Leave dirt at the door with a Turtle Mat

We all love bringing the outdoors into our homes – whether it’s fresh cut flowers, indoor plants or a collection of treasures from a nature walk. But at this time of year there are definitely some things about the outdoors that I don’t welcome; muddy footprints, soggy leaves and wind-blown dust are currently top of my list of offenders. This can be a particularly annoying daily battle if you have children, pets or green fingers – or, like us, all three!

So, when Turtle Mat asked me to review one of their doormats I was very interested to see if it could help us to leave the dirt at the door. Turtle Mats claim to keep your home cleaner for longer, protecting floors and carpets from the damage caused by mud, dirt and dust – just what we need.

The Turtle Mat range features lots of different designs, including plain colours, patterns and stripes, as well as collections from organisations such as Country Living, the RHS and the National Trust. With most mats available in 75 x 50cm or 60 x 85cm, plus a range of small and extra-large mats, it’s easy to find one to suit the size of your doorway perfectly.

We chose the Botanica design from the RHS Collection; this is a lovely floral pattern in rich shades of deep blue and brown, perfect for period homes.

My first impression of the mat was that it was really good quality; it feels heavy and well-made. The weight of the mat helps it to lie flat on the floor without any tendency to curl up at the edges, a big bonus if you have a small amount of clearance under your door. The mat has a rubber ‘multi-grip’ backing which minimises movement on both carpets and hard floors – great if you have children running around – as well as being non-damaging and anti-stain.

So how did the Turtle Mat perform? Well I think we set it quite a challenge; rainy, windy weather, lots of wet leaves outside the house, muddy football boots… you name it, we trampled it! I have to say I wasn’t sure if the mat would cope with all of this, but it was absolutely brilliant; a quick wipe of feet on the way in and the dirt really did stay there. Apparently this is down to the super-absorbent cotton tufts used to make it, which trap moisture and literally grab hold of dry dirt and dust, stopping it from getting further into your home. Turtle Mats originated in Scandinavia, where they have been used on oil platforms and by fishing fleets – no wonder they do the job then!

Another major bonus is that Turtle Mats can be machine washed and even tumble dried – so you can keep them looking smart and maintain their performance really easily. They’re also guaranteed for five years. Having had various other doormats which performed nowhere near as well as this one I would say they are a fantastic product for a busy family home.

Our Turtle Mat sample was the 60 x 85cm size which costs £49.95, to view the full range of designs and sizes available visit the Turtle Mat website. There is a lovely range of festive designs available at the moment, perfect for welcoming guests over the Christmas season while keeping on top of the dirt for you – which is your favourite?