This $10 Rug Pad Keeps My Welcome Mat From Slipping, Even When My Dog Sprints Out the Door

When my husband and I bought our house two years ago, one of the things that excited us most about the new space was that there’d be a big backyard for our dog to run around in every day. Yet pretty soon, we discovered an issue: Whenever we unlocked the backyard doors, Ellie would sprint outside so quickly that our welcome mat would careen across the floor, inevitably causing one of us to trip over it. So after some online searching, I came across a solution to the problem: the best-selling Extra Strong Rug Pad Gripper from Gorilla Grip, designed to keep rugs and mats firmly in place on the floor.

Available on Amazon, the thick, cushioned gripper doesn’t just keep rugs from sliding across the floors, but it also reduces the likelihood of bunching and makes the mat cozier to walk on, too. It comes in over 20 different sizes, including both round and square options, so you can fit it under a mat or rug of any shape. It’s a non-adhesive pad with a dual-sided grip, meaning it sticks firmly to both the rug and the floor after it’s applied. All you need to do to set the gripper up is trim it with scissors to the exact size you need, then place it underneath your rug or mat; it starts working immediately.

To buy: From $10; amazon.com.

I was a little skeptical when trying the gripper pad out, especially since it doesn’t require any tape or glue to keep it attached; I figured it’d come off the welcome mat easily and not actually provide any help. But to my surprise, it worked like a charm, sticking firmly to the mat and preventing it from moving around, even as Ellie bounded in and out of the house.

Using the leftover material from trimming the gripper to fit under the mat, my husband and I placed a second piece under a rug in our entryway, figuring it wouldn’t hurt to have something there, too. It was just as effective in that spot, which was even more impressive considering the ample size of our rug and how often people walk on it when coming and going from the house.

Even more, the gripper is made from PVC material with an airy open-weave construction, meaning that it allows floors to breathe and protects them from damage. It’s also vacuumable, so it’s easy to keep clean, and reversible, in case you ever need to switch things up. And at just under $10 for the smallest size (2 feet by 3 feet), it’s both a serious steal and a great long-term investment.

Thousands of Amazon shoppers agree with my praise for the gripper, and it’s earned over 28,000 perfect ratings thus far. “This simple mat does the trick,” wrote one person in their review. “The thin rug that slipped all over the slick tile kitchen floor hasn't moved an inch since I put this under it.” Another shopper said that the gripper “holds like crazy” and is “well worth” the price, while a third person said that it “works so much better than the small corner or edge grips” often advertised for the same purpose.

Got a rug or mat that’s constantly sliding out of place? Fix the issue in no time with the Gorilla Grip Extra Strong Rug Pad Gripper, available at Amazon starting at $10; I know I’ll use mine for a long, long time.