I’m ashamed to admit how much satisfaction I get every year watching my neighbors spread wood mulch for hours upon hours in the blazing sun. Meanwhile I’m lazily sipping a glass of iced tea and admiring my perfect looking flower beds. It’s at times like those, I know for a fact that rubber mulch is totally, 100% worth it.
Along with my own experience, I’ve scoured hundreds of forum posts, asked master gardeners and talked with local landscaping experts to get the low down on rubber mulch. During my research I found a surprising number of recommended rubber mulches. However, Vigoro Rubber Mulch was the overall best option available.
Best Rubber Mulch – Vigoro Rubber Mulch
Vigoro Rubber Mulch is the mulch of all mulches. It has a wonderfully large organic size and is nearly indistinguishable from real wood mulch. The only way to tell the difference is to physically pick it up and closely examine it. Plus, it’s available in multiple colors and is one of the more cost effective rubber mulch options on the market. I found the smell dissipated much faster than most competing products and the color will last for years and years with zero effort. If you want the best, look no further.
Best Rubber Playground Mulch – KIDWISE Swing Set Playground Rubber Mulch
- Loose fill rubber surfacing is rated for almost twice the fall height when compared to other loose fill materials.
- Rubber Mulch provides a clean area of play than wood chips, and gives children a splinter free surface for play.
When it comes to rubber playground mulch, the Kidwise Swing Set Playground rubber mulch is a true lifesaver. It’ll keep your playground clean, soft, and beautiful year after year. It feels great underfoot and is very safe to run on. Particularly nice is how it’s delivered on a single pallet. This means zero trips to the store and it’ll arrive in your driveway nice and secure. It has a deep chocolate brown color and is sure to be the envy of the neighborhood. Plus, since it is delivered at the same time, it is MUCH more cost effective than buying individual bags and can cover a whopping 300 sq. ft. at over 3” deep.
Top 3 Best Rubber Mulches Comparison Table
Rubber Mulch Buyers Guide
Nothing looks better and enhances curb appeal more than a freshly mulched flower bed. But we all know how much of a pain it is to refresh the mulch year after year to keep it looking in tip top shape. Rubber mulch is the perfect, long lasting solution. It maintains bold coloring, won’t blow away and has a ton of other advantages we’ll touch on throughout this article. However, most folks tend to ask a lot of questions about rubber mulch before buying. We’ve asked the experts for you and have compiled all the answers in a single place.
How long does rubber mulch last?
Most rubber mulch manufacturers state their products will last for upwards of 10 years. In reality we’ve found it to be much longer. The color does begin to fade after 10 years (only slightly) but the rubber mulch itself is still in great condition. Local landscapers told us a quick, budget friendly fix for aging rubber mulch is to just spray it with some mulch dye. A few minutes of spraying and you’ll go back to having the best looking flower bed in the neighborhood.
Are there different types of rubber mulch?
All rubber mulch is made from processed tires, so in that sense, no, all rubber mulch is the same. What does differ is the size and texture of the mulch. There are two main types available, shredded and nuggets. Shredded mulch sort of resembles thin strips of shredded meat. Individual pieces are lightweight and are very soft to walk on. nugget mulch forms bigger, bark-like, pieces and in our opinion is much more natural and better suited for flower beds and gardens.
Does rubber mulch smell?
As soon as you open a bag of rubber mulch it does have a rubbery smell. There is no arguing that point. It’s not terrible, but it’s not natural cedar by any means. However, once I spread the mulch out in my planting bed the smell dissipated in less than a day. Wind and sunshine makes quick work of any residual moisture which is what causes the smell in the first place.
Some folks say rubber mulch smells horrible after it rains. I can safely say that is not true. I went out recently after a heavy rainstorm and stuck my face IN the mulch and it only had a faint smell, mostly it smelled like wet dirt and grass nearby.
The one place it does smell is your car. I made the mistake (only once) of buying it from my local big box store and a bag ripped open and leaked water in the back of my vehicle on the way home. I had to keep my windows open for days so it could all evaporate as Iparked indoors. The water had been stagnant in the bag for ages leading to the strong smell. Once aired out, it never came back. Buy the mulch online and save yourself the trouble.
How much does rubber mulch cost?
Rubber mulch will on average, cost upwards of $10 per cu. Ft. That price is only valid if you plan to do the loading, hauling, transporting, unloading and spreading yourself. If you want it delivered, and trust us you DO want it delivered, it’ll cost you around $25-$35 per cu. Ft.
As for why you want it delivered, well…first off your back won’t ache for weeks, second off your car won’t smell for days if you accidentally rip a bag while driving, and finally you’ll free up the weekend do to other more fun things. Do you need any more reasons?
What is rubber mulch made of?
Rubber mulch is made from recycled, processed tires. Whether that is a whole ground up tire of just the waste tire buffings form a commercial vehicle, it all is the same in the end. You’ll also find small nylon strings embedded in the mulch which is a leftover from the tire itself. They are harmless and actually quite soft. Oftentimes once the rubber mulch is dyed you can’t tell they are there anyway.
Environmental concerns of rubber mulch
There is a lot of talk about rubber mulch being detrimental to the environment or harming plants. However based on our’s, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA), The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, and a third party ChemRisk’s research, rubber mulch is harmless if used correctly.
There are no dangerous levels of airborne chemicals coming off it. What few particles and minerals leach out of rubber mulch are nearly non-existent and not harmful to the environment in any way. It has no adverse effects on children and skin is not sensitive to it. In fact, the beneficial use of rubber mulch saves tires from landfills and put an otherwise wasted piece of trash to good use. In other words, it is perfectly safe to use anywhere.
The only downside is rubber mulch doesn’t provide any positive nutrients to the soil, meaning you’ll have to fertilize your vegetable garden, which you’re probably doing already.
Will rubber mulch prevent termites?
Yes, rubber mulch will dissuade and prevent termites from burrowing into your house. Termites, as we all know, feed on wood. Without wood mulch, a termite has no incentive to move in.
As such, rubber much is a perfect way to get rid of your local termite buffet and prevent a rather nasty bug from taking up residence in your garden and home.
How thick do I need to spread rubber mulch
Local landscapers and master gardeners recommend 1” of mulch for color, 3”-4” of mulch for weed prevention in gardens and planters and 6” for playground areas to help cushion falls.
How do I remove metal bit from rubber mulch?
While we haven’t personally found metal in any bags of rubber mulch, we do know it’s a possibility. To quickly eliminate any metal bits you can grab a strong pole magnet and run it over the mulch once it’s spread out. Any bits of metal will come right up and you’ll have a squishy, soft and safe surface for years to come.
How much rubber mulch do I need to buy
Based on the above recommended spread thicknesses you’ll need to determine the specific number based on the square footage you need to cover. As an example if you have a 3’ x 10’ garden and you want to cover it with 3” of mulch you’ll need 7.5 cu. Ft. of mulch. That means you’ll need about 10, 0.8 cu. ft bag of Vigoro Rubber mulch with a bit left over at the end.
How do I clean rubber mulch?
A common question that’s asked is how the heck do you clean rubber mulch? The answer is a leaf blower. Because rubber mulch is much heavier than traditional wood mulch you can literally blow leaves and yard debris right off it without disturbing the mulch at all!
To go the extra mile, after your done blowing it clean you can take a hose and rinse it, but really that only needs to be done once a year. Alternatively, you can just wait for a large rainstorm to solve your problems for you.
#1 Vigoro Rubber Mulch
As our #1 choice for the best rubber mulch available, Vigoro rubber mulch can save you endless time, money and effort year after year. One of the primary reasons this is our recommended choice is just how amazing it looks. Take a look at some of the pictures below if you don’t believe me. And just for reference these are from my own yard so it’s not some fancy Photoshop picture from a retailers website.
Vigoro uses the better looking shredded nugget type mulch which gives it a very realistic appearance. Depending on what color your existing mulch is, you can get it in the following colors as well
- Mocha Brown
- Cedar Red
- Black
We’ve found the colors to be very bold and even after years have not faded in the slightest. Meanwhile my neighbors wood mulch has turned grey and rotted away pretty much every year without fail.
Vigoro rubber mulch is exclusively available in 0.8 cu. ft. bags which are easy to carry and spread without too much effort. Although, if you’re planning to load 20-30 bags in your vehicle, it can get tiring fairly quickly. That’s why we primarily advise ordering it online to save yourself the effort.
Vigoro states that this mulch will retain its bold coloring for up to 12 years. Based on ours and others experience, this is 100% true as we have noticed zero color fade in the time we’ve had it on the ground.
While this, and all rubber mulch, is fairly expensive you’ll have easily broken even and then some after the 4 or 5 year mark since you don’t have to continually replace it. Even better, while there is an initial smell the second you take it out of the bag, that quickly fades in less than a day and, from what we noticed, has never returned.
In the end, Vigoro makes an excellent rubber mulch product and we can’t recommend it enough. It’s classy, long lasting and has bolt coloring for all your landscaping needs. Simply put, this is the best rubber mulch out there.
#2 Rubberific Rubber Mulch
- Sold on Amazon
Another one of the top rated rubber mulch products is Rubberific Rubber Mulch. You’ll find that unlike our number one choice, Rubberific has opted to use finely shredded tires for their bags. This means you’ll have long thin pieces of mulch that, while very soft, are a bit more lightweight and can potentially blow away.
Rubberific rubber mulch is available in a couple of different colors to suit your landscaping needs and is very competitively priced.
As is common with most shredded rubber mulches, Rubberific rubber mulch is a bit more difficult to keep clean. You can’t just blow it off as you’d risk blowing rubber mulch around your yard. As such, you’ll just have to resort to hand picking any bit bits out and rinsing it down occasionally. A light wind will be able to clean up grass clippings, so no need to worry about that.
As with our #1 choice, Rubberific has a 12 year color guarantee. That just goes to show you how confident they are that their product will stand the test of time. Plus, this mulch is Non-toxic and IPEMA certified for safe use on playgrounds. Your kiddos will be safe and you’ll be happy.
Even better, as with any rubber mulch, this will pretty much keep any insects away as they are not able to eat it! Who doesn’t like a termite free flower bed?
Overall, if you’re not able to find Vigoro Rubber Mulch in stock, Rubberific is a perfectly acceptable runner up. It’ll look good for years to come, has vibrant colors and will make you feel great when you don’t have to refresh the mulch in the spring.
#3 KIDWISE Swing Set Playground Rubber Mulch 75 Cu.Ft. Pallet
- Loose fill rubber surfacing is rated for almost twice the fall height when compared to other loose fill materials.
- Rubber Mulch provides a clean area of play than wood chips, and gives children a splinter free surface for play.
When it comes to covering a playground in rubber mulch, nothing is safer or more cost effective than buying in bulk. A single pallet of Kidwise Swing Set Playground Rubber Mulch will go a long way towards making your new playground a perfect kid friendly zone.
This stuff is cheap. There is no doubt about it, if you need to cover a large area this is what you’re after. As mentioned earlier, playground rubber mulch should be spread at least 6” thick (3” is fine on softer soils) for a nice soft playing surface. When you’re looking at 10’ x 20’ areas, that is a lot of required mulch.
From a distance you can’t tell that it is rubber, and even up close it is not obvious unless you know what you are looking for.
User Review
This bulk shipment of rubber moss is a massive 75 cu. Ft. or the equivalent of almost 94 smaller bags and will save you a ton of effort in the long run. Plus, the drivers are usually nice enough to drop it off nearly in place so you just have to shove it around and level it off.
Color wise you’ll have a ton of choice. We’ve listed the major colors available below for reference.
As we said, you can pick pretty much any color under the stars. We also love how this kid friendly rubber mulch is 99.9% metal free. This is great for some peace of mind and mean no running over it with a magnet and no fuss. Just spread it and forget it.
Overall, if you want to buy playground rubber mulch in bulk, Kidwise Swing Set Playground Rubber mulch is the stuff to get. It’s cheap, colorful and will last season after season.
Summary
Overall, rubber mulch is a great way to make your flower beds and playgrounds look great year after year. You won’t need to replace it for decades and it requires very little to no maintenance. It is superior to wood mulch in nearly every way. While it is pricey, in 4-5 years folk who opt for wood mulch will end up paying more than you and doing more work. That a lose lose situation if you as me. Go with our recommended Vigoro Rubber Mulch and forget about yearly mulch refreshing and throwing your money in the dirt (literally).
Now that you’ve freed up a bit of time, you might wan to consider looking into a new BBQ island for some real fun!
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