It can be frustrating to have door mats with stains on them. Unfortunately, this is something that can happen very easily. When people come into your home from outside, they will always walk right across the mat. Mud, dirt, and anything else that they have stepped in will be pushed into the mat, and it can stain if you do not wash it right away. This is especially true with white mats, because everything will stand out in stark detail. When this happens, you will have no choice but to use bleach.
All mats are very different, so you should read the washing instructions before you bleach them. There is no way to know for certain if you are supposed to bleach a specific mat or not, unless you read these instruction. Just like with clothing, the instructions have been put there to help you know what you are supposed to do. Ignoring these can cause you to ruin the mat and may force you to buy a new one. Below are some instructions for figuring out if you can bleach mats, but these should not be considered more important than the printed instructions from the manufacturer.
First of all, you can use standard bleach only if the door mats in question are perfectly white. This is the same way that it works for clothing. This can be rather confusing because off-white mats should not always be bleached. Cream is considered to be a separate color, as is ivory. If you use bleach on mats that have these colors, there is a chance that spots of white will show up.
If you want to clean a mat that is mostly white but that has some small colored designs, it is possible to use bleach. You cannot just put it in the wash, however, as this will cause the bleach to touch every part of the mat. You could cause the colored designs to become faded and ruined. What you want to do is put the bleach directly on the spots that are stained. You may be able to dip a rag in bleach and softly dab at these areas. This makes it possible for you to attack the stains without ruining anything else. The only problem with this is that you cannot clean stains that have gotten on areas with color.
As technology has gotten better, a number of new types of bleach have been released. These can be used on whites and colors alike. You may be able to use them in the wash with the mats. They should not harm the colors, but they will still take out the stains. When you do this, though, you must read the instructions very carefully. Make sure that you have the right kind of bleach. Make sure that it is designed for the colors and whites as a combination. Using the wrong type on your door mats can ruin them, so you need to be sure that you do not make a mistake.