JML Magic Carpet

I can see why Aladdin wanted one.

If you have seen the TV ad for the JML magic carpet, you would no doubt be impressed by the claims made. Then again, I find most JML ads a bit over the top! In the ad, you see various people and animals with muddy feet, walking over the carpet onto a shiny floor, and miraculously, the dirt has disappeared from their feet without them having to wipe them, due to the ultra absorbent fibres in the carpet "sucking" the moisture and dirt from their feet so quickly!

When I had my front porch decorated and some new lino put down, I wanted a new mat, and I remembered the ad I had seen on TV. As I had some Amazon vouchers, I bought a magic carpet from Amazon for my porch, hoping that it would live up to the amazing claims in the ad. Our family consists of two adults, three kids, and a cat, so the porch floor tends to take quite a pounding will all of our grubby shoes, and the cat's muddy paws. This is particularly true in the winter months, when we all pile inside the house after our walk home from school, our wellies caked with snow, or even during the wet Autumn months, when we trudge through the damp and mud (I hope it is just mud...) covered paths near our home.The carpet I bought was the large version, which measures 60 x 90 cm. There is also a small mat version, which is 40 x 70 in size. You can get various colours, but mine is the brown one pictured above. The mat cost £17.50 including postage from Amazon, but this is not the cheapest place that sells them. You can get them cheaper from shops like Wilkos or Focus, which also stock the smaller sizes too.

When I got the mat, I remember thinking that it didn't seem particularly large for a "large" mat, but I suppose I should have checked the measurements first. My previous mat was a large runner, that covered most of the floor in the porch and this one, in comparison, seemed to leave a lot of bare floor showing. The mat was a nice neutral colour that would suit most rooms in the home. Due to the absorbency claims made by the manufacturers, I expected the mat to feel very soft and velvety, like a microfibre cloth, but it felt wooly and wiry like a regular mat. The mat had a rubbery backing which extended to border the fabric, which created a good non slip base. This is great b

The mat looked nice in the porch, an unlike the runner that had been there previously, did not slip about, which made it safer than a regular mat. Another difference I found between this and a regular mat it that it does not pool dust underneath, or gather a lot of dust. The mat can be washed in the washing machine, and wash well, but does not need washing very often as it does not show up the dirt. It is very easy to vacumm, too, and that keeps it looking like new. I have had the mat for a year now, and tend to find that regular hoovering seems to pick up most, if not all of the accumulated dirt, and it very rarely needs washing, although this varies acording to the time of year.

Does it live up to its promises?

What about the claims of super absorbency? Well, I must admit, this is what let the mat down slightly. Personally, I did not find the mat much more absorbent than a regular mat, and it certainly does not suck all the water from my shoes if I stand on it, nor does it prevent my cat making wet footprints in the house. I think the points made on the TV ad were unrealistic, and don't resemble my experience with the mat. If I stand on the mat and wipe my feet on it for a few seconds, it does a good job at getting the soles of my shoes dry, but if I were to just walk over it, as shown on the ad, and then step onto the lino, there would still be water on the bottom of my shoes. To be honest though, I am not so lazy that I would expect my mat to wipe my feet for me!

I only have one gripe with the performance of this mat. During the very wet weather, we were treading in lots of snow and water and this ended up accumulating under the mat. I didn't realise this until I came to hoover the mat and it lifted up slightly, releasing some trapped water. As the base is rubbery, the water just stayed trapped underneath. All that was needed was for me to lift up the mat and wipe underneath with a piece of kitchen roll or dry cloth. I was impressed though, with the fact that even though water had been trapped for a while under the mat, it didn't smell damp and the base of the mat hadn't gone mouldy or shown any signs of water damage. This mat is certainly pretty tough and can cope with whatever you throw at it.

Despite the fact that the mat is not as impressive as the ad claims, I would recommend the mat, as it is definitely superior to other mats I have used. The biggest plus side for me is that fact that the corners don't curl up and the mat stays put. Previous mats have curled up at the corners and have been a bit of a trip hazard! Also the fact that the mat is washable.As I have said, I have had it for about 12 months and I expect it to last several years. It really does still look as fresh and new as it did when I first bought it, with absolutely no signs of wear, despite the daily traffic that crosses it! This is a very high quality product. As for the price, well, I don't think I would have paid £17.50 for it if I hadn't had the Amazon vouchers, but I'm glad I bought it, and I am considering getting another one for by the back door, as our back door leads directly to the garden. I really think that this mat would last a lot longer than a regular mat or carpet, as well as being much easier to maintain as you can wash it in the machine, and another great selling point is that it would suit most rooms in most homes due to the neutral design and colour.

This review also appears under my username on Dooyoo.