Reduce Facility Cleaning with Entranceway Walk Off Mats


Walk off mats are commonly known as entrance (or entranceway) mats. Good walk off mats can significantly reduce the amount of dirt and debris that is tracked into a building or facility, significantly reducing the amount of cleaning that needs to be done.

How do Walk Off Mats Work?

Walk off mats work by scraping and wiping debris from the soles of shoes worn by persons entering a building or facility. Scraper walk off mats feature raised structures on the mat surface that dislodge debris from shoe soles. Wiper walk off mats, in contrast, feature carpeted surfaces that absorb moisture and loose debris as visitors pass through a facility’s entranceway. Commercial-grade walk off mats are especially designed for the higher foot traffic normally encountered in larger buildings and facilities.

How Should Walk Off Mats be Used?

Simply buying and placing good commercial-grade walk off mats is not enough. Rather, some thought should be given to developing a simple walk off mat strategy for building entranceways. This will produce much better results and significantly lower cleaning costs.

What are the Components of a Good Walk Off Mat Strategy?

A good walk off mat strategy for an entranceway has the following components:

  • Exterior walk off mat. Placing a large scraper mat outside the entranceway will dislodge heavy dirt and debris before people even enter the building. This will greatly reduce the amount of dirt tracked inside and will make part two of the strategy more successful.

  • Interior walk off mat. Placing a wiper walk off mat with a yarn/textile surface inside the entrance way will grab any dirt tracked inside as well as absorb moisture. Because the exterior walk off mat has dealt with the heaviest dirt and debris, the wiper mat should have a coarse enough surface to perform a “final scrape” of visitors’ feet, once inside. Since wiper mats will also be dealing with moisture from rain, snow or ice that is tracked inside, the wiper mat should be capable of good absorption and retention of water and finer dirt particle, such as grit and sand. Finally, dirt and debris captured by the interior walk off mat should be easily lifted from the mat’s surface using a cleaning vacuum. For this reason, mats with grooved surfaces work less well as dirt and grit can remain trapped in the grooves.

Walk Off Mats from CRG

CRG carries a full line of high-quality walk off mats. These mats allow facility managers to implement a good walk off mat program or strategy that can significantly reduce facility cleaning costs and enhance entranceway appearance. Walk off mats we carry include the following:

  • Scraper walk off mats

    • Gateway and Gateway Brush Hog

  • Wiper walk off mats

    • Gateway SB and SB Plus, Concierge, Eco-Plus+, and Eco-Step.

To find out more about these fine mats, or for more information on how CRG can help you implement a good walk off mat strategy, please contact our sales department at crg@canadarubbergroup.com.