Have you ever thought about purchasing a great kitchen rug for your home?

You are not alone!

Kitchen rugs are one of the most popular rug types on the market today, and their popularity is only ever increasing. There are good reasons for this. Almost every kitchen is built with a hard floor, whether that is hardwood, linoleum or tiling. Kitchen rugs are a perfect way to add a sense of comfort onto this hard flooring, giving your feet a rest in high foot traffic areas of the kitchen, and they can complement your style too!

Not only do they add a sense of comfort for your feet, but they are also great at protecting your hard flooring in the kitchen from spills and clumsy accidents, namely things being dropped. If the item is heavy enough, there is a good chance of you cracking the floor. However, if a kitchen rug is down then there is an additional barrier, meaning the chances of damaging the floor from a drop is decreased. One final great benefit is noise reduction! Always handy as kitchens tend to be some of the loudest rooms in the home.

In this article, I will give you 7 easy steps you can follow to choose the perfect kitchen rug for your home! This will go over such topics as the right type of rug to choose, the correct size for your kitchen, and even the styling choices you can make to compliment your décor. Let's get into it.

Choose the Correct Material

This is perhaps the most important tip on this list. When choosing a kitchen rug for your home, it is imperative that you choose the right material for it! Being in a kitchen, spills are bound to happen. Whether it is from an unwatched pot that has boiled over, a pet with their sloppy eating habits, ice dropping out of the freezer or a drink being spilled, they always happen. So materials that are waterproof, or at the very least easy to clean, are imperative.

The best materials to choose for your kitchen rugs are jute, sisal or a flatweave cotton! Jute and sisal rugs, or even bamboo rugs if your décor suits, are completely waterproof, and easy to clean with soap and water. Beyond this, they are durable as well so there is no chance of them wearing down easily when placed in areas with high foot traffic. Another great material is flatweave cotton. Whilst flatweave cotton is not waterproof, it is still incredibly durable, and in most cases it can be placed in a washing machine to be cleaned incredibly easily.

If you do have a pet in your home, it is also good to note that there is less chance of them being interested in a sisal, jute or flatweave rug because they are made with much smaller loops. This means that their teeth and paws are much less likely to be caught on the loops, making them less interested in the rug themselves! It's always great when you can place a rug down with no fear that your pet will damage it!

Here are the best materials for your kitchen rug:

• Sisal

• Jute

• Bamboo

• Cotton

• Nylon

• Polyester

• Polypropylene

One advantage to using synthetic materials like polyester or polypropylene as the material of your chosen rugs is that (oftentimes) they can be washed in the washing machine. Land of Rugs sells a wide array of washable rugs that are 100% machine washable whilst looking amazing. Check them out now.

Size Matters (For Kitchen Rugs, Anyway)

When you are choosing a kitchen rug for your home, it is important that you choose the right size. Naturally, larger kitchens will require a larger rug and smaller kitchens can be made cosy and comfortable even with a smaller rugs. But the size of the rug you choose depends on various things such as where it will be placed, the design of your kitchen and the style of your kitchen.

If your kitchen is a long, thinner, kitchen then the best size of rug to choose will be a runner. Of course, the actual size in terms of feet and inches will depend on the space available, but runners are a great way to cover a large amount of floor in this style of kitchen. Do you have a kitchen/diner and looking for an area rug to cover the dining area of your kitchen and segment this area away? You are best to choose a large rug for this type of job. One large enough to be placed under the dining table, chairs and leave some space around the perimeter as well!

Another popular way to place a kitchen rug is to cover an area just on the floor where the oven and stove are. These are areas where you will be standing, a lot. Especially when cooking dinner for you and/or your family! So choosing a smaller rug for this area is a great way to ensure your feet have somewhere soft to stand, without taking too much of the kitchen up. This looks is especially great if you prefer to be able to look at your flooring.

Choose the Correct Style

This tip applies when choosing any rug for your home, but it is also imperative when choosing a kitchen rug as well. It is so important to choose a rug that compliments the existing design and décor in your kitchen.

If your kitchen features bright coloured cabinets and furniture, then it is best to choose a rug in a neutral colour that compliments these colours and does not overpower them. Likewise, if your kitchen decoration is already neutral, maybe in a cream colour or an off-white, then you have a bit more freedom when it comes to design. You can choose a neutral colour to go excellently with the existing decoration, or you can go a bit more eclectic and choose a bright colour that offers a great contrast.

Bringing in a multicoloured rug also gives you the ability to really brighten your space. This works especially well if you are looking to place your rug in a dining area of your kitchen as you can really separate your space off and offer somewhere really bright for you and your family to enjoy meals together.

Safety is Vital

Safety is absolutely vital, to any area of your home, but especially in a kitchen. Most, if not all, kitchens are built with slick and hard flooring. I mean, who has ever seen a home with carpet in the kitchen? When placing rugs on hard flooring, you must ensure that the rug you are choosing comes with an anti-slip backing! This way, you can be sure that you are not going to step on the rug and cause the rug to slip under your feet and for you to be sent over. If you are really set on a particular rug, and discover that it does not have an anti-slip backing built in, you still have options and do not need to spend another block of time looking for a new rug. Many rug retailers offer additional anti-slip underlays that can be purchased separately to the rugs they offer. Simply place these under your rug onto the hard flooring of your kitchen, and you can step in peace knowing your rug will stay exactly where it is!

Pricing

Of course, the price you pay for your rug is completely down to you. But there are a small number of factors that will affect the price you pay for your wonderful new kitchen rug.

If you are looking for a kitchen rug made from a natural material such as sisal, jute or bamboo, then be prepared to pay a small amount more than the synthetic equivalents. Natural rugs are created using a more time-consuming process, and the raw materials are more expensive to purchase! This will all add to the price you pay from online rug specialists. Synthetic options will normally come in at a lower price down to the fact that the materials are readily available, and can be mass produced in a simpler way than it is to mass produce natural fibre rugs.

Size will also have an effect on the price you pay, naturally. If you are looking for a larger kitchen rug, perhaps to cover a dining area within your kitchen, then you are going to pay a higher price than a small runner rug to run along the length of your kitchen. Delivery costs can play a factor here as well depending on who you purchase your rug from. So be sure to have a look for free delivery options when purchasing! You may find that many reputable rug retailers offer this as an option.

Brand. We have all heard of the phenomenon that is paying for a brand name, and the same can be said for rugs! If you are looking for a designer rug for your home, then be aware that you will be paying more for the unbranded equivalent. There are some great designer brands out there when it comes to rugs. Here's a short breakdown:

Best designer rug brands:

• Katherine Carnaby

• Michelle Collins

• Kathy Ireland

• Calvin Klein

• Louis De Poortere

So, in summary, there are a lot of factors that will go into you choosing the right kitchen rug for your home. But if you follow these easy steps then you will be sure to find the correct rug to suit your décor, budget and the design and size of your kitchen! Now all that's left to do is go out there and find one!

If you have a dirty bath mat with suction cups, then check out this blog post from Rever Lavie on How to clean bath mats with suction cups.