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An anti-slip kitchen mat serves a triple purpose in the home: it keeps everyone from slipping on a wet or oily tile floor, it protects the feet and lower back from standing for long periods of time, and it mops up spills before they get on the floor. In Arab homes throughout Kuwait, the use of tile is common in all kitchens and oils, broths and water are used in large quantities daily in the kitchen, making these three uses non-negotiable and essential to a daily risk. A 2-piece that covers the stove area and the sink area covers the two busiest areas of the kitchen floor.

Key Takeaways

• An anti-slip kitchen mat in front of the stove and sink will help prevent slips on the floor, absorb water and oil spills, and help to cushion the feet during prolonged standing.
• Two factors in the kitchen of Arab homes that enhance the anti-slip kitchen mat are the use of tile floors throughout the kitchen and the amount of time spent daily in cooking for large families.
• A Kitchen Rug Set 2 Piece is a single coordinated purchase to cover the two most hazardous floor areas in any kitchen: in front of the stove and in front of the sink.
• In Kuwait, house owners can spot and solve a floor safety problem the same day it is noticed by ordering floor mats and rugs online from Arbaana, which offers same day delivery.
• Anti-slip mats also prevent fatigue in the lower back, legs and feet while cooking for long periods of time, a factor that is clearly applicable to the Arab home kitchen where cooking for extended family may last two hours or more.

Anti-Slip Kitchen Mats in Kuwait are an essential requirement for Arab homes for a number of reasons

Tiled floors are almost always used in the kitchen in Kuwait and the Gulf. Mid-range and high-end apartments in Kuwait, both, are the preferred choice of ceramic and porcelain tile for the durability, heat resistance and cleanability in a hot climate. But the same properties make the floor slippery when wet.

Unlike wood or vinyl floors, tile floors get much slippery when wet. According to a report on safety from the Kuwait Ministry of Health in 2022, kitchen slip injuries are one of the most common types of household accidents suffered by Kuwait residents, and the main causes of these accidents are water and cooking oil.

This risk is compounded in Arabic home cooking, which is not the case for casual cooking. Traditional Gulf cuisines such as machboos, thareed, harees etc involve a long active cooking time on the stove, and use of a lot of oil, broth and water concurrently. During these sessions, spills do not happen just once; they are a part of cooking. They cause a wet tile surface that is slippery until cleaned when not on a mat to absorb and contain them.

Dr. Rania Yousef, Ergonomics researcher from the Arab Open University (AOU) in campus, Kuwait, explains that the slip risk and the fatigue problem in a kitchen are related but separate: "A mat with a non-slip back addresses the fall risk, while a mat with a cushioned foam or memory foam core addresses the physical strain of standing on hard tile for long periods. A well-designed kitchen mat set does both at once, and in a Gulf home kitchen, both are truly needed."

The Five Core Anti-Slip Kitchen Mat is designed to offer benefits to Arab homes

Benefit 2: Waterproofing of the floor.Benefit 3: Slip Prevention on Tile Floors

The main purpose of an anti-slip kitchen mat is to give the cook a grip on the floor as this grip is often lost through water, oils and cooking residue.

There are two ways that a quality anti-slip mat does this. Top surface is embossed or textured to give traction to shoes and bare feet. The bottom surface is fitted with a rubber or PVC non-slip material with a geometry of suction points which fix the mat to the tile floor, and ensures that it will not slip when stepped on or pushed by foot movement.

This anchoring function is especially significant in the family kitchens of Kuwait, where several members of the family might be using the kitchen at the same time, and several members might be passing through the kitchen at the same time. A fall hazard can occur when the mat slides during a busy cooking time.

Benefit 2: Oil and Water Spill Absorption

An oil splash and water droplets that fall on the tile during active cooking are caught in a kitchen mat in front of the stove and prevent them from spreading over the tile surface. The mat's fiber or foam layer will retain liquid until the cooking time is up and the mat is cleaned, so that a wet spot does not seep out over time on the floor.

This is particularly true in Arab households where deep frying, braising and boiling in large pots are common practices in the home kitchen. All these cooking techniques create a lot of movement of liquid in the form of steam condensation, oil splattering and broth overflow that fall directly onto the floor in front of the stove.

Benefit 3: Anti-Fatigue cushioning during long cooking sessions

Over time, the joints of the feet, knees and lower back are compressed over time when standing on tile floor for long periods. The firmer and less flexible the floor surface, the sooner the compression will lead to discomfort and fatigability.

A kitchen mat with a soft cushioned foam or memory foam layer adds a soft layer between the feet of the cook and the tile. This cushioned effect diminishes the pressure on each individual joint, so the cook can stand for a longer period of time without the lower back pain and foot soreness that hard tile floors cause.

This benefit is not a comfort preference, but is a physical health consideration in Arab households where one person cooks for an entire family for 60-120 minutes while standing continuously. Leila Hassan, an occupational health specialist from the Gulf Journal of Workplace Wellness, points out that "In the industrial setting, people stand for two hours on hard tile while working at an industrial workstation, and anti-fatigue mats are common for this reason, so they should be considered in a home kitchen."

Benefit 4: Protection from falling objects on the floor

Heavy objects such as pots and pans, ceramic dishes, and glass containers are regularly dropped in the kitchen. Use a kitchen mat to create a soft landing area where dropping is likely to happen: in front of the stove and sink. A ceramic bowl that falls on a soft mat will cause less damage than a ceramic bowl that falls directly on tile, and the tile floor will not be affected by impact damage.

This benefit is especially important in Kuwait apartments where the tile is included in the apartment rental and if it is damaged it will be deducted from the security deposit. The stove area is covered with a kitchen mat to prevent damage to the tile from the most common drop spot in the kitchen.

Benefit 5: Kitchen Floor Easier to Clean Everyday

A kitchen mat is a mat that collects the oil, water and food splashes from the daily cooking activity in a specific area that can be easily removed, shaken and wiped in minutes. Without a mat, this residue is spread all over the tile floor and needs to be mopped after every cooking session, the entire kitchen surface.

The top surface of the best kitchen mats should be waterproof and will not absorb oil or liquid spills, so they can be wiped clean with a wet cloth without getting wet on the inside. Machine washable options can be washed thoroughly every so often for a more thorough cleaning. Both are quicker and easier than mopping the entire floor of a full kitchen after every meal.

Why Two Mats are Better than One Kitchen Rug Set

One kitchen mat in one area is one zone. A Kitchen Rug Set 2 Piece tackles two main kitchen hazard areas at once, and a matched pair is more functional and more aesthetically pleasing than two mismatched kitchen mats, either in colour or size.

The Two Zones a 2-Piece Set Covers

Zone 1 — In front of the stove: This is the main cooking area where the cook is for the longest continuous periods, and oil splashes and drips from pans are most concentrated. This is usually the home of the larger of the two mats in a standard set, which covers the entire standing area in front of the burners.

Zone 2 — in front of the sink: This is the main water zone where dish washing, food rinsing and vegetable preparation is done. One of the most frequent sources of slip hazards in a domestic kitchen is a wet floor patch from water splashing off the sink. This is covered by the smaller of the two mats in a standard set.

Combined these two mats cover all of the kitchen floor areas where there is a risk of slipping, standing tiredness and spill accumulation.

What to Look for in a Kitchen Rug Set 2 Piece in Kuwait

Saves on fatigue in the lower back and feet when cooking for long periods of time

When it comes to buying floor mats and rugs, there are some things you should know before you purchase one from a store in Kuwait.

There are two main benefits to purchasing floor mats and rugs in Kuwait online as opposed to in-store: a larger selection of sizes and configurations than most Kuwait stores will have in stock, and same day delivery that means you will not need to transport a large, bulky item from a store.

In the case of buying floor mats and rugs online in Kuwait, the following applies to the selection of floor mats in the kitchen.

Before ordering, measure the floor areas. The minimum size of mat required in front of a Kuwait apartment stove is 50 x 80 cm. Usually a 40 x 60 cm mat is needed in front of the sink. Most Kuwait apartment kitchens will be covered by a standard 2-piece set of these approximate sizes for both zones.

Check the backing material explicitly. Not every mat labeled as "non-slip" will work the same on tile. Rubber-backed mats will typically offer more traction than fabric-backed mats on tile. The strongest PVC backing available for wet tile surfaces is a suction point geometry.

Confirm machine washability. An oil-soaked mat that is only surface-wiped will trap oil residue in its fibers over time when used in a kitchen in Kuwait where cooking oils are used daily. Mat that can be machine washed can be washed periodically to refresh the machine and keep it hygienic.

The Kitchen Mat can be used with other anti-slip and safety accessories

A kitchen mat is a mat that covers the floor in the kitchen. There are other surfaces in an Arab house kitchen that have similar safety and organization issues that a mat does not address.

5-Piece Black Metal Wall Shelf Set No-Drill 3.250 KD

The 5-Piece Black Metal Wall Shelf Set (3.250 KD, reduced from 8.750 KD) can be used to remove items from counter surfaces and put them on wall mounted shelves, thereby minimizing the clutter that can result in items falling off counter surfaces and onto the kitchen floor. The less items on the counter, the less dropped items and debris on the mat surface during cooking.

Kitchen Sink Organizer Rack with Drain Tray 1.000 KD

The Kitchen Sink Organizer Rack with Drain Tray (1.000 KD) makes the sink area tidy and helps prevent water from spilling over onto the floor in front of the sink, which is the purpose of the second mat in a 2-piece set. The sink organizer and the mat make up a full package wet-zone control solution for the wettest part of the kitchen.

Wall Mounted Storage Rack with Door and Hooks 2.250 KD

The Wall-Mounted Storage Rack with Door and Hooks (2.250 KD, down from 5.900 KD) helps to keep small tools, spice sachets and condiments in place and organized behind a closed door, further reducing the risk of items falling from surfaces to the kitchen floor during cooking.

Shop Arbaana's complete Kitchen Items collection for all the products that go with a kitchen mat in a home in Kuwait.

It is essential to have an anti-slip kitchen mat, and knowing how to keep it in place can make all the difference.

A kitchen mat used in a Gulf house will be used more than a mat in a low cooking environment. The following maintenance will ensure its proper functioning and hygiene.

Daily: clean the mat surface with a damp cloth after cooking, to remove oil splashes and food particles. Flip over the mat and inspect the non-slip back for dust or grease that can affect the mat's ability to hold the tile. If necessary, clean the backing with a wipe.

Weekly: Shake the mat outside, as dust is the environment in Kuwait, fine particles get stuck in the fibers of the mat and vacuum the surface to extract the particles that are embedded in the mat and that cannot be removed by wiping it every day.

Monthly: If machine washable, wash the mat in the machine as per the care label. Scrub non-machine washable mats with a mild detergent and warm water, rinse well and let dry before putting back on the floor. If the mat is returned to the floor when still damp, moisture can be trapped between the mat and the tile, providing the conditions for mold and humidity development, which is exacerbated by the summer heat in Kuwait.

Conclusion

The anti-slip kitchen mat is beneficial for Kuwaiti Arab homes more than just to prevent slipping. A good 2-piece mat set solves the problem of standing on tile in a high oil cooking area, eliminates the hassle of standing for long periods of time while preparing meals for the family, shields tile floors from dropped items and makes it easier to clean the kitchen daily by gathering all cooking residue in one wipeable, washable area.

Arbaana offers same day delivery to all parts of Kuwait, free delivery for orders over 10 KD for Kuwait residents shopping online for floor mats and rugs. 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are the main anti-slip kitchen mat benefits for Arab homes?

The five primary benefits of an anti-slip kitchen mat for Arab homes are: oil and water do not slip on the wet tile floor when cooking, oil and water spills are absorbed before they spread, long cooking sessions make the kitchen more anti-fatigue, dropped items will not damage the tile floor and the cooking residues will be concentrated in a wipeable area for easier daily cleaning. All 5 benefits occur in Gulf household cooking practices where cooking is frequent, high volume and done on tile floors.

2. Why is a Kitchen Rug Set 2 Piece better than a single mat in a Kitchen in Kuwait?

A Kitchen Rug Set 2 Piece is the perfect solution for covering both main hazard areas in a kitchen, the stove zone and the sink zone. Different zones pose different risks, the stove zone collecting oil splashes, and the sink zone collecting water and needing a high level of non-slip grip on a wet surface. If one zone is covered with a mat, the other zone is not covered.

3. Which backing material is suitable for a kitchen mat on the tile floor in Kuwait?

The best suction-point geometry rubber backing for tile floors in Kuwait is the one with the highest suction point.The highest suction point rubber backing for tile floors in Kuwait is the best. The second best is PVC backing with embossed non-slip pattern. Fabric backed mats with no rubber or PVC backing are not recommended for wet tile kitchen areas and will slide during normal cooking.

4. How do I clean a kitchen mat in a Kuwait apartment?

To clean the mat every day, after cooking, wipe the surface with a damp cloth to remove oil and food particles. To avoid grease build up, clean non-slip backing each week. If the mat is machine washable, wash in the machine once a month or hand wash with mild detergent and dry thoroughly before putting back on the floor. Avoid placing a wet mat on a tile floor because moisture will be trapped under the mat and will promote mold growth in the warm climate of Kuwait.

5. Where to buy floor mats and rugs online in Kuwait with same day delivery?

Arbaana provides floor mats, kitchen rug sets, bathroom mats for same day delivery in all parts of Kuwait. Free shipping for orders of 10 KD or more. Arbaana's Home and Garden and Kitchen Items collections have the Kitchen Rug Set 2 Piece for sale.