Moisture annihilating magic mat
I’ve been searching for a non-disgusting drying solution for my whole adult life. Who knew the answer was diatomite stone mats? I love a space-age material, but this one is prehistoric material — fossilized diatoms compressed into a hard material that feels like chalk crossed with clay.The directions advise rinsing before use, which I did and got my first taste of its strange and mighty absorbing powers. As I held a panel in my hands, it sucked the water from my skin, until my skin kind of stuck to the board like gecko fingers. Cool! Sort of like how popcorn will stick to your tongue. Capillary action if you must know.It’s pretty light, but heavy enough to stay put. It’s made in two halves that fit together like puzzle pieces. The surface has a cool blue-on-white marble effect. There is a rubber non-slip mat that goes underneath. Aesthetically, it’s very pleasing. It has a nice, matte, papery texture. It feels good to touch.The diatomaceous aspect means it’s extremely nano-porous. It absorbs water voraciously, which diffuses through the material and evaporates. Moisture doesn’t stick around long enough to get moldy. It’s naturally resistant to getting funky.Anyhow, it makes a clean solution to a chronically wet dish area. I’m transitioning from a foam drying pad, which worked well, but eventually got mildew, and I didn’t like that it was soft. This drying mat is like a stone super sponge.We’ll see about long-term maintenance. There is included a sanding pad for removing stains, which is just removing a surface layer of the material.Packaging claims “Asbestos Free,” which at first I was like, cool, don’t need to be sanding asbestos. But then I started wondering if that was a problem with the material. Apparently not, although there were recalls of some similar products in years past for containing trace amounts. But hey, these mats say they don’t have any!I’ll update as I have some time to live with it. I am using it with a minimal wire drying rack, and some items I just stuck straight on the mat. It’s quite big, so there’s lots of room for little bits and bobs that need a place to dry.Photo below includes a Ukrainian wool sauna hat for scale, not included.UPDATEA month in and I’m loving this. It really is a clean slab of drying. The marble design brilliantly works with the light drip staining that occurs. Best of all, the counter beneath is dry as a bone. I can use it for my small rack on one side and free drying area on t’other.