Floor mats designed for specific spaces and tasks can address a host of issues and help create a welcoming and safe environment for customers and employees alike. Consider these statistics:
- Slips, trips and falls are the second leading cause of missed workdays1
- ½ of injured employees are off the job 12 or more days after a slip, trip or fall2
- $45,016 is the average cost of a worker’s compensation claim for a slip or fall3
- 70-80% of dust, dirt and grime in public buildings is tracked in from the outside and spread throughout the floors4
When a simple mat could potentially help save you from costly medical claims, lawsuits or a loss of productivity, it takes on a lot more value than a nice-to-have accessory in your business. But how do you know what kind of mats make the most sense — and in what location? How will you maintain your mats? Would floor mat service and rentals add value to your business operations? These are all-important considerations, and in this blog article, we’re going to provide you with options to make your mat selection easier*.
Getting to Know Your Mats
Carpeted Mats
Ninety-three percent of consumers surveyed say a business with safe, clean and attractive floors improves their customer experience5. Carpeted mats provide a warm welcome and can also increase floor safety and aesthetics in high-traffic areas. Logo mats or mats with a customized message can enhance your brand image as soon as your customer walks through your door. Look for mats that provide a plush pile to trap dirt, moisture and grime, as well as a stable base and low profile to help accommodate ADA compliance.
These carpeted mats are ready to meet your needs:
Vestis Standard Floor Mats are 100% nylon pile bonded to a nitrile rubber backing. They’re durable, slip-resistant and made in the USA.
Vestis Steady Step™ Mats are made to withstand heavy foot traffic. They’re made with heavy-duty, nitrile rubber and molded-in suction cups that help keep mats in place on clean, smooth hard floors.
Vestis Custom Carpeted Logo Mats come in a range of sizes that can be customized with your logo. They’re made with 100%, fade resistant nylon and backed with nitrile rubber.
Active Floor Care™ with D2™ Convertible Flooring™ provides modern patterns and designs to update your workplace. Every week we’ll wash and replace the textile Top for a fresh look to greet visitors. The entire flooring system has a low profile and is ADA compliant — in fact, D2™ provides at least six times better wheel traffic stability than a standard mat on a hard surface6.
Scraper Mats
Chances are you’ve invested heavily in your flooring, whether it’s carpeting, tile or hardwood. You also value your reputation, and the last thing you need is for that to be negatively impacted by unsightly floors or injuries caused by slips or falls. Weather, location and the type of work you do can create excess dirt, grime and moisture that doesn’t belong in your establishment.
Scraper mats are an excellent option if you live in areas affected by snow or sand, or in heavy-traffic areas like hospitals, showrooms, hotels or factories. Scraper mats help stop dirt, mud, snow, ice, road debris and other particles at the door. Look for heavy-duty grippers that will effectively scrape the bottom of shoes or boots, as well as stable, durable bases. Consider placing a scraper mat outside your door to remove debris and a carpeted mat inside to welcome and remove moisture*.
Vestis offers two types of scraper mats:
Vestis Scraper Mats are ADA compliant and made of 100% nitrile rubber with molded cleats to grab and trap soil and are backed with a skid-resistant surface.
Vestis Logo Scraper Mats are as tough and durable as our standard scraper mats and customized with your logo to make a positive impression with the first step.
Anti-Fatigue Mats
Employees who work in automotive, healthcare, food services, manufacturing or any business where they are on their feet most of the day know all too well the pain that can come from a day’s work. Back pain, foot and leg fatigue, and hip discomfort can affect a worker’s morale and ability to do their job effectively.
Employees who stand for long periods of time deserve some comfort. Anti-fatigue mats are made with extra padding to help alleviate common discomforts. Look for mats that enhance job performance, rather than hinder efforts. For example, mats with beveled edges can accommodate wheeled equipment and reduce tripping accidents. Also look for mats that give your employees the best chance for a comfortable and productive day on the job.
Your standing employees will appreciate these options:
Relief Pro™ Anti-Fatigue Mats are thick, ¾-inch, anti-fatigue mats made of closed cell NBR foam rubber construction to help eliminate absorption of liquids and have beveled edges that help allow wheel or foot traffic to pass over.
Vestis Stand ‘n Comfort™ Anti-Fatigue Mats are low profile and made from 100% nitrile rubber with Comfort Coils™.
Drainage Mats
When you work in a kitchen, gym, manufacturing environment or any place that deals with liquids or grease, you recognize the need for a clean, dry flooring surface. Look for kitchen rubber mats with drainage holes that help keep liquids away from collecting in work areas. Non-skid or suction cup backings help maintain mat stability.
Vestis offers two drainage mat styles:
Vestis DynaMat!™ helps solve two issues in one convenient kitchen rubber mat: comfort for standing and drainage from standing liquids. It’s made of 100% nitrile rubber and has cushioned construction to help alleviate employee fatigue. Its flow-through design makes it an appropriate choice in either wet or dry conditions.
Vestis Steady Step Splash™ Mat is another popular kitchen rubber mat. It’s lightweight, durable and grease resistant. Made from 100% nitrile rubber and constructed with suction cup backing for stability and drainage holes to help prevent standing on wet surfaces.
Restroom Mats
An unkempt bathroom sends a negative message to your customers and employees. Leave a favorable impression, regardless of how busy your public restroom is, with urinal mats designed to absorb and reduce unwanted odor.
Our solutions to untidy, public restrooms include:
Premium Urinal Mats are extra absorbent to help protect floors and neutralize odors. Slip-resistant and made from black substrate to hides stains.
Vestis Disposable Urinal Mats come in a convenient disposable design. The absorbent padding neutralizes urinal odors while helping to protect tile and grout.
Maintaining Mats
We’ve covered types of mats. Now let’s talk about floor mat maintenance. It’s not enough to simply place a mat and leave it without properly caring for it. Dirty or worn mats are not the way to present a professional image. But vacuuming alone may not be the best cleaning solution when only 10% of dirt in mats is removed by vacuuming7. To maintain cleanliness, safety standards and compliance, mats should be thoroughly washed, dried and checked for wear on a regular basis.
Busy businesses owners and managers who want to take the hassle out of cleaning and maintaining their mats often rely on mat rental services. Rental mats are a great alternative to the upfront expense and maintenance hassle of owning mats.
Vestis offers mats for rent, which includes mat services that make the process easy and worry-free. Customers can count on high performance, protective floor mats that are cleaned and refreshed weekly:
- Fresh floor mats are dropped off on a scheduled delivery day
- Dirty floor mats are picked up at your location
- A thorough inspection of your mats is conducted for wear and tear and replaced, if necessary
- Floor mats are cleaned to remove dirt and debris
- Floor mats are delivered back to your location on a weekly basis
For more information on Vestis floor mat services, contact us today and our experts will be in touch.
1,2US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016
3National Safety Council, Injury Facts 2017 Edition — citing 2013/2014 data
4International Sanitary Supply Association
5Study conducted by ORC International, funded by Vestis, 2018
6Compared to standard mats on a hard surface, based on 2017 internal testing performed by Milliken
7Georgia State University
*Every location is unique and customers’ needs will differ. While we can provide detailed descriptions of the characteristics of our mats and where it is commonly placed, we do not recommend mats for particular purposes, nor do we recommend specific location placements. Our customers know their businesses and the people visiting their locations the best and are in a better position to select mats and its specific location placements.