Almost everyone has a bath rug in their home today. It's exceedingly rare for a home to have a fully carpeted bathroom. Tile and linoleum are easier to clean and wipe up, and are simply better at managing the potential water hazards presented by the shower, sink and toilet.

While leaving the carpet out of the bathroom has several practical advantages, there are some downsides as well. This is where bath rugs can play a huge role in not only the look of your bathroom, but its safety as well.

One of the biggest reasons for placing bath rugs in the bathroom is the danger inherent when stepping out of the shower with wet feet onto a smooth, slippery surface like linoleum. With one of these rugs in place, you can confidently step out of the shower, even with wet feet, and not have to worry about slipping.

Make sure you get a bath rug with an anti-skid surface on the bottom though! If you purchase one (or a set) with a smooth surface, you're going to run into the same problems you had with the slippery tile floor - perhaps more so.

Another advantage to stepping onto a rug from the shower is the ability to step onto something soft. Those with back or foot problems can appreciate this seemingly otherwise tiny advantage.

Many people like to use a number of bath rugs to ensure that they can move about the bathroom and stay on a soft, warm surface whether its coming out of the shower, or moving to the sink to brush your teeth, shave, put on makeup, etc.

But perhaps the two biggest advantages to bath rugs are the cost, and the wide variety of sizes and styles available. Most of the rugs are rather inexpensive compared to the cost of fully carpeting your bathroom, so you can have the luxury of changing hem out when you get bored with them, and want something different in there. This also makes them cheaper to replace if they get soaked from a broken pipe or a toilet overflow.

The wide variety of styles and colors means that you can match almost any decor imaginable. Thanks to inumerable colors, sizes, styles and textures, you can design your bathroom almost any way you like.

The lowly bath rug - what it lacks in standing, it more then returns in practicality and usefullness.