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Original poster

Does anyone remember these, or did anyone have these?!

43 replies

Nows · 05/11/2023 18:46

Last night, when I was cleaning my kitchen floor (clearly I know how to have a great Saturday night), a memory came to mind of the house I grew up in. I'd completely forgotten this but outside all the downstairs interior doors we had doormats. Did anyone else have these?

OP posts:
cardibach · 05/11/2023 18:47

Interior doors? No. Why would you?

TheHappyCarrot · 05/11/2023 18:49

No, that's weird.

GoodOldEmmaNess · 05/11/2023 18:51

No. I think that's a you thing.

Sarvanga38 · 05/11/2023 18:55

What’s ‘outside’ for an interior door - would you need one on either side?

Original poster
Nows · 05/11/2023 19:02

Oh I was hoping I'd discover everyone had them!

We had little, doormat sized, um, mats on the outside of the doors to all downstairs rooms. I'll see if I can find illustrations somewhere.

OP posts:
Original poster
Nows · 05/11/2023 21:21

I can't find a picture of anything similar but they were basically just as I described - indoor door mats!

OP posts:
TicTacNicNak · 05/11/2023 21:27

Never had them, but like a pp, I need you to clarify which side of an interior door is the "outside"?

isthistoonosy · 05/11/2023 21:31

Not me, but my partners aunt had them. They were kind if useful for protection for the most used area of carpet.

The outsade is the Ode the door opens on to.

minisoksmakehardwork · 05/11/2023 21:31

I can imagine what you mean. Kind of a carpet sample sized piece that would be on say the hall floor right outside a bedroom.

Tittyfilarious81 · 05/11/2023 21:32

My nan had them at every door fo yes I remember them

minisoksmakehardwork · 05/11/2023 21:33

these??

LittleGreenDragons · 05/11/2023 21:34

No. Just two mats on the inside of back and front door. Would love to see a picture if anyone has one from a previous generation (love seeing old interiors).

Original poster
Nows · 05/11/2023 21:45

I'm so pleased someone else knows what I mean!

They would be on the outside of the rooms - so we had one outside the sitting room door, one outside the dining room door, one outside the downstairs toilet etc.

I don't know if they were meant to be useful - I can't imagine ours were because they were, as far as I can remember, made of some sort of velour/plush type stuff. They weren't especially decorative either as they were all black.

OP posts:
Mudflaps · 05/11/2023 21:46

We didn't but my mil has mats all over her house, after she had a stroke the occupational therapist advised that they were a tripping hazard (we'd been saying that for years) so she removed the mats while the OT was there but put them straight back once the OT left. She's had two falls recently, got her foot stuck in one mat and she fell straightening another.

RainbowBasket · 05/11/2023 21:49

My grandparents would have had a small cutting of their carpet at each door yes, I assume as PP said it was to reduce wear on the carpet in the most walked-over areas.

landoflostcontent · 05/11/2023 21:49

My grandmother had them and insisted on giving us some (hand made by her and my uncle) when we got married. The mats were supposed to cut down wear on the carpets in the doorways and may have been effective but we had tiled floors throughout and you could step on the first mat in the hall and slide all the way to the other end of the flat.

Crinkle77 · 05/11/2023 21:52

RainbowBasket · 05/11/2023 21:49

My grandparents would have had a small cutting of their carpet at each door yes, I assume as PP said it was to reduce wear on the carpet in the most walked-over areas.

My mother too! Drives me mad cos they look so scruffy and untidy.

Crinkle77 · 05/11/2023 21:54

Meant to add photo

Does anyone remember these, or did anyone have these?!
Original poster
Nows · 05/11/2023 21:57

I hope your mum doesn't have any more falls @Mudflaps.

We had a marble hallway so our mats were also potentially dangerous, and potentially good hallway skating accessories.

They were purpose made mats, not carpet off-cuts.

OP posts:
Laiste · 05/11/2023 21:59

RainbowBasket · 05/11/2023 21:49

My grandparents would have had a small cutting of their carpet at each door yes, I assume as PP said it was to reduce wear on the carpet in the most walked-over areas.

Ohhhh this has given my memory a jolt!

I have a vague recollection of this. My paternal grand mother's red and gold carpet. Squares of it where you would stand a lot and in front of the telly for example.

In our house as i grew up my dad had a bit of an obsession in covering things in layers of what was already there as well now i think about it. Chair arms covered in chair fabric. Worktop protected by chopping board size bits of worktop. Carpet on carpet. That sort of thing.

RainbowBasket · 05/11/2023 21:59

@Crinkle77 Yes exactly that!

Crinkle77 · 05/11/2023 22:29

RainbowBasket · 05/11/2023 21:59

@Crinkle77 Yes exactly that!

😂😂😂

And the coaster is to keep the door shut cos the catch has gone. She's finally getting round to new doors though 😂

LadyLolaRuben · 05/11/2023 22:34

My grandparents had them OP just as you describe but I'd forgotten all about them until I read your post

Temporaryanonymity · 05/11/2023 22:38

Yes, my grandparents had these. My father tells me now to make sure that I get mats made from the off-cuts of carpets. I never do. I’ve noticed that whilst he seems obsessed with these there aren’t any in his house either. There’s a chap in the market who does something with the edges to stop them unravelling.

MotherOfCrocodiles · 05/11/2023 22:39

Yes my grandma had these. We used to collect them and play a game where they were islands in the sea of her big blue lounge carpet. Hadn't thought about them from years.