Does anyone else do yoga? I have been taking Yoga and Piloga classes twice a week for a few years now and I love it.
I have an easy homemade spray you can make with a few simple ingredients to clean and freshen your mat. I always cringe when I don’t have time to clean my mat because I just know it gets all sorts of cooties from being on the floor of the gym. Plus I am sweating on it and stepping on it and sitting on it and well– it is nice to know the mat has been properly cleaned. That sweat can lead to tons of bacteria on your mat.
So to start out each mat manufacturer will have specific care instructions. You can google the instructions if you are concerned about removing the stickiness of your mat.
I have been cleaning my mat myself for at least 8 years now without any issues. But note many of the bigger manufacturers have cleaning products they sell- for example Gaiam has mat wipes and mat spray for $10- if you want to be 100% certain that no damage will come to your mat.
If you do want to clean your own mat, here is an easy spray to make at home.
I like to use tea tree oil in the spray- it smells wonderful and has natural cleansing benefits.
So you can simply mix your spray- here are a few recipes depending on your preference:
- Add 1 cup of water and about 1 teaspoon of tea tree oil to a spray bottle.
- Spritz on your mat and wipe away with a towel.
You can also add half water and half vinegar to clean your mat if you don’t have tea tree. I personally use a very small spray bottle and fill it with half water and half white vinegar. Then I add several drops of tea tree oil. (My bottle pictured takes just under 1/2 cup of each and about 15 drops of tea tree oil).
That’s it! Simple!
You want to be careful with any soaps or other cleaners because they can ruin the stickiness of your mat and also you may slip and fall if the residue is left behind.
I like to deep clean my mat once every few weeks too. I actually toss my mat in the washing machine with just a few drops of mild laundry soap on the gentle cycle- something like Woolite is best. You can lay your mat out on towels to dry or put it outside. Just be super careful outside because a mat can actually dry out.
If you feel uncomfortable with the washing machine – or your mat manufacturer warns against it- you can fill the bathtub up with water and just a tiny TINY bit of soap. I use Dr Bronner’s tea tree myself- and submerge the mat on both sides and then remove from water, wipe down well and let dry. I don’t use the spin cycle and I would never, ever put a mat in the dryer.
It is super important to be sure your mat is completely dry again to protect against bacteria. You can also roll your towel up with a big fluffy towel and step on it to get more water out.
And if you need to pick up the supplies I used:
- I sometimes buy Aura Cacia Tea Tree Oil (available at Whole Foods or click here for Amazon)
- or if you prefer therapeutic grade oils, you can choose from several starter kits from Young Living here. These are way more potent oils and they are safe to ingest or apply topically. I have the premium starter kit myself and use it all the time.
- I use a little blue essential oil bottle to spritz my mat- mine was about $2.50 at Whole Foods for the plastic version. There are similar styles available on Amazon in glass or plastic.
And here are a few other things you might like:
Two ingredient sugar hand scrub
Jamie Hobbs says
I use that same cleaner for everything around my house and make it in a big squirt bottle. I also add a couple of drops of lavender to it as well.
Charlene says
Ha! That is awesome Jamie. I decided against lavender for my mat just cause I didn’t want relaxation during yoga. I like to be focused or I might turn into one of those comics on Pinterest 😀