 

Wipe bath mats that cannot be laundered, such as bamboo bath mats or diatomaceous earth bath mats, on both sides with an all-purpose cleaning agent or mild detergent safe for the material type. Consult the manufacturer's instructions for guidelines on the cleaning products, tools, and methods, or use our guide to washing bath mats to inform your cleaning choices.

Factors That Affect Washing Frequency

While the standard rule for how often to wash a bath mat is every one to two weeks, some factors might affect washing frequency.

How often you shower or bathe: The standard recommendation for washing a bath mat is every week or every other week, assuming one or two people use the bath mat daily. Extrapolating from this, the number of uses between washings is approximately 14 to 28. Doing some loose math, if you live alone and shower every other day, you could reasonably wash your bath mat every two to four weeks. Conversely, if four people use the same bath mat to shower every day, wash the mat at least weekly. 

How many people use the bath mat: More people using the same bath mat means you could benefit from washing it more frequently to keep moisture and body soils from building up and creating a breeding ground for bacteria.

Humidity in your home: If the humidity levels in your home or bathroom are high, you may need to wash your bath mat more frequently than those who live in dry climates or have well-ventilated bathrooms. High humidity slows the rate at which a bath mat will dry after use, and a wet bath mat quickly develops odors and bacteria.

Quick-drying bath mats: Bath mats that are quick-drying may not need to be washed as frequently as those that are slower to dry. If you live in a busy household or a damp climate, you may want to choose a quick-drying bath mat style to reduce the cleaning frequency.

Chemical exfoliators: If you use chemical exfoliators, especially foot peels that cause significant skin shedding, clean your bath mat more often than usual.

Signs It's Time to Wash Your Bath Mat

While washing bath mats regularly is recommended, some people aren't as well organized as others when it comes to cleaning and laundry. Those people may want to use cues to alert them that it is time to wash their bath mats.

Some signs that it is time to wash your bath mat include:

• It smells, which signals the presence of mold, mildew, and other odor-causing bacteria.
• It's stained or otherwise visibly dirty, denoting a buildup of body and environmental soils.
• It won't stay in place, which can indicate the presence of buildup compromising the underside of the mat.