Has your yoga mat seen one too many downward dogs? Emily Dalton, customer-service manager for Hugger-Mugger Yoga Products, inventor of one of the most popular mats on the market, recommends cleaning it about every other week to keep it sticky (in a good way).
For light cleaning, mix one part water with three parts mild soap (like Woolite) in a spray bottle. Spritz the mat, and wipe it dry with a soft cloth or towel.
If your mat is heavily soiled, fill the bathtub with cool water and add a drop of mild soap. Scrub with a soft cloth, soak for a half-hour, and scrub again. Rinse thoroughly. Place the mat on a dry towel, and roll them both up, jelly roll–like (so the mat is inside), to squeeze out excess water. Unroll mat, and hang up to dry.
by Myra G. Kelley
Comments (10)
This does not work for my mat. I sweat pretty heavily when I do my yoga so my mat tends to get pretty funky. I’ve tried mild cleansers as well as citrus-based ones and the smell never seems to go fully away. Is there anything else that I can try?
try 1 part vinegar and 1 part water and spray on your mat then wipe it down. it will take care of the smell. it works for me. vinegar is natural disenfectant.
I stuck my mat in the tub and cleaned it, but now it smells like mold! What did I do wrong?
Elise, your mat may have absorbed water and begun to mildew from not drying completely
I always use a special yoga mat towel ( with the little rubber beads that stick to the mat) this way you can wash your towel after each class and your mat stays clean.
Roll out mat in backyard on grass. Mix “dawn” dishwashing soap with water. Hose the mat then use a brush to clean mat with “dawn”. Rinse mat with a hose.Roll up between a towel. Hang damp mat from skirt hanger in shade of backyard.
I clean my mat everyday with mat wipes. After a year with this mat, it seems to have lost a lot of it’s “stick”. Is there any way to restore the stick, or do I need to just buy another mat ?
I have a Gaiam sticky mat and have found a mild white vinegar and water solution used with a cotton cloth, to wipe down my mat works very well. Use tap hot water in a bowl with a splash of white vinegar, wring out the cloth well before wiping down your mat and allow to air dry.
Part of my yoga mat has been stained with human vomit. I cleaned with soap + water & detergent + water only on that particular soiled area. What I observed are it’s still wet after 2 days under air-conditioning, and the smell of vomit stayed. What should I do? I am living in an apartment where I get no back/front yard to expose the mat under the sun.
Many thanks / ju
couple drops of tea tree oil in a spray bottle with water.. just squirt it on mat and wipe with clean hand towel (or whatever) both sides of mat. i use a towel over my mat but still my mat gets drenched with sweat so i recommend cleaning if you know sweat is in or on ur mat.