With all the supplies needed to keep your school, office, church, or factory clean, it’s sometimes difficult to justify the purchase of quality floor mats. But the truth is that floor mats are one of the most important purchases you can make. They provide countless benefits for your employees and facility visitors. Here are just a few of the reasons why you need quality floor mats for your facility.

1. Prevent injuries.

The number one reason to invest in quality floor mats is to prevent injuries. There are a number of spaces that can be made less hazardous by using mats. The most common space is directly in front of doors leading outside. During inclement weather, it is easy for people to walk inside with wet shoes and slip on a hard floor.

Some industries are even more prone to injury if they are operating without the use of mats because of grease, oil, water, or snowmelt. Some of these industries include:

• Restaurant kitchens. Working in a restaurant kitchen is notoriously fast-paced. There are always people coming and going quickly, turning tight corners and carrying heavy trays of food. Food and drink spills are a regular occurrence and are a risk to employees.
• Mechanical repair shops. Lubricant and grease are major hazards in repair shops. Mechanical lubricant is one of the most hazardous materials if it is accidentally spilled on the ground. Combine that with the hard floors common in repair shops, and the likelihood of injury becomes even higher.
• Manufacturing plants. Manufacturing plants are a high-hazard area. Depending on the particular industry, manufacturing plants can utilize a variety of different chemicals or substances. Each substance could be a risk for injury.
• Swimming pool areas. Swimming pool decks, especially entrances and exits to pool facilities, are a high-hazard area as well. When children or lifeguards run on pool decks, the area becomes especially dangerous.

If your mats are thinning or worn from heavy use, they are not as effective in preventing injuries and could pose a risk. Floor mats should be replaced regularly.

2. Keep facilities clean.

Another common use for floor mats is to help keep your facility clean. People entering the building can wipe their feet on the floor mat instead of bringing outside dirt, mud, and water indoors. Many mats, like Olefin mats, are specially designed to remove dirt from shoes easily. Mats can be vacuumed, shaken, or cleaned with a power washer. For best results, place mats strategically: for example, at high-traffic entrances or doors near outdoor areas where there is a lot of mud or dirt.

Choosing and placing quality floor mats could be one of the single best janitorial decisions you make for your facility. Not only will your space look nicer when dirt is not tracked indoors, but janitorial staff will have less work to do when the time comes to clean. What would have been a mess to clean up was wiped on the floor mat at the entrance to be cleaned later. You may even find that after placing floor mats in these areas, you use less floor cleaning product over time.

3. Provide a more comfortable surface for standing.

There are a number of facilities that use anti-fatigue mats for industries that require employees to stand for long periods of time. Some of these industries include barber shops, garages, manufacturing plants, retail shops, and shipyards. Anti-fatigue mats provide relief for legs and feet, reducing foot swelling, back pain, and joint discomfort.

Anti-fatigue mats usually have between ⅜” and ½” cushion. Even more so than other mats, anti-fatigue mats become worn over time and should be replaced in order to be effective. Many employers find that these mats can improve worker efficiency and effectiveness, saving businesses and organizations money over time, while simultaneously increasing employee satisfaction.

4. Protect your floor.

Mats are a great way to prolong the life of your flooring. While damaged flooring is expensive and difficult to replace, mats are inexpensive and can be replaced easily. It is recommended to use mats in high-traffic areas, such as in hallways, so that those parts of the floor do not wear faster than others.

5. Make cleaning easier.

One of the greatest benefits of mats is that they often make cleaning floors easier. For example, deck mats, which are raised from the ground and have holes in them, are a great choice for locker room showers because they will reduce the amount of direct contact users have with the floor, making your shower floors more sanitary, even when they are used regularly.

Floor mats make your facility safer, your floors cleaner, and your employees more comfortable. A small investment in quality floor mats now pays dividends in a variety of ways in the future.

Click here to learn more about which floor mat is right for your space!