How to clean a yoga mat?
Our yoga mat is our sacred place to sweat out our stresses and emotions, to be free and have fun! It’s only natural that our mats can get a little mucky after a few yoga sessions (especially hot yoga). So to keep on getting the most out of your mat, it needs to be cleaned!
We work with natural rubber when creating our Paws mats. When working with natural materials like rubber, the top layer acts in a similar way to our skin. This porous surface over time, can get clogged with natural oils and sweat from our bodies. We recommend cleaning once a week if you are practicing regularly or post hot yoga sessions. Take a look at our quick and easy video guide on how to clean your yoga mat.
To clean your Yogi Bare mat take one fresh lemon and squeeze the juice into a small bowl - remember to remove the pips! Then dilute the lemon juice with a little warm water and mix together.
Dip a clean cloth into the mixture and wring out until it's just damp (if you soak the mat it may denature the natural rubber. This small amount of acid from the lemon with cut through the dirt and grease, with the warm water washing away sweat and marks. Wipe the mat all over - don't worry if the rubber looks darker in colour - this is the natural material's response to water and it will quickly dry off.
We don't recommend the mats are left out in direct sunlight, but instead laying flat inside your home. We would also not advise using essential oils during your practice, sun cream/lotions or body creams as the oil may clog your mat's pores.
Why do you need to clean a yoga mat?
But why is it so important to clean your yoga mat you may ask? A clean yoga mat will feel as good as new if cleaned with proper love and care. Think of your Yogi Bare mat like it’s your skin; you wouldn’t get all sweaty without showering after, or skip out on taking off a sweaty day’s worth of makeup - so you need to do the same with your mat. To clean and refresh your mat’s pores follow our guided video above.
Regularly cleaning your yoga mat will:
- Maintain the grip of your mat
- Handle any sweat marks on the rubber surface (a natural side effect of working on a natural material)
- Stops any sweaty smells from lingering
- Preserves the natural rubber for more time to play
- Ensure your mat stays handsome and high performing for longer
- Handle any sweat marks on the rubber surface (a natural side effect of working on a natural material)
- Stops any sweaty smells from lingering
- Preserves the natural rubber for more time to play
- Ensure your mat stays handsome and high performing for longer
A clean yoga mat = happy yogi!
If you want something more in depth, then have a read of our how to clean your yoga mat guided blog.
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