Quick answer: Vacuum commercial WaterHog mats daily at busy entrances and weekly at quieter ones. When soil builds up, hose off, extract or pressure wash them with a mild detergent. Never use bleach, petroleum-based products or a commercial washing machine. Hang the mat to dry, and only put it back once the mat and the floor underneath are completely dry. Below, we turn those manufacturer instructions into a routine your cleaning team can follow.
Rawlins has supplied cleaning equipment, chemicals and matting to UK businesses since 1981, so we see an entrance mat the way a cleaning team does: as the first step of the floor-care routine. A WaterHog packed with grit or left wet can't trap the next person's dirt.
Commercial WaterHog vs home WaterHog: why the washing advice differs
Search "how to clean WaterHog mats" and you'll find two sets of instructions that disagree. WaterHog's consumer doormats, sold direct to homes, can go in a large domestic washing machine. The commercial WaterHog entrance mats made by M+A Matting are a different product. M+A's care instructions say plainly that they are not launderable in commercial washers.
The mats in our WaterHog collection, such as the Waterhog Classic and Waterhog Eco Elite, are commercial mats with rubber backings, so follow the commercial routine below.
Why cleaning matters more than you'd think
A WaterHog mat has a bi-level surface: raised, rubber-reinforced nubs scrape footwear, and the channels between them hold dirt and water below shoe level. Once those channels are full of grit or the mat is saturated, dirt and water go straight past it onto your floor. Regular cleaning keeps them open.
Daily and weekly care: vacuuming
M+A Matting recommends vacuuming daily in high-traffic entrances and weekly in lower-traffic ones. In practice:
- Use a commercial upright with a rotating brush to help lift grit out of the channels. If your team already uses an upright such as the SEBO Automatic XP20 on carpets and hard floors, use it on the mats too.
- Work in overlapping passes in both directions to help work grit out of the channels.
- Clean the floor just beyond the mat too. HSE's hazard-spotting checklist flags the floor between threshold and matting as a slip risk when wet.
- On very wet days, a wet/dry vacuum takes standing water off the mat surface between full cleans.
Deep cleaning: hose, extract or pressure wash
When vacuuming no longer lifts the soil, M+A says to extract, clean or hose off the mat as needed. For most sites that means one of three methods:
Hose and brush
Take the mat outside and lay it flat. Hose it down with a little mild detergent, work the surface with a soft brush and leave it for about ten minutes. Then rinse thoroughly with clean water. This is the method WaterHog describes in its own care guide.
Hot-water extraction
If you already extract carpets, use the same machine on the mats, with no need for outside space or a hose point. Rinse well so no detergent residue is left to attract soil.
Pressure washing
WaterHog's care guide allows pressure washing if you follow its rules:
- apply a mild detergent first
- use a 40° (white) nozzle
- don't exceed 2,000 psi (about 138 bar)
- keep the nozzle at least 12 inches (about 30 cm) from the surface
- let the mat air-dry completely
Removing stubborn stains
For marks such as red clay, drinks or food, WaterHog's guidance is to rinse first, then apply a spot remover or mild detergent (never bleach). Work it in with a soft-bristled brush or cloth, wait 10 to 15 minutes, rinse thoroughly and allow to air-dry.
Drying and putting mats back
- Hang mats to dry, as M+A recommends.
- The mat must be dry before it goes back into service, and so must the floor underneath.
- Lift the mat every few weeks and clean the floor underneath, even if the mat looks fine. WaterHog's care guide recommends doing this whatever your floor type.
- Keep a spare. At busy doors, rotate a second mat into place while the first one dries, so the entrance is never left unprotected on a wet day.
What not to use on WaterHog mats
- Bleach and harsh chemicals. WaterHog warns that they can damage the mat's materials.
- Petroleum-based products. These attack the rubber backing. For the same reason, our product pages say the Waterhog Classic and Eco Elite are not recommended for areas exposed to grease or petroleum products. For greasy back-of-house doors, use a nitrile rubber mat such as Superscrape Plus, which is made from 100% nitrile rubber for oil and grease resistance.
- Commercial washing machines. M+A says its commercial WaterHog mats are not launderable in them.
A simple WaterHog cleaning rota
| How often | Task | Kit |
|---|---|---|
| Daily (busy entrances) | Vacuum the mat in both directions and the floor just beyond it. Check edges and corners lie flat. | Commercial upright vacuum with a brush roll |
| Weekly (quieter entrances) | Vacuum as above. | Commercial upright vacuum |
| Wet days | Remove standing water from the mat surface. Swap in the spare mat if the first one is saturated. | Wet/dry vacuum, spare mat, wet-floor sign |
| As needed (when soil builds up) | Hose and brush, extract or pressure wash with a mild detergent. Hang to dry. | Hose or pressure washer (40° nozzle, max 2,000 psi), soft brush, mild detergent |
| Every few weeks | Lift the mat and clean and dry the floor underneath. | Your usual floor-cleaning kit |
| Monthly | Run the replacement checklist below and record the result. | Checklist |
Is your WaterHog worn out? A replacement checklist
Cleaning can't fix a worn mat. Check each mat monthly for:
- Flattened nubs or bald patches in the main walking line. If the scraping surface has gone, the mat can't hold dirt below shoe level.
- Curling, lifting or rippled edges. HSE lists mats with curled edges as a trip hazard at entrances.
- Splits or cracks in the rubber backing or border.
- The mat sliding on the floor even when the mat and floor are clean and dry.
- Stains or odour that come back after a full deep clean and dry.
The Waterhog Classic and Eco Elite product pages both list a 5-year guarantee, so keep your purchase record handy.
Where mat care fits in your slip-prevention plan
HSE's leaflet Preventing slips and trips at work says slips and trips are the most common cause of injury at work, and names entrance matting as a simple way to stop floors becoming contaminated. But a mat only works if it suits the traffic and is kept clean. In one HSE case study, a supermarket fixed a wet-weather slip problem with extra matting, more frequent cleaning, a wet vac instead of a mop and, later, a canopy.
At muddy entrances, an outdoor scraper such as Brush Hog outside the door means less soil reaches the WaterHog inside.
Frequently asked questions
Can you put a WaterHog mat in the washing machine?
Not a commercial one. M+A Matting says its commercial WaterHog entrance mats are not launderable in commercial washers, so vacuum, hose, extract or pressure wash them instead. WaterHog's lighter consumer doormats are a different product and can go in a large domestic machine.
Can you pressure wash a WaterHog mat?
Yes, within WaterHog's limits: mild detergent first, a 40° (white) nozzle, no more than 2,000 psi, the nozzle at least 30 cm away, then air-dry completely.
Can I use bleach or disinfectant on WaterHog mats?
Don't use bleach or harsh chemicals; WaterHog says they can damage the mat, and petroleum-based products harm the backing. Use a mild detergent or a bleach-free spot remover, tested on a corner first.
How often should commercial WaterHog mats be cleaned?
Vacuum daily at high-traffic entrances and weekly at quieter ones, as M+A Matting recommends, and deep clean when vacuuming stops lifting the soil.
Can WaterHog mats be used outside?
Yes. M+A Matting recommends its WaterHog entrance mats for indoor and outdoor commercial use and says they're not adversely affected by salt or ice melt. Avoid areas exposed to grease or petroleum products.
Need help with your entrance matting?
Browse our WaterHog mats, or talk to us about matting and the cleaning kit to look after it. Call 0121 351 4444, email werner@rawlins.co.uk or use our contact page.