Tatami Mats - the how-to's and all you can know about Japanese Traditional floor mats

Tatami, traditionally used by the Japanese as flooring materials. Woven straw tops with condensed rice straw forming the center core, you can even find polystyrene foam or wood chips in the tatami mats as a less-expensive alternative. Currently there are 2 standard size for tatami. 90cm x 180cm or 95cm x 190cm (with half sizes for the respective sizing too). The tatami that uses rice straw often has bug-repelling paper back to prevent any contamination during its use. In addition, the edges on the sides are covered by woven cloth to seal off each side, and also gives it a more contrast look.

Nowadays tatami mats are also used on 9' x 9' platform as flooring for a sectional, on platform bed frames or even accessories such as nightstand and bench tops.

The straw core tatami mats, when fresh, gives off a fresh-cut grass aroma to fill the room with a natural springtime scent to bring nature indoors throughout the year. In addition, the tatami has therapeutic tendencies to help with bad back, aligns the back in it's proper posture for sleeping. The tatami mats stay cool in the summer time, yet still keeps you warm under covers in the winter time. Unlike spring or foam or even cotton mattresses, tatami mats has a lifetime, or more, worth of usage in which you will never need to replace, EVER.

Maintenance for tatami mats is easy. There's no tossing and turning, beating, or leaving out in the sun to air out. Simply grab a dry cloth, use a water spray (plant sprays) and lightly spray the tatami. Then wipe along the lines of the woven straw top, side to side. Do this once you have received your new mats, and afterwards as much as you clean. The tatami mats have little need to clean due to the tightly woven tops, allows nothing to slip through. A simple dust-wipe across the tatami tops will simply be enough.

One thing to remember is that the tatami mats have a natural color of green when fresh, since fresh straws are green. Tatami turns yellow after 10-12 months of use, depending on the exposure of the tatami mat tops to sunlight. Thus, if desired, you may leave the tatami mats out in the sun after wiping to hasten the process. In addition, the grass aroma the tatami mats give off will also reduce with this procedure. Keep in mind that the tatami mat will always have the natural straw aroma throughout its lifetime.

Deciding to get a new bed, or thinking of what to do with a new section of a guestroom? Visit one of the showrooms in San Francisco Bay Area in California, or email us for additional locations for a retailer near you. Leave a comment below for additional questions!