You’d likely prefer to leave mud, snow, dirt, rain, and sand outside your home. The best doormats for cleaning shoes are made of materials tough enough to prevent shoes (or paws) from tracking those messes inside. While outdoor doormats are the best first line of defense, using an indoor doormat as well will capture any remaining dirt or moisture before stepping inside which is why I’ve included both.
The best outdoor mats are often textured and made of tough fibers that scrape away debris like coir, a coconut husk-based material durable enough to withstand outdoor conditions so it’s great for any doorway and particularly durable for uncovered doorways. Plus, it also resists mold and mildew.
If you live in a rainy or snowy area, a woven or rope-textured coir mat may be best for draining water on an outdoor mat. For an indoor mat, textured nubs can help trap any excess dirt an outdoor mat didn’t catch. Consider coir mats reinforced with rubber backing to safely keep it in place, especially during wet conditions. However, since rubber can crack in extremely cold weather, it may be better suited to warmer climates or seasons. For a backing that stands up to winter weather, PVC is a better bet.
Though outdoor doormats are sometimes used inside, their tougher materials are more comfortable to use on shoes than bare feet. Indoor doormats, often made of cotton chenille and polypropylene, can catch remaining moisture on shoes and are kinder to bare feet. Cotton chenille especially is great since it’s absorbent and soft and a natural material. Polypropylene is also soft and absorbent with the added benefit of being stain resistant.
With all this in mind, keep reading for the best doormats for cleaning shoes, including a boot brush to really get your shoes clean. I’ve also included dimensions for each pick, which is especially worth noting with indoor doormats to make sure they fit comfortably under an opening door.
1
The Overall Best Outdoor Doormat
This outdoor doormat is made of heavy-duty coir with a PVC backing to keep it in place. The fact that it has the largest surface area out of the picks on this list to clean yours and the shoes of everyone else who enters your home makes it my best overall pick. This has a 4.5-star rating on Amazon with more than 800 reviews, and reviewers love its high quality and durability; shoppers report this doormat handles winter weather, and particularly snow, really well. To clean the mat, just shake it out or vacuum the mat every now and then.
The natural coir fits in with almost any decor, but it’s also available in several other patterns, including one with a very cute “home sweet home” message.
- Dimensions: 18 by 30 by 0.6 inches
A helpful review: “This is such an impressive doormat. It is so important to leave the dirt and moisture outside and this mat does exactly that. It keeps our house clean and dry.”
2
The Best Outdoor Doormat That Allows Water To Drain
Like my first pick, this outdoor doormat for cleaning shoes is made of coir. What’s unique is its design which allows water to drain to help prevent the mat from getting water logged. This drainage makes it a great choice for someone who lives in a rainy or snowy climate. Just know that this one may not stay in place as well as my first pick because the drainage ability means there’s no rubber backing. This pick is especially good for scraping shoes clean because the coir fibers are wired at an angle to access the grooves of a shoe’s sole and remove dirt.
Plus, reviewers also report that this is a particularly great doormat for keeping sand out of the house. To clean the mat, just shake off the dirt or brush or vacuum it.
- Dimensions: 18 by 30 by 1 inches
A helpful review: “This is great at collecting debris from shoes and catching it before my floors do! Works great, and significantly improved the cleanliness of my floors. Drains water well, and the holes mean the dirt falls through quickly.”
3
The Best Decorative Rounded Outdoor Doormat
For an outdoor doormat that’s as practical as it is decorative, this unique semi-circle coir mat fits the bill. The simple but striking pattern won’t fade in the sun, like many printed mats do, and its PVC and rubber backing keeps it in place. Just keep in mind that with the partially rubber backing, this mat may not stand up to extreme cold temperatures as well as some of my other picks with either no backing or completely PVC backing. The texture from the pattern’s sections also helps with getting dirt off shoes. Finally, it’s easy to keep clean by just beating the mat against a wall to shake stuff out or vacuuming the surface.
- Dimensions: 18 by 30 by 0.01 inches
A helpful review: “This is so cute in our yard, I love it! Holds up well in rain”
4
The Best Indoor Doormat For Muddy Paws & Shoes
A high-quality indoor doormat with textured nubs can help put an end to muddy paws tracking in dirt through your home. This machine-washable mat is made of plush cotton chenille and has a rubber backing so it won’t move around as you, your family, guests, or pets walk over it. Choose from more than a dozen colors and some patterns, including brown, green, and blue. This doormat has a 4.7-star rating after more than 1,300 reviews, including from shoppers who love this mat for being so soft, absorbent, and effective at trapping mud and grime. Plus, it’s the only mat where you have your choice of sizes. It’s also machine washable.
- Dimensions: 20 by 30 by 1 inches, plus six other sizes ranging from 24 by 17 by 1 inches to as large as 70 by 24 by 1 inches
A helpful review: “I have 7 dogs and with this being the wettest weather on record, I have to say that these are a life saver!!!! Totally durable and do trap the wetness and mud and save my floors ( and nerves too)”
5
The Most Stylish Indoor Doormat
This stylish indoor doormat can also keep your home’s floors clean. It’s made of polypropylene, which absorbs water and mud, with slightly raised fibers for enough texture to scrape any remaining dirt, sand, and other debris off of shoes. A thermoplastic rubber nonskid backing helps to keep it in place.
This doormat comes in a neutral white and tan geometric pattern, as well as five other geometric pattern and color combinations. Easily keep it clean with a vacuum brush or hose; you can also machine wash it for a deep cleaning.
- Dimensions: 24 by 36 by 0.25 inches
A helpful review: “I feel silly reviewing a doormat, but I love this doormat! It’s low enough that the door can slide over it, which has been a problem with other mats for me. It washes and dries well and the rubber backing keeps it in place.”
6
The Outdoor Doormat That Traps Up To A Pound Of Dirt
Homes with pets or lots of dirty shoes coming and going will fare far better with one of these dirt-trapping doormats at every entrance. The heavy-duty AstroTurf surface features thick bristles designed to scrape dirt, sand, mud, and snow off of shoes or paws. Underneath the grass-like plastic blades, the polypropylene mat with recycled rubber backing can hold up to a pound of dirt and debris. Best of all, the dirt and debris is hidden underneath the turf, so your entryway always look tidy. To clean all that out, all you need to do is give the mat a good shake or rinse it out with a hose.
- Dimensions: 23.5 by 35.5 by 0.01 inches
A helpful review: “I have one at my front door, one at the back door, and one in the kitchen. We track a LOT of mud in the house and I’m usually sweeping and mopping every day. These mats have saved me a lot of trouble. They catch and hold an INCREDIBLE amount of dirt. Love them!”
7
The Best Extra-Large Doormat
Now, if you’re looking for an extra-large doormat with enough coverage to cover double doors, this is the one for you. The jumbo mat extends more than 15 inches beyond my top pick, and it’s suitable for use indoors or outdoors. It’s made of highly-durable polyvinyl with deep grooves that capture dirt and mud on shoes. The waterproof mat is also cushioned with non-slip backing. To clean, just shake it off or spot clean it as needed.
- Dimensions: 35 by 46 by 0.45 inches
A helpful review: “Love this door mat! Great quality, easy to hide down & the rubber backing prevents the rug from disintegrating like so many outdoor mats do. Also this large size helps to catch more mud from shoes & paws. Will probably get one more for another exterior door!”
8
A Rainbow Mat For A Jolt Of Color
This rainbow doormat offers a bolder and brighter jolt of color at any doorstep. It’s made of durable coir with heavy-duty PVC backing to keep it in place. Reviewers rave about this mat’s vibrant colors, which a shopper reports hold up well even after a season of summer sun and weather. The medium pile height of the mat lends itself to use inside or outside, and you can simply periodically shake it out to clean.
- Dimensions: 18 by 30 by 0.6 inches
A helpful review: “I love this rug. I got it for the front door of my new house and it’s a subtle/not so subtle way of welcoming ALL to my home. I love the pop of color and the dense rug works great to knock the dirt off your shoes. I’d buy again in a heartbeat.”
9
This 2-Pack Of Shoe-Scraping Doormats
You’re covered at your front door and back door with this pair of low-profile doormats. They’re made of durable polyester with a textured grid that scrapes the bottoms of shoes clean. Rubber backing makes them non-slip, and they’re sturdy enough to withstand weather conditions in all four seasons.
- Dimensions: 17 by 30 by 0.01 inches
A helpful review: “[…] it’s just a really really great pair of mats well worth the price. The outer ring of the mat is a rubberized border that keeps the mat low to the ground and keeps it from moving around. That’s huge, compared to fancier mats that look pretty but curl up at the edges or just slide all over.”
10
This Indoor Doormat With A Bold, Geometric Print
For a soft doormat with a splash of pattern and color, try this beautiful geometric mat in shades of blue. It’s made of both soft microfiber and raised polypropylene so it’s comfortable on bare feet or your pet’s paws but can also scrape debris off of shoes. The rubber backing gives it a non-slip hold, but keep in mind this is a mat designed only for indoor use. Cleaning is super easy since it’s machine-washable and can be vacuumed.
- Dimensions: 32 by 20 by 0.01 inches
A helpful review: “The pattern on this indoor mat looks like a piece of tropical waves at my doorstep – a lovely way to step into my small apartment! It is blue and turquoise and the texture is soft like chenille, easy to spot clean or throw in the washer. I love it.”
11
Also Great: A Boot Brush
For an extra line of defense against dirt, mud, and other grime, keep a boot brush cleaner near your doormat. This model boasts a 4.4-star rating after over 600 reviews and can be mounted indoors or outdoors to scrape clean the bottoms of both boots and shoes. Reviewers rave about the quality of this heavy-duty pick and how well it cleans with such little effort thanks to its stiff bristles.
A helpful review: “I am very pleased with this new boot cleaner! Coming inside from working in the yard has always been a chore to clean my boots. The heavy duty mount and strong brushes have provided me with a fantastic way to clean up my boots before bringing them in, and stopped spending tons of time cleaning the boots and then cleaning the garage where I had tracked in. Now all I do is “run” my boots through the cleaner until clean and I am on my way. I recommend this boot cleaner to anyone that needs one.”
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