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If your shower or bathtub floor is slippery, a non-slip mat can help prevent falls and dangerous stomach cramps.
We looked at 26 top-rated options and tested 10 of them. The Gorilla Grip Tub Shower Mat is the safest mat we’ve ever tried. It’s also one of the easiest mats to clean.
However, the Gorilla Grip mat’s suction cups don’t 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.
Of all the mats we tested, this one had the best grip and was the easiest to clean. However, its suction cup doesn’t work well on textured or tiled surfaces.
The Gorilla Grip Tub Shower Mat is the best non-slip shower mat we found. It has more than 300 suction cups that securely attach it to the shower floor, and its textured surface provides excellent slip resistance even when mixed with water and soap. In our tests, the holes in the mat prevented water from pooling in slow-draining tubs.
After three washes in the washing machine, there were no signs of wear on the product. Despite leaving the rug on the bathroom floor for several weeks, no mold developed.
However, suction cups are not suitable for 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 to keep your feet out of the mat holes.
This comfortable mat is ideal for use on textured surfaces and can be cut to various sizes. However, its anti-slip properties are not very good.
Asvin Soft Textured Bath, Shower and Tub Mat is the best choice for use in showers or tubs with textured or polished surfaces as the suction cups generally do not stick to such surfaces.
Of all the pads we tested without suction cups, this Asvin pad stayed in place the best. It also has drainage features and is easy to machine wash (though it may show dirt stains).
The mat can be cut to size, which can be very useful for people with oddly shaped bathtubs. 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 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 Reviewed. As her mother’s former caregiver and her grandmother’s current caregiver, she knows the importance of finding safe, easy-to-use products that work for everyone.
This guide’s original author, Shannon Palus, reviewed dozens of health and wellness products for Wirecutter between 2016 and 2018.
To determine the characteristics of 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 sites and social media to determine which mats worked best and which ones fell short.
The experts we spoke to agreed: Shower mats can benefit everyone. But non-slip shower mats are especially important for those at higher risk of falls, such as older adults, people with certain disabilities, or those recovering from an injury or surgery. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in four older Americans falls each year; falls are the second-leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.
However, shower 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 on a shower mat that was not securely fastened. She emphasized that even those who know all the safety precautions can easily get injured by a faulty shower mat.
Choose a mat that can safely cover any surfaces you sit or stand on while showering, as well as any frequently used entry and exit points.
If your tub or shower has a lot of 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 them for this review).
Of all the mats we tested, this one had the best grip and was the easiest to clean. However, its suction cup doesn’t work well on textured or tiled surfaces.
The Gorilla Grip Tub Shower Mat is the safest mat we’ve ever tried. It’s suitable for most bathrooms, as the rectangular mat comes in 20 colors and the square mat in 17.
It stays firmly in place. Safety is always a top consideration when choosing a shower mat. The Gorilla Grip mat’s 324 suction cups stuck to our smooth tub floor easier than other mats we tested and didn’t budge; many of the suction cup mats we tried can be labor-intensive and difficult to install, but the Gorilla Grip mat makes installation a breeze every time.
It has strong anti-slip properties. While soapy surfaces or standing water can affect the traction of any mat, the Gorilla Grip outperformed others in our tests. Because the mat has large holes, it sheds water best, which is the main cause of slipperiness. It made us feel safe whether we were sitting or standing in the tub, and it didn’t interfere with getting in and out of the tub. While other mats shifted beneath us or let our feet slide when we changed positions, this one held us in place and kept us comfortable.
Easy to clean. Like all bath mats, the Gorilla Grip bath mat should be hung to dry after each use. However, because the suction cups are relatively easy to install and remove, this mat is one of the few we tested that is hassle-free to install. It’s easy to stick to the shower wall and let it dry. The holes also allow for better air circulation while drying, helping to minimize mold and mildew growth. Even if mold does occur, cleaning it is easy: just give the non-slip mat a quick wash in the washing machine and it will be as good as 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 most of the tub’s base; we found it to provide the best coverage of all the mats we tested. It provides a fairly comfortable surface for showering and bathing, and in our tests, it stayed in place even under an active dog.
This comfortable mat is ideal for use on textured surfaces and can be cut to various sizes. However, its anti-slip properties are not very good.
While suction cups work well to hold shower mats in place, they are not suitable for all conditions. If your shower or bathtub has a textured surface, or if your bathtub has been remodeled and suction cups could damage the bathtub, we recommend using the Asvin Soft Textured Bath Mat.
The non-slip bottom keeps you stable, while the textured top surface provides comfort and prevents slipping. While this model doesn’t provide the same reliable grip as the Gorilla Grip mat, 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 used in the bathtub regardless of the surface material. Although this mat did not slip on any of the three bathtubs we used for testing, it worked best on bathtubs with a little texture.
Easy to clean. Unlike similar mats we tested, this one is machine washable. This mat does collect more hair than the Gorilla Grip, but it comes off easily in the wash. The mat is easy to lift and dries quickly when hung over the side of the tub between uses. While we found that this mat collects more water between the shower tray than the Gorilla Grip, its ventilation is still comparable to other plastic mats with drainage holes.
It can be custom-made to fit your bath layout. Because the Asvin rug is easy to cut, it can be customized to fit almost any bath layout. While this rug isn’t the easiest choice for every situation (like a center-drain shower), it does offer flexibility that other rugs lack. Plus, with four sizes and six colors to choose from, you can personalize the pad to fit your space.
Very comfortable to use. The Asvin mat, like other textured PVC mats we tried, provides more cushioning than other mats we tested. This mat is a great option for those who find it painful to stand directly on a hard floor (and for those who just prefer a little luxury).
We conducted extensive tests on a total of 14 bath mats in 2018 and 2023. In the most recent round of testing alone, we reviewed over 20 bath mats.
We also considered whether the mats were suitable for people with disabilities. For each mat, we considered whether it would be easy to use with accessible equipment, such as a shower chair or walker, and whether the mat would be easy to install and remove. We also considered the needs of parents bathing small children, and focused on ensuring that the mat would stay securely in place in a full bath, even with a lot of movement.
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 body wash and body gel on each mat and took a full shower and bath using the top-notch products. Two 30-year-olds and two 60-year-olds used two of our chosen products 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 number of chemicals, some of which are harmless and others of which are dangerous. We limit our testing to mats that are phthalate-free, latex-free, BPA-free, and/or Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified. Two of our top picks are free of phthalates, a group of harmful chemicals commonly found in PVC. One of the products, the Gorilla Grip Mat, is also BPA-free.
We also considered wood and stone mats for environmental reasons, but after consulting with experts and conducting tests, we concluded that the safety risks associated with these mats outweighed their environmental benefits. Their height makes them a tripping hazard, and their coverage of the bath floor is significantly limited compared to plastic mats.
If you have a textured tub but need to keep it easy to clean, the Webos Foldable Non-Slip Silicone Bath Mat is a great alternative to our top pick for textured tubs. While this mat isn’t as comfortable to stand on as a textured PVC mat, its smooth surface makes it easy to clean up stains from pets, furry humans, and debris large and small. The mat is also advertised as being free of PVC, BPA, latex, and phthalates.
If you want more confidence in the chemicals used in your mat: If you like the look of the Asvin mat but want Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certification, the MontVoo Loofah Non-Slip Shower Mat is the perfect choice. Third-party certification ensures that MontVoo mats have been independently tested and found to be safe for human health. Unlike Asvin, MontVoo recommends hand washing only. This may be inconvenient, but if you’re most concerned about the mat’s chemical composition, hand washing is still the best option.
If you’re on a budget: The Yimobra bath mat is a cheaper alternative to the Gorilla Grip mat that’s still a great option. The Yimobra mat isn’t as smooth or easy to install as the Gorilla Grip mat, but it offers similar security and grip and stays in place well. Like the Gorilla Grip mat, it’s 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 its coverage is much less than a plastic mat, and its height creates an unnecessary tripping hazard, we don’t recommend it.
While the thick rubber of the Osway 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 have many of the same features as the Gorilla Grip and Yimobra mats, but they didn’t perform as well in our testing. Although we installed both mats in the bathtub, it was difficult to get all the suction cups to engage, and the suction was too weak to hang the mats 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 senior care advocate at Home Instead Senior Care, phone interview, May 9, 2018.