One of the best parts of having a big family is that they’re always looking out for me, and for my work. Over the years, I’ve introduced them to the details of contamination control and now my relatives constantly send me things they come across that seem relevant.
Most recently, my aunt visited Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. On her tour ticket was a note about bio-security mats that visitors are required to walk across to prevent the spread of a fungal disease affecting bats. She immediately snapped a photo and sent it to me, saying, “This looks like something you’d know about.”
She was right — and it sparked a great reminder that not all mats are created equal. While they might look similar on the surface, bio-security mats, sticky mats, and polymeric cleanroom mats like Dycem are designed for very different applications. Understanding the differences matters, because putting the wrong solution in the wrong place can leave gaps in contamination control.
Bio-Security Mats = Sanitizing Footbaths
Bio-security mats are designed to fight living contaminants.
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They are typically absorbent pads or foam soaked with a disinfectant solution.
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When you walk across them, the chemical coats the soles of your shoes and neutralizes microbes, bacteria, or fungal spores.
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These mats are commonly used in agriculture, veterinary facilities, poultry farms, and natural environments (like Mammoth Cave) where the threat isn’t dust or dirt, but the spread of harmful pathogens.
Think of them as a sanitizing footbath in mat form. Their job is disinfection, not particle capture.
Sticky/Tacky Mats = Disposable Particle Control
Sticky mats are the mats most people have seen in labs or hospitals.
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They come as stacks of adhesive-coated sheets placed at entry points.
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As people walk across, dust, dirt, and visible particles stick to the surface.
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Once the sheet is dirty, it’s peeled away to reveal a fresh layer.
They’re relatively inexpensive upfront and useful for short-term particle control. The problem is that they create a lot of waste and lose effectiveness quickly as the surface fills up. Over time, they also become a recurring cost that adds up.
Sticky mats are best thought of as a disposable option, practical in certain scenarios but not built for long-term, high-level contamination control.
Cleanroom Mats (Dycem) = Sustainable Contamination Control
Dycem mats are engineered for cleanrooms and other controlled environments where precision and performance matter.
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They feature a high-performance polymer surface that captures and holds up to 99.9% of particles from feet and wheels.
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Unlike sticky mats, they’re not peeled off or thrown away. Instead, they’re cleaned in place and last for 3–5 years.
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By controlling contamination at the floor level, they address one of the most overlooked pathways for contamination.
Dycem mats are the sustainable solution. They not only reduce waste compared to sticky mats, but they also outperform them in efficiency and reliability. Industries like pharma, biotech, food production, medical devices, aerospace, and even data centers rely on Dycem because contamination is critical.
The Bottom Line
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Bio-security mats = chemical disinfection for biohazards.
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Sticky mats = disposable particle control.
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Dycem cleanroom mats = reusable, sustainable, high-performance contamination control.
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That cave ticket my aunt sent was a reminder of how mats show up in the most unexpected places. Bio-security mats are protecting our bat populations, sticky mats provide a quick, disposable fix, and Dycem is protecting some of the most critical environments in the world.
Each has its place. But when contamination control is mission-critical. When sustainability matters just as much as performance, Dycem is built to handle the hard work at the floor level, day after day.