Boots can leave another puddle long after the wet footprints have been wiped up. Water works its way out around the soles, carrying a little mud or road salt with it. By the time the boots are dry enough to move, the floor underneath may need cleaning again.
A doormat catches plenty on the way in. It cannot do much about the water still draining from shoes that have already been taken off.
A waterproof tray for wet boots and shoes gives them a place to sit until that part is over. A boot tray with a raised rim keeps the slow puddle around the footwear instead of letting it spread across the entryway floor.
The Mess Often Appears After the Boots Come Off
A pair of snowy boots can be knocked together outside and wiped on the mat, then leave dirty water underneath them half an hour later. That is the part a boot tray handles well.
This one measures 15 × 30 inches. Several pairs of regular shoes can fit, although bulky winter boots eat up that space quickly. For a busy family doorway, one tray this size may be too small.
The 1.2-inch rim is useful when the weather is particularly wet. Water, grit and melting slush collect inside the tray, where they can sit without soaking into a mat or reaching the floor.
Of course, they are still sitting there. After a wet day, the tray may need to be carried out and emptied or wiped clean. Leaving muddy water underneath the boots for days only moves the dirty job into a plastic tray.
There is another common source of puddles at the same doorway. If umbrellas are being propped against the wall after a rainy walk home, there is a separate place for dealing with wet umbrellas by the door.
For wet footwear, the best spot for the tray is usually the spot where the boots already end up. Then nobody has to carry dripping shoes across the entryway just to put them somewhere sensible.
