I was just asked this question the other day and it reminded me it has been a while since we have talked about this.
How do I clean my yoga mat?
There are a lot of different thoughts around how to clean your mat. There are companies that sell wipes and sprays but I tend to stick to easy options I can do with what I have around the house. Here are the four common methods I use depending on the time of year.
Option 1
Most people have liquid soap be it hand soap or dish soap. Take and put 1-2 drops of soap in a gallon bucket mix up with water and wipe down mat with a cloth using the liquid mixture.
Option 2
Use a 2oz spray bottle. Fill it 2/3 full of distilled water, a pinch of Himalayan sea salt and 4-5 drops of Young Living Purification oil. Spray mat and wipe down with cloth.
Option 3
During cold and flu season, I use this option. Use a 2oz spray bottle. Fill it 2/3 full of distilled water, a pinch of Himalayan sea salt and 4-5 drops of Young Living Thieves oil. Spray mat and wipe down with cloth.
Option 4
Use this option in the summer when you have been using your mat outdoors a lot. You will need to use your outdoor hose. Lay your mat on the grass and spray down with hose on both sides. Create bucket in option 1 and toss ½ on each side of mat. Rub with cloth and spray back down with water. Lay mat over chair in sun for several hours. Be sure to flip it over every 4-5 hrs. This process requires at least 2 days for the mat to dry.
I’ve done option 4 before in my tub in the winter but, it is kind of messy and I don’t recommend it. If you really want to though, you can hang the mat over the shower door or rod to dry.
Personally, I try to do option 4 at least once every summer to do a deep clean.
Keep in mind that each time you clean your mat, it can impact the stickiness of your mat. This is especially true with cheaper mats that lose their stick quickly.
In the end, do what method works best for you. As you can see from above in the summer I use spray and do the once a year deep cleaning. In the winter I stay to doing the spray.
If you are interested in learning more about essential oils, join one of my yoga and oils workshops.