Large dogs bring in large amounts of dirt. Need recs for a good door mat. And other things...

[popmom]

One of my oldest dds and her husband have 3 precious dogs. One is a long haired German Shepherd that is over 100lbs. One is a Golden Retriever puppy who will likely be at least 80lbs. And last but definitely not least is the elderly chi/spaniel/other toy size mixed breed. 

I am looking for a way to minimize the copious amounts of dirt these dogs track in when they are visiting my house. When they are visiting, they stay in our basement (mostly) which has a nice bedroom, bath, and living room. Dh put down 700sq ft of lvp down there a couple of months ago. The rest is tile. Before dd, dsil, and the dogs came I had the basement immaculate for their visit--because you know...it was all nice and new and pretty with the new flooring. 🙂 I cleaned and cleaned. You could eat off the floors. I washed the duvet cover and the slipcovers to the living room furniture (IKEA Ektorp). All. the. things. were. spotless. 😂 I even bought quilted, waterproof furniture covers for the sectional, so that I ((might)) not have to rewash the slipcovers. (HAHAHA.)

Now I knew it would get dirty when they came, but there was no rain in the forecast, so I thought it would be manageable. I was so wrong. Y'all, how do you do it with big dogs??? They live in the DC area and don't have a yard. They just get leash walked. They aren't wallowing and digging everytime they go outside like they do at my house. They have a blast in my fenced backyard, but I've got to come up with some way to mitigate the disaster I'm facing downstairs--before the next visit.

So I need a good dirt trapping door mat. I also need a very durable window covering for the back door. The GSD jumps up on the door when he's excited and destroyed the cheap vinyl blinds. They were very old and brittle, but I don't want to leave that window bare for security reasons. 

Looking for recs for dirt trapping door mats, furniture covers, etc. 

Looks like Orvis has something--a "trapper mat"

I'm also looking at mats made from Astroturf. I don't care if it's ugly if it works. 

Any experience with these? This stuff isn't cheap, and I don't put much faith in online reviews anymore.

Edited May 10 by popmom

[KSera]

We use the chenillle loop style dog mats. There are knock off brands on Amazon. Like this:Muddy paws mat

[Katy]

Short of taking them straight for a bath every time they visit or go outside? They’re dirty and shed a lot. I think it’s just hard to clean. 

[popmom]

33 minutes ago, Katy said:

Short of taking them straight for a bath every time they visit or go outside? They’re dirty and shed a lot. I think it’s just hard to clean. 

I know what to expect--what is reasonable. My house is never pristine, and I don't need it to be. I am used to dogs in my house--lots of dogs--even big dogs. We have 2 medium dogs and 3 cats. We've fostered lots of dogs of all sizes, etc. My other kids have dogs that come. I have never experienced this level of sheer dirt. lol The hair isn't really a problem, surprisingly.

ETA The GSD in particular always brings in lots more dirt than other large dogs we've had visit. I think it's because he's a bit anxious. He likes to drag small limbs around and try to bury them. 🙂 And dd tends to leave him out longer because he ((is)) anxious and restless when he's inside. I'm not mad about it. We've certainly experienced worse anxious dog behaviors! 

 

Edited May 10 by popmom

[popmom]

I am wondering about the mats that big stores use at their entrances--like when you go into Walmart or Target. I need to find big mats like that. I was thinking (unless someone has a better idea) about putting an astroturf mat outside the door, and then another long --some type of dirt and moisture trapping mat just inside on the tile entry. 

 

 

Edited May 10 by popmom

[KSera]

Does your door open in or out? (Or slide). If it opens inward, be sure you have enough clearance for whatever mat you got. We can only do the thick loopy mats at some of our doors for this reason. The industrial style that stores use are usually very low clearance. 

[popmom]

1 minute ago, KSera said:

Does your door open in or out? (Or slide). If it opens inward, be sure you have enough clearance for whatever mat you got. We can only do the thick loopy mats at some of our doors for this reason. The industrial style that stores use are usually very low clearance. 

 Good point. The door opens to the inside. 

[crazyforlatin]

3 hours ago, KSera said:

We use the chenillle loop style dog mats. There are knock off brands on Amazon. Like this:Muddy paws mat

This is what I use. But I don’t think it’s going to catch everything. And I’m fine with that. When we come back for walks I always wash her paws, but trekking in dirt from the yard is something I’ve accepted at this point.

I use a hardwood floor cleaner and those swiffy mops with disposable pads every evening. And every day I need to vacuum bc of the amount of doggy hair.

[Carrie12345]

No mat advice, but I do keep my blinds pulled up just above the GSD’s eyeline so he can have a clear view and not mess with the rest (which he could reach, but doesn’t need to.) Of course the height of my house and windows play into that working well. And it means lots of slobbery windows.

[Pawz4me]

I don't think any mat is going to help much. Right now I have small dogs, but I used to have very large (and sometimes very furry) ones, and I've fostered a ton of all sizes. I've never found a mat that was helpful. The dogs walk (or run) over them so quickly the contact time is too limited for them to do much. We keep microfiber towels at each door (I try to find ones that have loops so we can hang them from the doorknobs) and wipe paws when we come in. Bits of grass, twigs and leaves that get stuck in hair/fur get pulled or brushed out. I think it's going to take a lot of effort by the humans involved rather than specific products.

[MercyA]

We wash our dog's paws when she comes in and it helps tremendously. If it were me, I'd keep three sets of damp cloths and dry cloths by the door. I'd have the dogs come in one at a time and give them a quick body wipe down first, then wipe and dry their paws. 

For the door, could you use a magnetic rod at the top and hang an inexpensive curtain over the window? You could tie it partially open during the day so the dog could see out. 

You are very hospitable. ❤️

[Katy]

Perhaps a dishpan with soapy water and an old towel at the door for a quick paw wash before they come back in. 

[history-fan]

LL Bean Waterhog doormat. I’ve had this for 10 years still looks great. I have large dogs and live with snow, rain, etc and it’s wonderful at trapping dirt etc. Easy door clearance,  easy to clean, looks nice.
 

https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/127620?page=everyspace-recycled-waterhog-doormat-tiles-small&bc=31-514001-506645&feat=506645-GN3&csp=f&attrValue_0=1838&gnrefine=1*SHAPE*Rectangular&pos=2
 

Window film for the door window would work instead of curtains, there are different privacy levels. It is easy to install.

[Tap]

I had two outdoor commercial carpet mats, one inside and one outside. Combine that with a robot vacuum and it is pretty easy to keep up on it. 😀Outdoor mats get a bit of the water and the vacuum goes right over them. 

[Jann in TX]

1 hour ago, Tap said:

I had two outdoor commercial carpet mats, one inside and one outside. Combine that with a robot vacuum and it is pretty easy to keep up on it. 😀Outdoor mats get a bit of the water and the vacuum goes right over them. 

Big dog owner here-- this is what we do!

 

[kbutton]

7 hours ago, history-fan said:

LL Bean Waterhog doormat. I’ve had this for 10 years still looks great. I have large dogs and live with snow, rain, etc and it’s wonderful at trapping dirt etc. Easy door clearance,  easy to clean, looks nice.
 

https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/127620?page=everyspace-recycled-waterhog-doormat-tiles-small&bc=31-514001-506645&feat=506645-GN3&csp=f&attrValue_0=1838&gnrefine=1*SHAPE*Rectangular&pos=2
 

Window film for the door window would work instead of curtains, there are different privacy levels. It is easy to install.

Aldi sells this style of mat every spring, and my instinct is to want to buy more, but ours have lasted for years and years. You can use them indoor and out, and they don’t seem to shift a lot (I am really talented at unintentional rug displacement), so you can put two together if you want to (we have two on the porch). I think the ones from Aldi are 2’ x 4’ or so.

It might be too late in the year, but I’d definitely check Aldi first if you one. They are usually a fraction of the price they sold elsewhere.

[popmom]

Thanks everyone! I think I have a game plan now. I’m going to check Aldi this afternoon. If they’re out, I’ll go with one of the other recommendations. I’ll ask them to wipe paws the next time they visit. 
 

It occurred to me after reading @Pawz4me comment… We had carpet down there before dh put down lvp. Now there’s nothing to grab the dirt before they make it to the sofa. That has to be why it seemed so much worse this time. 

Edited May 10 by popmom