Doormats: How do you say, Welcome to my World?

It takes less than 10 seconds for you to make a good first impression on someone. That’s about the same amount of time that it takes for the threshold of your one, two, or three-bedroom dwelling at Lafayette Garden Apartments to make an impression as well.

Doormats are the most common accessory used outside the home.  They are functional, decorative, and can provide safety.  The term was coined in the mid-1600’s. Judging from that fact, people have been using mats to welcome visitors, and themselves, into their habitats for close to 400 years.

Keeping dirt, moisture, and debris outside your home’s interior is the primary function of a doormat.  They are used to wipe and/or clean the bottom of shoes and feet so that the majority of grime stays outside. Keeping dirt outside means the flooring, whether it be tile, wood, or carpeting, stays clean.  Having the soles of your shoes dried on the mat provides the safety of not slipping.

It was customary in Biblical times to offer water and a basin so travelers could wash the dust from their feet. Doormats are the modern-day equivalent of offering the cleansing of your tootsies.

Doormats were usually made of straw or vines. Rubber, plastic, and textiles that could be woven with patterns are all materials still used to form a mat that could be placed at the entrance to your home to welcome someone.  Hence the name welcome mat in today’s marketplace.

Decorative doormats can say a range of things besides “welcome”.  Images, colors, materials, sayings, and shapes are all things that go into consideration when selecting a welcome mat for outside your door. 

The most common inexpensive welcome mat is a rectangle of black rubber that has raised ribs to aid in getting the dirt off your shoes and says “welcome” smack dab in the middle.  Variations of that mat include a sisal and rubber version with “welcome” running through the middle in red, teal, or black. There are round versions of the traditional welcome mat and versions with welcome in just about any language you may speak.

Have a favorite sports team?  Fan Mats are popular so you can root, root, root for the home team and let anyone who comes in contact with your door know who you want to win in an instant. Are you an animal lover? You can find welcome mats with horses, cats, butterflies, and just about any breed of dog.  One mat is die cut in the shape of a whale and shows a love of puns with “whale-come” written across the bottom.

Humorous sayings are incredibly popular and enable you to share a smile with your visitors and neighbors.  Do any of things bring a smile if you were to read them on a welcome mat: “Hi. I’m Mat.”, “Come back when you have a warrant”, “Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit, look who’s here”, “Nice underwear”, or “Welcome. Beware of Husband. Kids are Shady. Wife is Cool.” According to an online home shopping site, the best selling funny mat simply says, “Leave”.  

Monogrammed mats with a single letter and made-to-order mats of the occupants last name are extremely popular.  Mats that reflect the occupants' identity was a much-requested holiday gift in 2017.

Need a place to lay your welcome mat? Tour Lafayette Garden Apartments today.

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