The Science Behind Diatomite Bathmats: How They Work

Sensory Assist Team
2026-04-21T06:02:41+10:00

If you've seen a diatomite bathmat absorb a puddle of water in seconds, you've probably wondered how a solid-looking stone mat can possibly do that. The answer is in what diatomite actually is — and how it's been used for more than a century before anyone thought to turn it into a bathmat.

What is diatomite?

Diatomite (also called diatomaceous earth) is a soft sedimentary rock formed from the fossilised remains of tiny single-celled algae called diatoms. Each diatom had a microscopic silica shell. When they died over millions of years and settled on the sea floor, those shells compressed into layers of porous stone.

That porous structure is the whole secret. A diatomite mat isn't absorbing water with fabric fibres — it's pulling water into millions of tiny hollow cavities.

How it absorbs water so fast

The surface of a diatomite mat is covered in microscopic pores. When water makes contact, capillary action draws the liquid down into the stone, away from the surface. It's the same physical process that pulls water up through a tree trunk or along a paper towel — just with a much more porous material.

Unlike a sponge, the pores aren't squeezable. The water spreads through the internal structure of the stone and then evaporates out gradually between uses.

Why it dries so fast

Two reasons:

Surface area. The porous structure means a tiny amount of water is spread across an enormous internal surface — so evaporation happens everywhere at once, not just from a damp patch on top.

Air exposure. Because the mat is elevated on its base and the stone is rigid, air circulates around and through the surface. No trapped moisture like you get under a cloth mat.

What this means for your bathroom

In practical terms: you step on, feet come off dry, and by the time you're back for the next shower the mat is bone dry again. No fabric, no mildew, no soggy laundry pile.

Our Diatomite Fast Drying Bathmat is the 50×80cm size — enough coverage for a shower step-out or vanity area in a standard Australian bathroom. Browse the Bath Time collection for related products.

Shipped Australia-wide from our Taren Point warehouse.