We've gone through so many runners in our kitchen because they always get stained, our cats tear them apart, and they look super worn and dirty fast. This rug is meant to be a kitchen area rug. One of the first days we had it I flipped a fried egg, missed the pan and it smashed all over the rug. I was able to scrub it with a stain remover product and it came out completely. I love that it's machine washable -- will definitely be taking advantage of that feature.