If your shower or bathtub floor is slippery, a non-slip mat can help prevent dangerous falls and unpleasant situations.
We looked at 26 of the most popular products and tested 10 of them. The Gorilla Grip Bath and Shower Mat is the safest mat we’ve ever tried. It’s also one of the easiest mats to clean.
The suction cups on the Gorilla Grip mats do not work on all surfaces, so if you have a textured or tiled bath, we recommend the Asvin Soft Textured Bath, Shower, Tub Mat.
If you’re looking for an absorbent mat to place outside your bathtub, check out our guide to buying bath mats.
This mat is one of the most grippy and easy-to-clean mats we tested, but its suction cups don’t work well on textured or tiled surfaces.
The Gorilla Grip Tub Shower Mat has the best slip resistance of any shower mat we tested. It has more than 300 suction cups that securely attach it to the shower floor, and its textured surface remains slip-resistant even with soap and water. In our tests, the holes in the mat effectively prevented water from pooling, even in a slow-draining tub.
I’ve gone through the machine three times and there’s no sign of wear. Even though we left the mat in the bottom of the tub for a few weeks, it hasn’t gotten moldy.
However, suction cups do not work well on textured or tiled surfaces and may damage your refinished tub. If you use a walker, shower chair, or other assistive device while showering, you will need to be especially careful not to get your feet caught in the holes in the mat.
This comfortable mat is ideal for use on textured surfaces and can be cut into different sizes. However, its anti-slip properties are not very high.
The Asvin Soft Textured Bath, Shower and Bath Mat is the best choice for showers and baths with textured or polished surfaces, as the suction cups generally do not stick to such surfaces.
Of the non-suction mats we tested, this one from Asvin stayed in place the best. It also has drainage features and is easy to machine wash (though it will show dirt stains).
The mat can be cut to size, which can be a real lifesaver for those with an odd-shaped bathtub or hot tub. Our testers also found the textured PVC surface to be one of the most comfortable materials to stand on.
While the Asvin mat isn’t as slip-resistant as the Gorilla Grip mat, it still provides a good non-slip surface. However, this non-slip mat will float in standing water, so keep that in mind if your tub or shower doesn’t drain well.
Anna Wenner tested grab bars for Wirecutter and reviewed other products for seniors and people with disabilities for USA Today’s Review column. As her mother’s former caregiver and now her grandmothers’ nanny, she knows the importance of finding products that are safe, easy to use, and work for everyone.
This guide’s original author, Shannon Palus, reviewed dozens of health and wellness products for Wirecutter between 2016 and 2018.
To help determine the key considerations when buying non-slip bath mats, we surveyed several occupational therapists, a geriatrician, and a cleaning writer.
We also read and analyzed hundreds of reviews on retail websites and social media to find out which mats work best and which don’t.
The experts we spoke to agree: Shower mats can benefit everyone. However, non-slip shower mats are especially important for people who are at increased risk of falling, such as older adults, people with certain disabilities, or those recovering from an injury or surgery. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that one in four older Americans falls each year, and data from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that falls are the second-leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide.
However, bath mats alone are not a guarantee of safety. Karen Jacobs, an occupational therapist and clinical professor at Boston University, told us that she once slipped because her bath mat was not securely fastened. She emphasized that even people who are familiar with all the safety precautions can easily get injured by poor-quality anti-slip mats.
Choose a mat that can safely cover any surfaces you sit or stand on while showering, as well as any entrances and exits you use frequently.
If your tub or shower already has a noticeable texture, you may not need a shower mat. If you’re looking for a more durable alternative to a shower mat, occupational therapist Pamela Toto recommends non-slip strips that can be permanently installed in your tub or shower (we didn’t test non-slip strips for this review).
This mat is one of the most grippy and easy-to-clean mats we tested, but its suction cups don’t work well on textured or tiled surfaces.
The Gorilla Grip Tub Shower Mat is the safest shower mat we’ve ever tried. It’s also suitable for most bathrooms, as the rectangular mat comes in 20 colors and the square mat in 17 colors.
It stays firmly in place. Safety is always a top consideration when choosing a bath mat. The Gorilla Grip bath mat’s 324 suction cups stuck to our smooth bath floor easier and stayed in place than other bath mats we tested; many of the suction cup bath mats we tested were labor-intensive and difficult to install, but the Gorilla Grip made installation easy and simple every time.
It has excellent anti-slip properties. While soapy water or standing water can affect the traction of any mat, the Gorilla Grip mat outperformed other products in our tests. Because the mat is covered in large holes, drainage (which is the main cause of slipping) is optimal. Whether we were sitting or standing in the shower, it kept us safe and out of the way when getting in and out of the tub. While other mats shifted beneath us and our feet slipped when we changed positions, this one held us in place and was incredibly comfortable.
It’s easy to clean. Like all bath mats, the Gorilla Grip bath mats should be dried after each use. However, because the suction cups are relatively easy to put on and take off, this mat is one of the few we tested that was easy to hang. It’s also easy to stick to the shower wall and let dry. The small holes in the suction cup also allow for better air circulation during the drying process, helping to minimize mold and mildew growth. Even if mold does occur, cleaning is easy: just machine wash the non-slip mat regularly and it will be fresh and new again.
Covers the tub completely. This mat provides good traction whether you’re sitting or standing. At 35 inches by 16 inches, it covers a large area of ​​the tub floor, and we found it to provide the best coverage of any mat we tested. It provides a fairly comfortable surface for showering and bathing, and in our tests, it stayed securely in place even when dogs were underneath it.
This comfortable mat is ideal for use on textured surfaces and can be cut into different sizes. However, its anti-slip properties are not very high.
While suction cups do a good job of holding bath mats in place, they are not suitable for all situations. If your shower or bathtub has a textured surface, or if your bathtub has been remodeled and is easily damaged by suction cups, we recommend the Asvin Soft Textured Bath Mat.
The non-slip sole provides secure footing, while the textured upper provides comfort and prevents slipping. While this mat doesn’t provide the same traction as the Gorilla Grip, it still provides enough security in most situations.
Suitable for all bathtub surfaces. Since the Asvin mat does not have suction cups, it is very versatile and can be easily used regardless of the bathtub surface material. Although this mat did not slip on any of the three bathtubs we tested, it worked best on textured bathtubs.
Easy to clean. Unlike similar mats we tested, this one is machine washable. Compared to the Gorilla Grip, this mat does pick up hair more easily, but it comes off easily when washed. This mat is easy to lift up and hang over the side of the tub after each use to dry quickly. While we found that this mat allowed more water to collect between the floor and the shower head than the Gorilla Grip, it still breathed as well as other plastic mats with drainage holes.
It can be customized to fit your bathroom layout. Because the Asvin rug is easy to cut, you can adapt it to almost any bathroom layout. While this rug isn’t ideal for all situations (such as center-drain showers), it does provide flexibility that other rugs lack. Plus, it’s available in four sizes and six colors, so you can match the rug to your space.
Very comfortable to use. The Asvin mat, like other textured PVC mats we tested, provides more cushioning than other mats we tested. This mat is a great option for those who find it painful to stand upright on hard floors (and for those who just want a little luxury).
In 2018 and 2023, we conducted comprehensive tests on a total of 14 bath mats. In the most recent round of testing alone, we reviewed over 20 bath mats.
We also considered how accessible these mats were. For each mat, we considered how easily it would work with accessible equipment, such as a shower chair or walker, and how easy it was to install and remove the mat. We also considered the needs of parents bathing their young children, and tried to create a mat that would stay securely in place in a bathtub full of water, even with heavy traffic.
To narrow down our choices, we looked at online reviews on Amazon, Target, and Walmart to determine which mats lived up to their descriptions; then we tested the top-rated mats.
We placed a shower and shower gel on each mat and set up a full shower and bath using our top-recommended shower product. Two 30-year-olds and two 60-year-olds used two of our recommended body washes every time they showered for two weeks.
PVC is what gives most shower mats their flexibility, and most shower mats contain PVC. PVC contains a variety of chemicals, some of which are harmless and others of which are dangerous. Our testing is limited to mats that state that they are free of phthalates, latex, BPA, and/or are Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified. Two of our top picks are free of phthalates, a class of harmful chemicals commonly found in PVC. One of the Gorilla Grip mats is also BPA-free.
For environmental reasons, we also considered wood and stone mats, but after consulting with experts and conducting our own testing, we concluded that the safety risks associated with these types of mats outweighed their environmental benefits. Their height makes them a tripping hazard, and they provide much less coverage of the tub floor than a plastic mat.
If you have a textured bathtub but need to keep it easy to clean, the Webos Foldable Non-Slip Silicone Bath Mat is the perfect alternative that we recommend for textured bathtubs. While this bath mat isn’t as comfortable to stand on as a textured PVC bath mat, its smooth surface makes it easy to clean up pet footprints, long-haired people, and stains of any size. This bath mat is also advertised as being free of PVC, BPA, latex, and phthalates.
If you want to be more confident in the chemicals used in the mat: If you like the look of the Asvin mat but want Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certification, the MontVoo Loofah Anti-Slip Shower Mat is a great choice. This third-party certification verifies that MontVoo mats have been independently tested and proven to be safe for human health. Unlike Asvin, MontVoo recommends hand washing only; while this may be less convenient, it still makes sense if you’re most concerned about the chemicals in the pad.
If you’re on a budget: The Yimobra Bath Mat is less expensive than the Gorilla Grip Bath Mat, but it’s still a good value. The Yimobra Bath Mat isn’t as smooth or as easy to install as the Gorilla Grip Bath Mat, but it offers comparable security and grip and stays in place well. Like the Gorilla Grip Bath Mat, the Yimobra Bath Mat is also available in about 20 colors.
The Bamfan Luxury Shower Mat was the only wooden mat we tested, and given its style, it was pretty good. However, since it doesn’t provide the same coverage as a plastic mat and is too high, creating an unnecessary tripping hazard, we don’t recommend it.
While the thick rubber of the Othway bath mat showed promise, it had poor drainage and a strong chemical smell that made it unpleasant to use.
The SlipX Solutions Power Grip Extra Long Bath Mat and Yinenn Shower Mat are similar in many ways to the Gorilla Grip and Yimobra, but in our testing, they weren’t as durable as the Gorilla Grip and Yimobra. Although we installed both mats in our bathroom, it was difficult to get all the suction cups to attach, and the suction was too weak to hang them on the wall to dry.
The Vive shower mat offers an interesting alternative non-slip texture to the bubble texture of competitors, but we ultimately had trouble getting the suction cup to stick securely to the bottom of the tub.
Scott A. Trudeau, PhD, MAOT, Director of Practice Engagement, American Occupational Therapy Association, telephone interview, May 6, 2018.
Lakelyn Hogan, geriatrician and elder care advocate, spoke with Home Instead Senior Care in a phone interview on May 9, 2018.