Why is it important to clean your yoga mat?

When we were small our parents would sneak our beloved Teddy Bears out from under our sleeping arms or quiet bedrooms while we were at school … and give them a jolly good clean.

Now we are grown ups its down to us to care for our new love - our Yogi Bare mat!

Our mat is our sacred place to sweat out our stresses and emotions. 

We work with natural rubber when creating our Paws mats. When working with natural materials the top layer is kind of like our skin and over time this layer can get clogged with sweat and our skins natural oils. We wouldn’t ever keep on sweating without showering or piling foundation on top of more foundation without a disaster pending would we?

So we have to clean our mats pores too. Benefits of good yoga mat hygiene include:

• Maintain the grip
• Handle those tiger stripes // sweat marks on the rubber surface - a natural side effect of working on a natural material
• Ensure your mat stays handsome and high performing for longer!

We recommend cleaning once a week if practicing regularly or post extra sweaty//hot session. 

How to clean your PAWS yoga mat

It's easy peasy lemon squeezy! Take one fresh lemon and squeeze the juice into a small bowl - remove the pips!

Mix and dilute with a little warm water and using a clean cloth, dip in the solution and thoroughly wring out until damp. We do not want to soak the mat or get it super wet as this is denature the rubber. 

The small amount of acid from the lemon will cut through dirt and grease and the warm water will wash away sweat and grime. 

Wipe down several times. Do not be alarmed if it looks darker/ marked - the rubber responds to water and quickly dries out. Leave to dry flat. 

We do not recommend the mats are left out in direct sunlight. We love vitamin D for our happiness levels  but we do not love the effect of the sun on natural rubber.

Please do not use essential oils on the mat and try not to practice with sun cream/ body lotion/ hand cream on your body and hands … the mat will drink this up and it gets stuck in the pores … just think Mat Acne. 

How to clean a TEDDY yoga Mat

Our Teddy mats can be popped into the washing machine - we recommend a low setting (30 degrees max) and a small amount of eco friendly laundry soap. 

Hang dry over the back of the door or line … and if you are working on your shoulder strength for handstands, why not see how long you can hang next to it!

We do not recommend the mats are left out to dry in the sun. We love vitamin D for our happiness levels  but we do not love the effect of the sun on natural rubber.

How often should you clean your PAWS yoga mat?

It’s best practise to give your yoga mat a simple clean and wipe down once every two weeks, or after a session if you have had a particularly active or sweaty session.

Every 4 months or if you feel the mat needs a deep clean to restore grip and beauty mix a heavily diluted solution of white vinegar, bicarbonate soda and lukewarm water - heavily wring out a clean cloth until its just damp and wipe down 2-3 times. We only recommend this method as a last resort every few months - do not do this regularly as it can cause damage to the mat surface. 

How should you let your yoga mat dry?

PAWS mats should be laid flat in a dry place and not in direct sunlight.