The Best Bath Mats of 2018

Gorilla Grip Original Luxury Chenille Bathroom Mat

The ideal bath mat is the kind you don’t really have to think about, which makes Gorilla Grip’s offering an obvious choice. It’s a soft rug to step on, but not so plush that a little water gives it a matted, tangled look. It’s also ultra-absorbent to the point where it can soak up a spilled cup of water in about ten seconds, which means any dripped water will go into the mat, rather than into the grout between your floor tiles.

The Gorilla Grip mat is available in a 20 different colors from black to light pink, so you’ll be hard-pressed to find a bathroom decor scheme that it can’t fit. And while we tested the 30 x 20 version, it actually comes in two other sizes (24 x 17 and 44 x 26), as well as a U-shaped version designed to fit around a toilet. We’d happily use this on a daily basis, especially since at just over $15 for the 30 x 20 mat, it’s barely pricier than our best value pick.

AmazonBasics Banded Bath Mat

This AmazonBasics mat is exactly what you’d expect—basic. It’s soft enough on the feet, though pretty thin, so you might prefer to use it as a post-bath supplement to a plushier mat rather than a permanent floor cover. That said, it’s inexpensive and so ridiculously absorbent that I ended up using it during testing to clean excess water off the floor. Hang it to dry when you need to, and chuck it in the washing machine when it gets grimy. Easy.

There's something to be said for a more substantial mat, which the AmazonBasics mat is not. It's no luxury floor rug—if you want luxury, try the Gorilla Grip mat or perhaps even a memory foam offering like Genteele. But if cheap, slightly flimsy simplicity works for you, this cotton mat sure will. It comes in just one size (20 x 31) and a few subdued color options (black, grey, navy blue, and white). For just over $10, it's a bargain.

Momentum Home Modern Bath Premium Bathroom Rug

This was moderately fluffier and slightly quicker to dry than our winning mat, but it was also far less absorbent and cost about twice as much. It’s still a great choice, especially if you want your mat to dry more quickly—just know that the reason for the shorter dry time is that it doesn’t soak up as much water in the first place.

The mat is made of soft microfiber bristles, which feel cozy on the feet. It's safe to throw in the washing machine, though you'll have to let it dry flat or on a clothing line. It's a solidly good mat and there's no denying it, but since it has a $30 + price tag, you could buy a few of our favorite Gorilla Grip mats for about the same amount of cash.

Wamsutta Duet 20-Inch x 34-Inch Bath Rug

My feet loved this mat the most, thanks to its soft, fuzzy texture. In my notes, I admitted that I’d use it again for that reason alone. However, when I tried to use it to soak up spilled water, it was ineffective. I also noticed it was unraveling a bit around the edges, which didn’t make me terribly optimistic about its lifespan.

According to the reviews on Bed, Bath, and Beyond, the rug sheds "like crazy." I can't say I noticed this happening either before or after I washed the mat, so perhaps it's luck of the draw on that front. I do think that of all the mats I tested, this one would be the most likely to shed, as it does seem to have longer fibers, but I absolutely didn't witness this happening.

Grab one of these if you want the softest mat in the bunch, or if you want a mat from an established line that has many other options for matching rugs meant to fit on the floor, around toilets, and even on top of the lid to the toilet.

Vdomus Non-slip Microfiber Shag Bathroom Mat

This bath mat is fine, but it’s nothing special. There are comfier mats to situate beneath your feet, as well as more absorbent ones—the Vdomus picked up some water, but still left a minor puddle on the floor. You won’t hate it, but you won’t love it either.

The real reason to steer clear of the Vdomus—which, again, really isn't bad—is that visually it looks very similar to both the Gorilla Grip and Momentum mats, yet it performed worse than both in our testing. I'm not sure why you'd want to get a less-good version of the same kind of mat.

Genteele Memory Foam Bath Mat

If you really want that velvety, cushiony memory foam feel, Genteele is probably what you’re looking for. It’s certainly lovely to step on when dry, though any dampness renders it pretty icky to come into contact with... not that it even absorbs very much water. It also came folded in two, and I found the crease difficult to get rid of, which made it visually unappealing for a while. That said, it provides a whole lot of cushion between your soles and the floor. Also, a little caution for those too lazy to research dimensions—the smallest version (17 x 24) feels really small for a post-shower space. The 20 x 32 mat might be a better bet.

If you've never had a memory foam bath mat, you should know that you'll probably either love it or hate it, but you're unlikely to feel ambivalent. If you love it, you'll love it for the supportive, springy cushion laid between your feet and the floor, as well as for the velvety texture. If you hate it, it will be due to the unpleasant squishiness of damp memory foam, though of course it will dry eventually.

Magnificent Large Non-Slip Memory Foam Bath Mat

Magnificent’s memory foam mat had the same score as the Genteele, and it’s not hard to see why. The two are pretty comparable, though the Magnificent has a bunch of horizontal seams (unattractive), comes only in a 20 x 32 size, and only has two color options.

That makes the Magnificent mat good and less good in the exact same ways as the Genteele. It provides a really top notch cushion that's supportive of your feet, but also doesn't do a good job absorbing water. It's a bit gross when wet. If you want memory foam, the Genteele and Magnificent mats are so similar that it really just comes down to which one you prefer the look of.

Lifewit Non Slip Microfiber Shaggy Chenille Bath Mat

Lifewit’s mat is fine. It was neither good nor bad in terms of softness and cushiness. My feet weren't unhappy, but I also didn't feel pampered. A bigger concern is that the mat doesn’t absorb much water. This means that it dries faster than some of the more absorbent mats, but the floor remains wetter than ideal.

Color choices aren't exactly inspired either—you can choose between white or grey. On Amazon, you can get a single 32 x 20 mat, a two-pack, or a pack that contains one 30 x 20 mat and one 59 x 20 mat. The later comes only in grey.

Lands’ End Supima Bath Rug

I was surprised to find I didn’t like this Land’s End bath mat very much. It didn’t soak up much water, which would've been marginally more acceptable if it also dried quickly, but unfortunately it stayed wet to the touch for hours after my shower. It was okay to stand on, but I wasn't blown away with comfort.

Here's what the Supima mat did have going for it—12 tasteful color options and a slightly thicker tread than you'd expect. It also comes in three different sizes, plus one shaped to fit around a sink or toilet. Still, this isn't enough to make up for the fact that it just doesn't work very well. If your mat doesn't absorb water, dry quickly, or offer much physical comfort, what's even the point?

ToiletTree Products Bamboo Shower Floor and Bath Mat

If you buy the ToiletTree mat, it has to be because you specifically want a bamboo mat. Buy it for any other reason and you’ll be disappointed. When I stepped onto it after a shower, it felt slippery, hard, and a little cold under my feet. It doesn’t soak up any water, which pooled under the mat after use. Water also puddles on top of the bamboo if you don’t do anything to get rid of it.

That said, if you're looking specifically for a bamboo bath mat, you probably understand that it won't do what a fabric one does. I can't deny that this mat made my bathroom look very spa-like, though I'd prefer something softer, but you do you! Apparently the mat can be used inside the shower instead of just outside, though some Amazon reviews reported that the wood eventually began to rot, which makes it sound safer to keep the mat for post-shower use.