To get the bath mat wet

[LadyinRead]

Please help me settle this long running-dispute.

In my world, a bath mat is there for the purpose of dripping on after I step out of the shower/bath. So yes it gets wet. I then hang it up to dry after I'm finished standing on it.

Acoording to someone else, I am supposed to dry myself with a flannel before exiting the bath/shower so the bath mat remains dry.

Mine gets wet.

I disagree with my DM and MIL and DGM on this! What's point of it if you can't get the thing wet???

And @MaryAndGerryLivingInDerry is the weirdo who bleaches everything in her house as soon as she uses it. See, we can all do hyperbole.

you mean you don’t??

Of course you don't need a fresh bath mat every time. It's stupid and terrible for the environment.

Unlike all the soaps and shampoos and scrubs and shower gels and conditioners you wash down the plughole.

😂 The right way is surely a combo (minus the flannel - that’s odd). A bit of a rub down with the towel before stepping out, the rest of the drying is done stood on the mat.

Bath mats here are made of towelling material.

I have trained everyone to shake their feet off and/or step onto their towel when they get out of the shower or bath. Just one step on the towel for each foot and then ok to step on bath mat.

It means most of the moisture is picked up by their body towel and the bath mat doesn't get too wet. It's hung up to dry anyway.

Best of both worlds I think.

I'm on the fence because I hate a soggy bath mat. BUT you said you hang it up, so that's fine IMO.

My ex used to step onto it dripping wet as did the teen and adult SCs, but none of them hung it up. It was constantly wet, often musty smelling and got mouldy unless I picked it up to dry and I was the only one who ever washed it.

So getting it wet is fine, but everyone old enough should take fair responsibility for making sure it doesn't get manky.

It does drive me a bit barmy when I have a shower after the kids and it looks like someone peed in the middle of the bathmat, absolutely sodden. I think they wash hair and then just stand there and let all the water run off onto the mat. I hang my head over the shower whilst I dry and then put my hair in towel. Bath is a bit wet not sodden.

I have some sympathy with your dh if you leave it soaked. It's really not pleasant for the person coming after.

I've had to train DH to give himself a decent dry off before stepping out of the bath or shower onto the mat. He used to get it sopping as all the water seemed to pour off him.

Now it's just wet feet.

It does drive me a bit barmy when I have a shower after the kids and it looks like someone peed in the middle of the bathmat,

@MrsTerryPratchett

You’re going to get slaughtered! this is MN- you’re only allowed to change your towel annually, bath mats are never to be changed!

And @MaryAndGerryLivingInDerry is the weirdo who bleaches everything in her house as soon as she uses it. See, we can all do hyperbole.

Of course you don't need a fresh bath mat every time. It's stupid and terrible for the environment.

Urgh, MN is really full of dirty bitches. I use a clean bath towel for my body, one for my hair, a flannel to dry my face every shower every day. Clean hand towel every time I dry my hands. Change bedsheets daily apart from on hot days when I set my alarm for 2am to get up and change bedsheets then just in case I’m a bit sweaty. Knickers are changed three times per day.

I feel like this is a regular MN thread. But anyway, lifes too short and I'm quite capable of picking the bath mat up after I've stood on it soaking wet and it dries on the edge of the bath. Personally, I dislike trying to dry off in the shower cubicle.
I do do the flannel dry off when camping though - I stand in the shower, put my hair up in a turban, dry body with a flannel and then stick my crocs and dryrobe on to walk back to the tent as then I have a minimum amount of towel to dry.

I used to have this debate with my DM through my teenage years! It's one of my small joys as an adult that I can get the bath mat as wet as I like and just throw it over the washing line or radiator without getting any grief

@ShirleyPhallus

That is what it's there for, surely. But I do wait a few seconds and wring my hair out before I step out, and grab the towel straight away. It means the bath mat isn't soaking wet for the next person to stand on.

@SquirrelFan

Of course you dry your feet off before stepping out onto the mat, it's common courtesy (and a good exercise in balance). My DH and youngest child both neglect to do this resulting in an unpleasantly moist stepping out experience and, over time, a warping of the floor beneath the mat. No idea how a flannel would be involved, though, that's too complicated.

does your mat not have a waterproof non slip base? I step out of the shower straight onto the mat but I am a hair wringer so there is a brief hiatus between shower off and stepping out.

Oooop bath mats is a new one!

My DH used to tell me that I should dry before getting out of the shower to keep the bath mat dry. I gave him a face and it’s never been mentioned since.

I thought it was there so you didn't slip. I know my tiles are slippy when I've been in the shower, not sure if it's condensation that causes it? But the bath mat is there for safely stepping out?

I mostly dry off in the bath/shower and then step on it. If it gets soaking does it not stink?

does no one else here use a towelling robe? Step oout of shower, dry face, wrap hair then HUGE towelling robe and lounge around while you dry off a bit. Body lotion/cream goes on damp skin to retain moisture. No idea why a clean towel is needed every time, you come out of the shower clean don't you?

@HeCalledMeAddie

I thought it was there so you didn't slip. I know my tiles are slippy when I've been in the shower, not sure if it's condensation that causes it? But the bath mat is there for safely stepping out?

I mostly dry off in the bath/shower and then step on it. If it gets soaking does it not stink?

not if you hang it to dry.

The other person is an absolute idiot

and lounge around while you dry off a bit.

I shake my feet off before I get out of the shower. Yes, the bath mat does the job of drying my feet too, but it's not very nice if you're the second person to use it and it's too wet. This used to annoy me about someone I once lived with.

Erm yes you step on it when wet. Why else would it be there?

Yanbu of course that's what the bath mat is for.

But I also hate getting out of the shower or bath onto a wet bath mat.

Which is why in our house there is a bath mat for each person plus a spare for guests so that we can each have the joy of stepping out onto a nice warm dry bath mat.