ROANOKE, VA — Taking a cue from the contamination control industry, a Roanoke-based company is hoping to make the home a cleaner place with a new sticky doormat.

Officials at the Egg Factory are in the process of developing the Tech-Mat, an indoor doormat modeled after adhesive mats that are found in the anteroom of cleanroom facilities.

“We thought, ‘If it?s good enough for a cleanroom, why isn’t it good enough for someone’s entryway?'” Brad Blum, innovation project manager of the Egg Factory, told the Roanoke Times.

According to the company’s website, six U.S. and foreign patent applications are being sought. Two applications have already been allowed by the U.S. Patent and Trademark office, according to published reports.

The mat will combine a moisture-absorbing, carpeted base with disposable, peel-away sticky sheets that will collect dirt and other debris from shoes. Stopping dirt at the entryway will “result in significant time and cost savings for the homeowner.”

The company is in the process of either selling or licensing the Tech-Mat and officials hope the mats will be in production shortly.

–Jeff VanPelt