Does It Really Do That? Clean Step Mat

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- It's called the Clean Step Mat, and the commercials have caught a lot of attention.

And several viewers wanted to find out if it really works.

It's supposed to be made of special fibers that trap dirt better than any other, to help keep your house clean.

KDKA found a great testing situation to see what it can do.

Laura Robinson bravely let a TV crew into her home while she had a ripped up, muddy yard and contractors at work.

"Major construction going on," she said. "Lots of dirt, lots of people going in and out, mud. We have no grass, so everything's muddy, plaster, dust, wood dust, tracked all through the house, all the time."

Even without the project, Robinson has three kids and a dog that have also been known to challenge clean floors. The family's having new hardwood installed and Robinson wants to keep them looking nice.

According to its commercial, Clean Step Mat is guaranteed to clean users' feet.

The infomercial tells says that the secret is super absorbent fibers that trap dirt and mud instantly, users don't even need to wipe their feet.

"I'll be amazed to see if it really does that," Robinson said.

Robinson opened it up to take a look and try it for herself.

"It feels nice," Robinson said. "I like the way it feels.

The Clean Step Mat also has a latex backing to help keep it in place on the floor. This size is smaller than the mat Robinson had been using.

It's also important to note that the instructions state that the rug must be washed before first the first use.

The directions say the mat should be washed in cold water, without detergent, which will activate the clean step mat fibers.

"It looks a little fluffier, and it feels a little nicer," Robinson said after washing it. "I think it does feel a little different and it seemed to make the fibers stand up a little more. Yeah, right, I think so."

And the testers had a great day for trying a "no mess" mat.

"Look at the mud outside," Robinson said with a laugh. "Excellent muddy day."

The infomercial shows a demonstration to highlight how effective -- or ineffective the mats are.

Robinson first stepped in mud and then on a white piece of paper, leaving significant mud behind. But when she stepped in mud and then on the rug, the Clean Step Mat seemed to absorb and lock in the dirt.

KDKA's Jennifer Antkowiak wanted to try it for herself and trekked out into the mud.

"Would anyone in their right mind be that muddy?" Antkowiak asked.

Antkowiak first stepped on the piece of paper and stepped right off.

"Alright, in from the mud, yeah, that's muddy," she said. "You don't want that on your floor. No you don't want that on your floor."

Antkowiak then went back into the mud to give Robinson's regular mat a try.

"Still super muddy," she said. "It's still super muddy, wow look at that."

It wasn't any better, so Robinson decided to go out into the mud again and try the Clean Step Mat.

"I think that's good and muddy," she said.

It turns out the Clean Step Mat absorbed a lot of the mud. Robinson and Antkowiak tried both side-by-side to compare.

"Both on the mat, both on the paper, oh yeah, wow," Robinson said. "It does really do that. Look at that, see. That's a big difference."

The remodeling crew was also interested. In construction, they see messes all the time and agreed that it worked well.

The group tried the mat several more times and noticed, though, that as it got dirtier, it didn't work quite as well. But the instructions say that the Clean Step Mat can be washed in a machine.

So, overall does it really do that?

"It does work," Robinson said.

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