Use a Rag Rug As a Bath Mat (original) (raw)
Photo-Illustration: The Strategist; Photos: Retailers
I am on the record as a bath mat skeptic. I used to evangelize a stone slab made of diatomaceous earth, a mineral that absorbs water in a matter of seconds, to everyone who would listen. I preferred it to squishy terrycloth mats, which take forever to dry (especially in small New York bathrooms) and tend to look matted and grimy after a few uses. But when I moved into a new apartment with my partner, they nixed my stone slab as too small and austere, so we used their Cold Picnic mat instead. It was beautiful but confirmed all my biases: It showed every footprint and, over the course of a year, its looped cotton yarn slowly unraveled in the wash.
At the time, I was testing a $10 Ikea rag rug for a story on the best washable rugs. The Cold Picnic mat was unraveling faster than I could find a replacement, so in a moment of desperation, I threw the Ikea rug in the bathroom as a placeholder. That’s how I discovered that a rag rug makes a great bath mat. The same things that recommend them to high-traffic areas like mudrooms and entryways — durability, patterns that hide grime, easy cleaning — also work well for the landing zone outside your shower. Dense rows of fabric scraps absorb a ton of moisture, and the flat-woven surface doesn’t get matted or squidgy like terrycloth. A rag rug can take a beating without showing it and be thrown in the wash without fuss.
After a few months with the Ikea rag rug, I was curious what else was out there. I ended up buying one from the Etsy store Web Works Fiber — more on that below — but found a ton of other options across the internet. One caveat: Since rag rugs are woven from fabric scraps, there is a fair amount of variability between what you see on your screen and what you get. That’s part of the fun of buying recycled textiles. But if you want to know exactly what your rag rug will look like before buying, visit one of these retailers IRL or buy from a maker who lists each rug individually.
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The rag rug that started it all, made from Ikea textile scraps. No two colors are the same, so you can go to an Ikea IRL to take your pick or roll the dice by buying online.
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Photo: Retailer
A rag rug made from stripes of mustard-colored scrap fabric.
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Woven textiles like rag rugs have a warp and a weft — the warp runs vertically and holds the tension; the weft runs horizontally. On a rag rug, the warp is cotton thread, and the weft are fabric scraps. This Safavieh rug uses alternating bright colors on the warp and chunky stripes on the weft for a maximalist rainbow effect.
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This rug uses alternating warp colors to create a plaid pattern, while the weft is denim.
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Or if you prefer solid-color denim, here’s one from Target.
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There’s no place like the Vermont Country Store. Its rag rugs come in six different colors; I especially like this eucalyptus green.
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This rag rug has an interesting geometric pattern, woven using alternating neutrals and blues.
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Two rag rugs from the home-décor site Allyson’s Place — one in neutral grays and browns and one in French-blue stripes.
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I love the contrast in this rug between warm colors — pumpkin orange, mustard yellow — and a small slice of cool sky blue.
Web Works Fiber rag rug in my bathroom.Photo: Erin Schwartz
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My rag rug comes from the Wisconsin-based Etsy store Web Works Fiber. (The owner uses a vintage loom that makes the whole house shake as she weaves.) The colors and patterns are incredible, and since each rug is listed individually, you aren’t rolling the dice with what colors you get.
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Etsy store the Textile Trunk has an amazing (albeit expensive) stock of vintage rag rugs from Europe. I like this one, which is sold by the yard and could also make a good custom-size runner.
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