I have this mat by my kitchen sink to catch the water I drop when washing my pots and pans. So far it has served this purpose well. It is a thick shag so it can trap food if used in the kitchen but I have found that a good shake outside and this problem is taken care of expeditiously.I have only washed it once thus far but the mat came out fine and I didn't see any evidence of colors running or threads coming out.I will say that it takes a good day to air dry in my apartment after washing but it dried in a few hours when I tested it getting out of the shower.I definitely recommend this mat.