# Storing Rubber Mats



## Emily Latham (May 20, 2017)

Silly question, but what do you do with your mats when not in use?
I have a livestock trailer and bought 2 large rubber mats to cover the floor when traveling. But I'm about to pull the mats and wash out everything, and I don't plan on moving the horses anytime soon. So where/how should I store the mats? Will it damage them to lay set them on their sides against a wall? Or should I lay them on something like a pallet? Can I stack them directly on top of each other, or should I put a pallet between them to keep away from moisture and mold growth?
I live in humid east Texas, and I don't really have a spot that I know they can stay 100% dry. 
Oh, and do rodents chew on rubber mats? The mice out here are pretty persistent.. 

Thanks for your help!


----------



## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

I leave mine in the trailer and turn them occasionally if not using it much.


----------



## secuono (Jul 6, 2011)

Leave them in trailer, mine are thick and stupidly heavy! =/


----------



## 6gun Kid (Feb 26, 2013)

I spent the better part of 40 years in humid East Texas, and I just left them in the trailer.


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

We remove ours to wash the floor underneath, let them and the floor dry out and then put them back down.


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Gosh, I bought a bunch of rubber mats (10 or more) from some lady who had just piled them up outside next to her barn, and left them there for about 10 years!!! She discounted them somewhat because of that, but they were perfectly fine. I hosed them down and put them in my stalls. They had not disintegrated, been chewed on, or otherwise shown any signs of deterioration. A year later, they're still all fine.


----------



## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

I leave mine in the trailer, I pull them off the floor and roll them up and stand them up, easy peasy.


----------



## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

After washing my trailer floor and letting air dry completely...
I put my mats back in...
If in doubt of moisture collecting underneath between floor and mat making condensation...
I flip my mat, roll it back upon itself some so air can better circulate.
If I haven't used my trailer in some time I might reverse roll the other end of the mat so all of the floor is air exposed to dry out any offending floorboard moisture.
My mats are very heavy to pull and lug around. 
I can't imagine how heavy they would be "condensed" weight to stand up and roll it,...no thanks. :-x

You can also slip a 4x4 or something similar underneath it if you want mat & floor to "breathe".
:runninghorse2:....


----------



## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

horselovinguy said:


> After washing my trailer floor and letting air dry completely...
> I put my mats back in...
> If in doubt of moisture collecting underneath between floor and mat making condensation...
> I flip my mat, roll it back upon itself some so air can better circulate.
> ...


To make the job at least 10X easier, snap two pair of vice grips to them, now you have secure handles to move the mats around.


----------



## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

*Ohhh....I will try that. :bowwdown::bowwdown:*

Much of the worst is having no grip when pulling and heaving the things around.
:runninghorse2:......


----------



## Emily Latham (May 20, 2017)

Thanks everyone for your replies!
I kept reading posts talking of "pulling mats" and I just assumed that meant they couldn't stay in the trailer. They are ridiculously heavy and I don't want to mess with them all the time!


----------



## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Oh...interpretative terminology..
_You *can* leave mats in all the time...._
The secret is to flip them up, so you can wash and clean properly underneath them...allow for complete drying then return them to their proper position.
If you have a horse with explosive or runny poop a good thorough cleaning is truly important...
Once a year to really "pull mats", clean meticulously and carefully check the floor for any repairs needed is a good practice to keep.
If you do that "deep" cleaning more than 1x a year...good for you! :grin:
:runninghorse2:...
_jmo..._


----------

