The Bath Mat Stays Wet and Smells
The mat never dries between showers, the bathroom smells of mildew, and the fix is a mat with nothing in it for water to sit in, handled like the stone it is
The short answer
A fabric bath mat is a wet sponge by design. Water soaks into the fibres, the mat stays damp between showers, and mildew moves into the damp. Washing slows it down and the smell comes back, because the mat never gets dry. The stone mat ends the cycle by removing the fabric: water pulls into the stone's pores and dries fast, and there is nothing for mildew to live in. The madesmart stone mat holds 4.3 stars from 89 reviews at Target (November 2026), and 80 percent of reviewers would recommend it. Its own record carries two warnings, and both print here: the slab can break if it is dropped or knocked while you clean around it, and one owner reports the surface stopped soaking up water in under four months. Lift it flat, stand it up to dry, and refresh the surface when the soaking slows. Handled that way, it is the mat that stays dry.
Why does this happen?
Fabric holds water, and held water is the whole problem. A cotton or microfibre mat takes the water off your feet and keeps it. In a bathroom that gets used morning and night, the mat is damp for most of the day, every day. Mildew needs damp and time, and a fabric mat gives it both.
Washing treats the smell, not the cause. A hot wash kills what is growing in the mat this week. The mat goes back on the floor, gets wet again, and stays wet again. Owners who wash on a schedule describe the same cycle: clean for a few days, sour again by the end of the week.
Stone works the other way. Diatomite is full of tiny pores that pull water off the surface on contact, so your feet dry as you stand on it, and the water spreads thin through the slab and dries in minutes. The trade is real: the mat is hard underfoot, it feels gritty at first, and it is a slab that can break, not a rug you can drop in a hamper.
The fix, in order
The steps are ordered cheapest first. Stop at the one that solves it and skip the rest; the product is there only for where the free steps run out.
Free step
Hang the mat after every shower
The free step first. A mat draped over the tub edge or a rail dries between showers; a mat left flat on the floor does not. Two mats in rotation, one drying while one is in use, is the routine that keeps fabric mats ahead of the smell for most bathrooms.
Habit step
Wash hot and dry it fully
Wash the mat hot, then dry it all the way through before it goes back down. A mat put back damp starts the cycle again the same day. This holds the smell off for a while on a mat that still dries well.
The product step
Move to the stone mat
The madesmart stone mat removes the fabric, so there is nothing to stay wet. Water pulls into the stone and dries in minutes. Read the care rows under the flaws before you buy: lift it flat, never drag it across the floor, and stand it on edge now and then so both sides dry.
The product for this step
madesmart Diatomite Stone Drying Bath Mat
Habit step
Refresh the surface when soaking slows
If the stone stops pulling water in, the pores have filled with soap and skin oils. A light rub with fine sandpaper or a scouring pad, then a rinse and a full dry, opens the surface again. One owner in the record lost absorption in under four months; this is the row that answers it.
The evidence, in tiers
Tier 1 · The method
The method is the material split: fabric mats fail by holding water, so the fix is a mat that holds none. Drying speed, not washing strength, is what ends the mildew cycle.
Tier 2 · This product
Target's product record for the madesmart stone mat reads 4.3 stars from 89 reviews, with 80 percent of reviewers recommending it. The praise in that record is absorbency and drying speed, in those words, from owners who switched after fabric mats went mouldy or smelled.
The critical rows in the same record are printed on this page as care checks, not hidden: breakage while handling and cleaning, and one report of absorption loss in under four months.
Tier 3 · What owners report
Owners describe feet dry in seconds, no more mould, and a mat that is dry for the next person. The same record carries the hard-surface complaints too: a gritty feel some feet never get used to, and a hard edge you do not want to stub a toe on.
The alternatives, conceded where they win
| Option | What it is | The honest verdict |
|---|---|---|
| madesmart Diatomite Stone Mat | Stone bath mat, $26.99 at Target | The pick. Dries in minutes, nothing for mildew to live in, if you handle it like a slab and not a rug. |
| Threshold Loofah Bath Rug | A soft loofah-style bath rug at Target | Wins if you want softness underfoot and accept the hang-and-rotate routine. It is still fabric, so the drying discipline is the product. |
| Two fabric mats in rotation | Your current mat plus one spare | The free answer where it works: one mat drying while one is down. It fails in bathrooms with no rail or room to hang a mat. |
| A wooden bath mat | Slatted wood mat that lifts feet off the floor | Dries well and feels warm. The slats and the floor under them still need cleaning, and the wood needs oiling to last. |
The honest price comparison
The honest price comparison: the stone mat costs $26.99 once. The fabric route costs a mat a year in most bathrooms, plus the washes. The stone only wins if you handle it with care; a broken slab is the most expensive outcome on this page.
Where it falls short
The weaknesses below come from the product's own review record, the same record the recommendation rests on.
- It can break. Owners in the record report a slab that broke in half while the bathroom was being cleaned, and one that broke inside a year. Lift it flat with two hands, never drag it, and do not drop it on tile.
- Absorption can fade. One owner reports the surface stopped soaking water after less than four months. The refresh row in the ladder answers it, but it is upkeep a fabric mat never asks for.
- It feels like stone, because it is stone. Hard and gritty underfoot, cold in winter, and a stubbed toe hurts. Readers who know they want soft should take the loofah row instead.
The product, in short
madesmart Diatomite Stone Drying Bath Mat
Questions people ask next
How do I clean a stone bath mat?
Wipe it down, rinse it, and stand it on edge to dry. For stains, a light rub with fine sandpaper lifts them out of the surface. Never soak it, and let it dry fully before it goes back down.
What if it stops soaking up water?
The pores have filled with soap and oils. Rub the surface lightly with fine sandpaper or a scouring pad, rinse, and dry it fully. The soaking comes back in most cases.
Is it slippery?
The stone surface grips wet feet well, and the mat sits flat and heavy on the floor. The gritty texture owners mention is part of that grip.
Can it break?
Yes. It is a stone slab. The record behind this page includes slabs broken while cleaning and inside a year of use. Lift flat, carry with two hands, and keep it off the edge of the tub.
Target product record for the madesmart Diatomite Stone Drying Bath Mat, read November 2026
The Fix JournalCase 44Home Surfaces