Carpet entryway mats. (Love 'em or hate 'em).

[goldensmom]

Don't hate 'em, don't love 'em but need 'em. Nothing at the front door because no one ever uses the front door but we have a runner from inside the back porch door to the kitchen door. It is necessary with dogs (and with my husband and with me). The runner is trimmed to fit 4' wide indoor/outdoor carpeting (we keep a roll on hand) so we can replace it as needed. We also have a mat a the bottom of the outside step. Sometimes the dogs hop right over the outside mat, take a couple of steps on the runner and into the house with muddy paws but for the most part the runner catches everything.

[Mrs-M]

So nice hearing from everybody. Thanks, guys! Surprisingly, as frugal and home-savvy as I am, I never gave thought as to a machine washable version... Definite food for thought.

Thing is, if everyone was more committed towards avoiding stepping on the dirty mat with their clean stocking feet, I'd likely be a more accepting of using one (again), but watching the kids (and company) with their clean stocking covered feet, standing-on, walking-on, and tracking-over a filthy dirty mat, then tracking through the house, keeps me on the opposing side of considering going back to anything but plain washable floors. At least with plain washable uncovered flooring, the kids (and company) tend to step around wet/dirty areas, whereas with a mat, moisture and soiling is hidden, and, for some unknown reason, people like to walk-on and track-over such mats with their clean stocking feet!

Me, I'm grossed out whenever we visit people who have dirty mats in their homes. Dirty mats where I have to do the funky-chicken, in order not to touch my clean stocking feet on the filthy surface of the mat!

[iris lily]

We have hard surface floors on the first floor here, and I can't see any reason for a dirt trapper. I prefer to just sweep the dirt away.

And besides, our dogs pee on floor coverings, anyway. We will never be able to have a rug. Well, I think I might buy a small one for the living room and unroll it for company, and roll it back up for regular times. But really, I don't mind a bare wood floor.

At the back door I will often lay down a towels to sop up wet stuff on an especially wet day.

[Rosemary]

I'm pretty particular about cleanliness in the house and I have to say, our mats don't seem to be a source of dirt. When we walk in, we take boots off immediately and put them on the boot trays. The mats catch small amounts of residual moisture, dampness from gloves, etc, but mostly gravel and salt, which are vacuumed off regularly.

[IshbelRobertson]

We have outside mats and a small mat inside the 3 entry doors into the house.

[Mrs-M]

Iris. I do the towel thing also, on wet, snowy days.

Rosemary. I've become such a fuss-nut over the past few years... Much of the change in me (I believe) is the result of seeing babyhood, come to an end in our home, which for me, equates to less mess (overall), and, provides me with an opportunity to turn a new leaf as to how I really want to live. (Cleaner, more efficient, etc). Milestones and rewards in relation to having to fuss less (over everybody).

Ishbel. With multiple entries, my dream would be to reserve one entrance (alone) as a formal entrance, another as a family or everyday sort of entrance, and the other as a utilitarian entrance, possibly for use after gardening, etc, where the entrance borders or shares space with a shower/laundry area.