Once surface dirt and stubborn stains have been dealt with, it is time to tackle the meat of the problem, refreshing your bath mat with an overall clean that removes any chance of mildew and bacteria building up in or underneath the bathmat. There are several ways of doing this. The easiest is to put the bathmat in the washing machine — according to Oh So Spotless, hand-wash-only rugs are a rarity these days. However, it is important to ensure that your bath mat can handle the products and techniques you plan to use, so read the label on both the mat and the products!

According to Cleanipedia, the key to eliminating bacteria and mildew from fabric bath mats is washing them using the highest-temperature setting the fabric is comfortable with to sterilize them. If you are having persistent problems with infestations of this kind, adding ½ cup of Borax to your load next time you wash your bath mat will help with disinfection, according to Tumble Fresh Coin Laundry.

High temperatures and alkaline environments are excellent at killing unwanted bacteria or mold, but not all fabrics can take that kind of treatment. According to Love to Know, if your bath mat is made from natural fibers — wool, bamboo, or jute, for example — then it is probably better to hand wash them. Just take extra care to use products that will disinfect thoroughly as the temperatures will be lower than using a machine.

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