Door Mats and Yellowing Floors

You've probably heard the horror stories -- door mats that cause a staining underneath.� The discoloration is usually a yellow or brown color. At Stopdirt.com, we sell only mats with quality rubber or nitrile rubber backings. Our mats will not stain your floors. But what can stain your floors is moisture. Here are some of the moisture culprits:

1. Moisture from the ground comes up through the floor until it reaches the floor surface. This moisture normally evaporates and goes unnoticed. Placement of a mat on the floor prevents the evaporation, therefore trapping the moisture, thus causing the discoloration. This seems to be most common at entrances where cold or warm air enters buildings when the door is opened causing condensation (sweating).
2. Placement of mats on freshly cleaned and still damp carpet. This prevents carpet from fully drying, thereby causing discoloration.
3. Moisture from the back of mats. If not properly dried, the back of mats can be damp, thereby providing moisture to cause discoloration.
4. Lack of exposure to sunlight. It is�possible to see floors change color when they are covered by counters, file cabinets, etc. This is caused by both lack of exposure to sunlight and restricted airflow.

Corrective actions. Discoloration can usually be removed by stripping and rewaxing. In the case of carpet, professional carpet cleaning is usually required.