DIY Cleaning: Make Your Own Yoga Mat Spray Wash

IY Cleaning: Make Your Own Yoga Mat Spray Wash

While practicing yoga this morning, we realized (with a bit of embarrassment) that it had been awhile since we'd cleaned or wiped down my mat. For a deep cleaning, warm water and mild soap works, but what we really need is a daily spray we can use to wipe down my mat after every use. We know there are "yoga mat washes" out there we can purchase, but honestly, $10 seems like a bit of a rip-off. So, we set out to find a DIY recipe for our own all-natural mat cleaner:

Here are two easy and inexpensive recipes:

Recipe #1:

• Three drops of tea tree oil
• Two drops of peppermint oil
• Two drops of lavender oil
• Distilled water

Recipe #2
This is for a stronger antibacterial/antifungal spray.

• 1 part warm water with 3 parts white vinegar
• Add 8-12 drops of essential oils like eucalyptus, lemongrass, lavender, mint, or tea tree oil

For both solutions, mix thoroughly and place the solution in a spray bottle.

Spray Cleaning Instructions:

1. Spray your yoga mat cleaner liberally over the surface of your mat. If your mat seems especially dirty, let the cleanser sit and soak in a bit before cleaning it off.

2. Wipe the yoga mat with a wet cloth or sponge. When the cleanser has been thoroughly removed, rub the mat down with a soft dry cloth, like a small towel or washcloth. Now repeat on the other side.

3. Allow your mat to air dry, which should take only about 5 to 10 minutes. If it takes longer than this, try rubbing your mat down more with the towel to remove the excess water and speed up the drying time.

Via: eHow and Wai Lana Yoga

(Images: 1. Ashtanga Sadhana; 2. Flickr member Kerrie Longo licensed under Creative Commons; )

Originally published 2009-12-10 - CB

Comments (6)

If you have space to hang your mat out to dry, yoga mats do well in the washing machine too.

posted by Lucia G on December 11th 2009 at 8:37am
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I make my own lavender water for ironing and freshening clothes and it works great for my yoga mat too -- the addition of vodka to the distilled water and essential oil provides deodorizing, germ killing and cleaning power.

posted by rosanne on December 11th 2009 at 1:12pm
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I use a 50/50 mix of water and white vinegar. Works very well. Too lazy to bother with the essential oils, but I'm sure they make a nice addition.

posted by Sydney on May 10th 2010 at 9:50am
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You can also toss into a front-loading washing machine. I do this every few months and then line dry.

posted by InMadison on May 10th 2010 at 11:00am
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I use one of those mat-sized yoga towels on top of my mat. It keeps me more stable in my poses. I just roll it up with my mat and wash it as needed.

http://thesweetest3.com/

posted by catcam on May 10th 2010 at 2:43pm
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1. Why does re nest advocate use of non biodegradable yoga mat?
2- and even if u did an article on how to clean...why is it that there is not a single mention of whether it is synthetic or not...ever yoga mat sold in stores is 100%polymer
3. Please mention such things so that people are not mis lead