A Chevron Turtle Mat for muddy paws and boots: review

With two dogs with muddy paws and a little boy with puddle splashed wellington boots, we get a lot of muck traipsed into the house, across the wooden floors downstairs. I am forever seeing paw prints alongside little footprints and it makes the house feel dirty. I spend a lot of time mopping and wiping the floor to keep the house feeling clean and tidy.

I have to admit that I had not heard of Turtle Mats but when I was lucky to receive one and realised what their benefits are I was very impressed and hopeful this would reduce the dirt in the house.

Let me tell you about them. Turtle Mats are a British company producing mats that are made of absorbent cotton tufts that both soaks up moisture and grabs the muck as you walk across them meaning that it doesn't all end up on your clean floors. Sounds good doesn't it!?

From a variety of different styles to choose from I was immediately attracted to a very on-trend Chevron pattern Turtle Mat in a turquoise and dark blue. Designs range from different colours to floral patterns and styles based on Country Living magazine or the National Trust. There are even Christmas ones which I love with prancing reindeer and snowflakes. You will have a hard time choosing a favourite.

When my mat arrived I was surprised at how big it was, 60 x 85cm, a really good size and how thin they are which is super for fitting under doors so it doesn't hinder them opening. It is worth pointing out that they are produced in different sizes, so small ones for under pet feeding areas which I really need as I have one dog that drops her biscuits out of the bowl to crunch up and one dog that dribbles so much of his water onto the floor whilst having a drink that there is always a huge puddle on the kitchen floor. Also, they do larger ones for big posh doorways - one day Homebird........

The multi-grip underside of the mat means it doesn't slip and stays in place, useful when a four year old is running in and out as I wouldn't want him slipping.

The mats are a win for me, being both practical and stylish, adding a nice pop of colour to the doorway. I haven't got it muddied up, I'm not that sort of person - too house proud to get a mat messy! I'm afraid that heavily muddied boots would have to be heaved off at the door and cleaned before coming through. However, lightly dirty boots and shoes, that I don't mind and of course when the dogs have been out for a daily walk across the field. So after a week of using the mat, it has made the wooden floors look less paw print splattered as they are both walking across the mat first.

Our old collie checking the Turtle Mat out

The great thing about Turtle Mats is that they can be washed in the washing machine at 40 degrees and then dried on a low heat the tumble drier. This is brilliant as I have thrown away so many door mats when they have become so dirty. I've yet to wash mine but when I do, I will report back. Washing actually improves the absorbency by raising the pile. I'll give mine a wash before Christmas ready for all the Christmas visitor foot traffic.

They are guaranteed for 5 years and the mat I received retails at £47.95 and can be bought online from Turtle Mat with a delivery charge of £4.95. I have just seen that they have a free delivery offer on until Christmas for orders over £75. Obviously that does seem expensive, it did to me at first but when I add up how much money I have spent on other doormats that do not grab the muck off our shoes and the dogs paws, I think it is a good investment.

I will report back on this post as we get into winter as with lots of murky days and lots of visitors, it will be interesting to see how it stands up to all that and how my wooden floors will look cleaner.