Yoga can be exhausting, so it’s important to clean your mat regularly – e.g. with our DIY yoga mat cleaner. Check out these four easy recipes for cork, rubber, PVC, and cotton yoga mats.
Yoga mats are made up of a variety of different materials, including cotton, cork, PVC, and rubber. Each material requires different care, so there is no one size fits all solution for cleaning your yoga mat. It is typically recommended to do a weekly gentle clean and a deep clean once a month, depending on the frequency of your yoga practice. We’ll show you some DIY yoga mat cleaners for the most common types of mats.
1. Cleaning Cork Yoga Mats
Cork is a very popular natural material for yoga mats and blocks because it has antimicrobial and antibacterial qualities. For regular cleaning, all you need is some cold water and a soft cloth because the cork does most of the work.
- Dampen a soft cloth with cold water and wipe your yoga mat down at least once a week, then hang to dry.
If there are sweat stains or marks on your cork yoga mat, and you want to give it a deep clean, you can use this DIY yoga mat cleaner.
- ¾ cup water
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 3 drops of essential oil (lavender, tea tree, lemongrass or eucalyptus have disinfecting qualities)
Simply add all the ingredients into a spray bottle and shake well to combine. Then, spray the mat and wipe down with a slightly damp soft cloth and hang the mat to dry.
2. DIY Yoga Mat Cleaner for Rubber Mats
When it comes to cleaning, rubber mats require frequent and gentle care. This material is quite porous meaning it easily absorbs fluids (including sweat)! Therefore, when it comes to cleaning, you don’t want to use much liquid and you want to ensure it gets fully dry.
- Add a few drops of dish soap to some water in a spray bottle and shake to combine.
- Lightly spray your DIY yoga mat cleaner on your rubber mat and wipe it off with a slightly damp soft cloth.
- To dry, cover the mat with a towel, roll it up, and leave to dry at room temperature. Tip: sunshine can actually cause quite a bit of damage to rubber mats, so it’s best to leave it inside.
3. Cotton Yoga Mats Can Go in the Washing Machine
Yoga mats made of cotton can be tossed in with your laundry, making them incredibly easy to clean. However, for best results, consider hand washing your cotton yoga mat. Additionally, make sure to never throw your cotton yoga mat into a dryer (may cause shrinkage), hang to dry instead.
4. Home PVC Yoga Mat Cleaner
While PVC yoga mats are not recommended for sustainable yoga practice, the reality is that this is the most common type of mat out there. They are incredibly easy to clean because the material itself isn’t in any way sensitive. You can use any of the above DIY yoga mat cleaners on a PVC yoga mat. If you want a really deep clean, you can also make one with the following ingredients:
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 drops tea tree oil
Add the ingredients into a spray bottle and shake to combine. The vinegar and baking soda will fizz up and will help to clean your yoga mat. This spray is safe to use after every yoga session, or as a deep clean. Towel off your mat after cleaning, and hang to fully dry.
Tip: Another method of cleaning your PVC yoga mat is to take it into the shower with you once a month and give it a good hose down.
Do you like this post?