Keep your Practice Clean!

How to clean your yoga mat? Good question. We all want to keep our mats clean, bacteria free, with no undesired odors, and have them last. Unfortunately the answer is not as easy as one might think. Depending on your yoga mat, you may have different approaches on how to clean your yoga mat and have it smelling fresh. Here are some suggestions for how to clean your yoga mat that won’t react with your mat’s composition.

Manduka eko

For instance, if you have a biodegradable mat such as a Manduka eKO Yoga Mat, a great organic way to clean your mat is to mix one cup of water and one cup of cider vinegar. Place the solution into a spray bottle, shake well and spray your mat down. Wipe your mat off as well as possible with a soft cloth. Let your mat hang dry. Sunlight will decrease the life of your eKo so avoid direct sunlight.

Manduka

If you own the popular Manduka Black Mat PRO, you can use the same 50/50 vinegar and water solution. These mats are long-lasting and made of PVC, so these mats can be left in the sun to help decrease drying time. You can also add some Pure Tea Tree Oil to the solution as an antimicrobial additive, allowing your mat to stay cleaner, longer.

If you don’t like the smell of tea tree oil or prefer a different scent, you can try creating the vinegar/water solution, adding lemon or orange slices to the solution and letting it sit (infuse) for a week. The solution will take on the smell of the citrus fruit. Remove the fruit with a strainer and place the solution in a spray bottle. Shake before each use.

An easy alternative to making your own cleaning solutions is to purchase, Manduka Mat Renew for Manduka eKO or Manduka Mat Restore for Manduka  Black Mat PRO. Containing essential oils and being alcohol free, these products help you keep your mat clean and smelling fresh.

Another alternative is to purchase Jo-Sha Wipes.  Jo-Sha Essential Oil Wipes are available in five natural scents: Lavender, Tea Tree, Tangerine, Eucalyptus and Peppermint. These prepackaged, individual wipes make cleaning easy and convenient.

Lululemon

Lululemon’s Mat can be clean in the same way as the Manduka mats. Made of polyrethane, rubber, and latex, The Mat can handle cleaners made with essential oil and vinegar. Lululemon also suggests using a solution of warm water and baking soda. After cleaning the mat with the warm water and baking soda solution, rinse the mat with water and hang to dry.

Jade

Jade Harmony Yoga Mats are made of natural rubber from rubber trees. Do not use vinegar or tea tree oil on these mats because they aid in decomposition. Unlike Manduka mats, these mats are 100% natural rubber. Do not use Manduka Mat Renew on Jade mats because it contains vinegar.

Jade, open cell, rubber mats are extremely absorbent. A great way to keep a Jade mat clean is to gently wipe off the mat with distilled water after each use.

If you need a deep clean, fill your bathtub with a few inches of lukewarm water. The water should cover the entire mat. Allow the mat to soak in the tub for 15-30 minutes. If oils from the body are on the mat, they will release and float to the top of the water, during soaking. Gently rub the mat’s surface with a soft cloth to release any extra dirt and oil. Mild organic soap can be used in the bath if desired. Pull the mat out of the water and rinse. Do not drain the bathtub with your mat still in it, because it can cause the recollection of dirt and oil onto your mat’s surface.

To help with drying, place your rubber mat on a towel and place a towel on top. You can then press into the mat, releasing the water. When you feel a good amount of water has been released, hang the mat to dry. Because rubber is an organic biodegradable material, do not use heat, such as sunlight, to dry.

prAna

prAna Revolution Natural Sticky Mat, made of 100% rubber, and E.C.O.  mat, made of Thermal Plastic Elastomer (TPE), a synthetic rubber, should be cared for in a similar fashion as a Jade mat. Do not use vinegar or tea tree oil on these mats. To clean these mats, wipe down the mats with distilled water and a clean soft towel, or with a 15-30 minute immersion bath.

Gaiam

Mats such as the Gaiam Reversible Travel Yoga Mat, can be cleaned by placing them in a front loaded washing machine. Run the machine with cold water on the hand wash cycle. You can also try running the washer with cold water on the gentle cycle. Gentle detergent may be used if desired.

Another quick alternative is to purchase “Super Yoga Mat Wash” from Gaiam to clean your mat after each use.

To extend the life of your mat, keep it clean and smelling great, make sure you do your research on what your mat is made of, or check with the manufacturer on the best cleaning procedures for your mat. Not only will you feel better from having a clean mat but it will also help you stay safe by removing body oils that can cause slipping in the future.

Author: Joyce Hsu, is an Ashtanga and Prenatal Yoga Teacher in Mountain View, CA. In her free time she draws yoga cartoons every Wednesday and breaks down yoga poses every Saturday in her blog.