Door mats protect internal floors from the moisture and dirt carried in on people's shoes from the outside. Cleaning and repair can become expensive if precautionary measures are not taken first. There are many different types of doormats and each is suited to a particular situation or environment. The material a door mat is made from determins whether it should be utilised outside, inside, whether it can be washed, or how much foot traffic it can cope with. All carpet doormats catch dirt from feet as they walk across the surface however washable cotton door mats are better at absorbing moisture from shoes. Rubber entrance mats are great for outside because they can cope with demanding weather conditions and are effective at sracping mud and moisture from footwear. Tack mats or adhesive matting can be used in transitional areas where people are moving from a potentially dirty part of a building or site to a cleaner office area.