We often hear questions from businesses who want to know what the pros and cons are of buying vs. renting mats.  Although buying mats may seem like a money-saving option up-front, there’s a lot of hidden costs and time that go along with owning your own mats.  Here are some things we’ve heard about customer’s experiences buying and renting mats:

1. Vacuuming mats will keep them clean on a day-to-day basis by picking up surface debris but ground in dirt will not (and cannot) be vacuumed up.  Especially with our Pennsylvania winters, salt and slush will quickly discolor your matsand make them look dirty. This makes your entire entrance look filthy, which defeats the whole purpose of having them!
2. When vacuuming’s not enough, you can wash your mats.  The problem is mats are usually BIG!  This means you need a big washer and dryer to get them clean.  By big, we mean a commercial washer or dryer.  If you don’t have one on premises you’ll have to take them to a Laundromat.  Not only does this cost money, but the time spent doing this adds up.  If you wash your mats once a week (which is how often rental mats should be switched out) at about 2 hours a week in waiting time, that’s 104 hours or 4.3 days over the course of a year that you’ll waste cleaning your mats.  For most people, their time is worth more than waiting around at a Laundromat.
3. Business entrances are high traffic areas even with regular vacuuming and washing your mats will wear out quickly.  Purchasing new mats is expensive and time-consuming.  With a rental company, when mats wear out, WE buy the mats for you!
4. You have just as many choices when renting mats as you do when buying.  Rental companies offer a wide-variety of colors, sizes and styles to fit your business.  If you decide you want to change the color or size at any time, no problem!  You’re not stuck with a mat you may have purchased that wasn’t what you expected.

When determining the best choice for your business, make sure you take into consideration the short and long-term cost and time investment of renting versus buying mats.  Balfurd has provided mat service and linen service to Pittsburgh, State College, Altoona and Harrisburg.  Our experienced team is here to help! Contact us with any questions.