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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Floor Coverings..... Pads, Rugs, Rubber Mats...
youretooloud 04:43 PM 03-27-2011
I am honestly at the end of my rope with those colored floor mats that fit together like a puzzle. I can't clean them.. I can't keep them clean, and I am frustrated.

They look ugly, and it's color overload anyway.

What is on your floor?
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littlemissmuffet 05:26 PM 03-27-2011
Ugh. I hate those things too. I just have carpet in the playroom and lino in the other DC areas... don't see a need for coverings or anything like that.
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youretooloud 05:30 PM 03-27-2011
Originally Posted by littlemissmuffet:
Ugh. I hate those things too. I just have carpet in the playroom and lino in the other DC areas... don't see a need for coverings or anything like that.
What if I get some big space rugs to cover the tile? I'm thinking I might try those instead of the foam things.
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blueclouds29 05:58 PM 03-27-2011
I have those bright colored foam pads in my daughters room/playroom. They are color overload, but i have ugly wooden floors and I thought it was safer if one of the babies fell over that it wouldn't be on the hard floor. I don't have any other idea to use. Don't have enough money for carpeting yet.
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spud912 07:51 PM 03-27-2011
They are impossible to clean! Well, not impossible, but require more work than I like to put into it!
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Abigail 08:51 PM 03-27-2011
I don't like the mats for the same reasons: too difficult to clean, some infants try to chew on them, and they're too colorful! My furniture and shelves are all natural neutral colors because all the toys are plenty colorful.
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Rachel 10:16 PM 03-27-2011
We have tile, and I have area rugs in certain areas. I do h ave those foam puzzle things, but they are not down all the time toys, they are sometimes we take them out and play with them toys. I don't mind cleaning them, but I do mind babies chewing them.
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PeanutsGalore 10:17 PM 03-27-2011
They are a PITA, but I put mine in the washer on delicate. Comes out clean as a whistle.
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melskids 03:08 AM 03-28-2011
i hate those mats too. my dog loved to lay on them, and they were forever covered in dog hair, and it didnt come off easily.

i have carpet, but in the block area i have one of those car carpets, in the reading area i have a shag rug, and in the baby area i put a quilt down.
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Meyou 03:57 AM 03-28-2011
I have hardwood in 3/4 of my daycare area and I put linolium down in one section that we use for arts and crafts centers. Best decision I ever made. It's so easy to clean and the kids can make as much mess with art stuff as the want ONLY in that space.
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morgan24 04:25 AM 03-28-2011
I have those mats and I really like them. My daycare is in a walkout basement and the floor is carpet on one side and vinyl on the other covered with mats. They help keep that side warm. I just mop them with a steam mop and vacuum them a couple of times a week.
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Blackcat31 07:34 AM 03-28-2011
I have the colored foam mats in two different sizes and I love them!! I use a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and find they are super easy to keep clean. I also have these mats and they are a favorite with ALL the kids.http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/pr...PY%20MATS#desc

I am going to have to actually go buy another set because they are constantly being fought over....
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E Daycare 09:40 AM 03-28-2011
I use skip hops Playspot over part of the floor in the playroom. http://www.skiphop.com/product/242000.html I actually love the multi color one and since I get most of my stuff from Ikea it matches well. I dont have painted walls in the playroom so it brightens it up. I put it under the low shelves because the kids play there the most and its helped with the grappling babies when they fall.

The rest is carpet, but builders grade since our house is new. We plan on *maybe* replacing it to something better but (and this is a big BUT) Im kinda iffy 'cause dcp and dck have a knack for ruining stuff. So to save on the carpet Ive put out the Playspot and will get a decent size area rug for the main living space.


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anna1 09:48 PM 04-03-2011
Originally Posted by spud912:
They are impossible to clean! Well, not impossible, but require more work than I like to put into it!
It does not require a lot of work or time you can call up an carpet cleaning service provider who can come to you and clean carpets,tile and even grout.
ultimately saving your time..
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unregistered member 06:15 AM 04-04-2011
The foam puzzle mats were recently recalled in Belgium because of the toxic chemicals in them. I have them but have taken them all up and have decided to purchase rugs instead. GL.
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MsMe 06:27 AM 04-04-2011
I have the foam mats over hardwood in my toy room. i love them. they are colorfull but that is what I was going for. Each wall is a diffferent color( blue, yellow, orange, and green) I will have to look into this recall business!!
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ninosqueridos 06:35 AM 04-04-2011
I love my foam mats - my walls are not loud so the mats help brighten it up. I have them in maybe 30% of my daycare room. I also have a regular rug (6X9) which works great.
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Childminder 06:42 AM 04-04-2011
Use the foam tiles as padding underneath a piece of carpet or area rug? Try using some carpet tape to keep it from slipping. Then you can just vacuum and shampoo the carpet and is nice and padded for the babes.

I have a thick rubberized padding for use in gyms and dance studios under their flooring underneath my carpet. It is about 1 inch thick and is safe for a 4 foot fall. Kinda like playground rubber. Got it off craigslist.
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youretooloud 06:44 AM 04-04-2011
I bought two cheap rugs this weekend. I put them OVER the foam mats.

I only spent about $30 on them, so I don't expect them to last long, but it will give me an idea if I want to spend more the next time. They're brown, so it matches the tile floor, and makes the room look less obnoxious.

I still have a large tile space in the middle of the floor, and two large tumbling mats, so it's not too much dullness either.
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MarinaVanessa 08:05 AM 04-04-2011
I have tile in the kitchen and in the dining room. I know a lot of people don't like tile and thinks that it's cold but I like it best and the kids don't seem to mind it. If it's cold they keep their socks on but most of the time they take their socks off. It's easy to clean and I don't have to worry when things spill. Every so often (2-4 times a year) I steam the grout if it needs it. Hardly any scrubbing for me ever. We did it ourselves but if I had a choice and the money I'd have chosen wood or wood-like flooring. I bet that's easier to keep clean (no grout to worry about), warmer and it looks really nice.

The living room is part tile and part carpet. The carpet is beige so it's covered by a large rug which I shampoo (we own one) whenever it starts to look grimy. I don't have a dedicated daycare space so the floors match my home decor but if we ever move I'm either buying a house with a sun room or similar and laying slate or dark linolium like they lay in schools.
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trix23 07:26 AM 06-28-2017
I have 2 rugs in my playroom and tile floors in the whole house (Florida)
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AmyKidsCo 07:32 AM 06-28-2017
I have carpet and invested in a Riccar vacuum (close to $300 but worth it!) and a carpet cleaner. Eventually I want to rip up the carpet and put down laminate with dorm size area rugs to define spaces, but that's WAY down the road.
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hwichlaz 09:15 AM 06-28-2017
They have the puzzle floor mats that are meant for gyms, that can be mopped and sanitized.

You can even get them to "look" like wood if you like.

https://www.amazon.com/We-Sell-Mats-...gym+floor+mats
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