Five Things You Need to Know About Paw Cleaning

Why Absorbency is important and what materials are Absorbing

Absorbing materials like paper and cotton "suck up" water, non Absorbing materials like polyester and poly fabrics do not
Dry paws carry less dirt, debris and mud into the house. The more
absorbing a material is, the better it can "suck up" water and dry your
dogs paws
Papers made from hardwood tree fibers are very absorbing, like
toilet tissue and paper towels. Plastics or oil based materials like
polyester, polyporpylene polyvinylchloride (vinyl), and "poly"
materials are generally not absorbing and repel water.

Water is sucked up from a dogs feet into paper by a 'capillary
action' process. As wet paws touch the paper, or any absorbing
material, the sucking action begins and water is moved from the paws
into the absorbing material.
The more steps a dog takes on a mat that is really absorbing, or
the longer the dog stands on the mat, the more water is removed from the bottom of their feet.

Getting water removed from your dog's feet is the most important
part of getting clean paws. If paws are dry, there is no mud. Things
from the yard do not stick as well to dry paws as they do to wet paws.
Mats that are made of plastic or "poly" materials are non absorbing.
A disposable mat that is highly absorbing
is generally more effective at drying paws than a washable mat.

When a mat is highly absorbent it sucks up water on contact.
Your dog can dry their own paws by walking on mats designed specifically for this purpose. The more they walk on the mats, the dryer their paws will be.

Wet paws carry more mold, bacteria and pollen than dry paws.
Water from the yard contains many organisms and pollen. If you remove
the water from paws, most organisms are also removed.