I feel like so many of my posts have started out with…
“On Facebook, I asked you about x,y, and z and you gave me 5 gazillion suggestions.”
Well, you’ve done it again. Do you charge a fee for this service? Maybe we can put it on my tab… =)
This time, I pestered you for tips on homemade or store-bought yoga mat cleaners.
It turns out there are a million and one ways to clean a yoga mat. Or maybe more. What began as an innocent journey into making my own mat cleaner, turned into a ton of reading and researching online.
There are as many different options as there are opinions on what to use. If you make your own mat cleaner, chances are you have your favourite mix. I think a good place to start when figuring out which mat cleaner will work for you is to check with your mat brand and see what they recommend. The “right” cleaning methods and ingredients can vary a lot from mat to mat.
Of course, I didn’t take my own advice! I started by making my cleaner first, only to find out later from a discussion with my mat brand- Lululemon – that they don’t recommend using essential oils on their mats because it can clog the pores of the mat.
Do as I say, not as I do!
However, I’m in the market for a new mat because my mat is cracking all over the place. The Manduka pro mat (or maybe the lite?) is high up on my list right now since it has a lifetime guarantee and is rated very well. I’m still not sure though.
I went on Manduka’s Facebook page and asked them if essentials oils would clog the pores of their mats.
Manduka: “Well, our mats don’t exactly have pores. We use a closed-cell technology on both sides of the PRO series mats and on the practice side (the one with the sea grass texture) of the eKO mats. Which means, essential oils after a cleaning should be just fine! A few drops in your cleanser is a great way to do both – that’s how we make our organic Manduka Mat Washes.”
good to know! I suggest checking with your mat brand to be sure.
This is what I used to make my mat cleaner:
- White vinegar
- purified water
- tea tree oil
- essential oil
I did a lot of reading online about various homemade cleaners and most people suggest using white vinegar. I used 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water, but the mixtures can vary a lot. You can also use witch hazel or lemon juice, but I find white vinegar to be more cost effective. If you are concerned about using vinegar on your mat, you can try using alcohol-free witch hazel which I’ve heard also works.
Here’s my yoga mat spray “recipe”
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 3 cups filtered water
- 1 tsp tea tree oil
- Essential oil (about 10-30 drops depending preference) peppermint, lavender, and thyme are nice, but use anything you like!
1. Place all ingredients into a large spray bottle and shake before each use.
2. Spray down your mat on one side and let it sit for a few minutes. With a damp cloth, wipe it down. Finally, wipe it with a dry towel or simply let it air dry.
3. Repeat on other side.
Thanks to ehow, 3 Healthy Chicks, and Eco Yogini for the tips.
Obviously this isn’t the only solution for cleaning your mat and I will probably play around with different methods at some point!
If you want to give your mat a super deep clean, you can place it in a bathtub with hot water (just an inch over your mat- not a full tub), some vinegar (maybe 1 cup?), and essential oil and let it soak for at least an hour. You can then rub it down on both sides with a soft cloth while it’s in the tub. Rinse it and then hang it on a clothing rack until completely air dry (note: this can often take 48 hours to dry completely, so be warned).
Also be careful with using liquid soap in your cleaner because it can get into the mat and suds can seep out while you practice. Some people get away with just adding a couple drops to a big bottle of water though, so I really think it depends on how much you add.
As for me, I’m still loving the classes that I’ve been doing since my knee injury:
- Hot yoga (in various styles) 1-2x week
- Hot Pilates 1x week
- Yoga with weights 1x week
- Yoga Spinn (45 mins spin class followed by 15 mins yoga!) 2x week
- Walking
It’s a wonderful balance of cardio, strength, and flexibility (and might I add, my spiritual practice and emotional well-being). I feel stronger than I think I ever have and I look forward to the variety each day.
My knee has been feeling great for the past couple weeks, so yesterday I finally decided to go for my first run in a month. It went very well and I had zero pain, although admittedly, I felt a bit out of my running groove. Regardless, it felt so good to be out there running again, even if it was just a shorter one. My plan right now is to slooowly build up my running, while still enjoying my other classes for variety. Injuries are frustrating, but sometimes they force us to try new things and discover a passion in other forms of exercise. For that, I’m very grateful.
Glad to hear that your knee is doing better. Getting back into running after a little hiatus is always tricky – things just don’t seem to cooperate! I’m trying to use that to keep my momentum going and stay “on the wagon” until I’ve completed a half marathon – I’d hate to get close and quit and have to battle it back from square one all over again!
Check out Jade yoga mats. My all time favorite mat…espeacially for hot yoga. The Manduka mats are extremely heavy and a pain to carry after an intense class. And since they don’t absorb I find that I slide around a little. Jade mats are great for hot yoga they grip the floor and are super light to carry.
Thanks for the tips, I will check them out!
I have to second this!! I treated myself to a Jade mat for my birthday a few years ago and have never regretted it. I find my hands really “stick” to the Jade in a way that they never did with my Lululemon mat.
It may be hard to find everywhere, but I KNOW that they carry them at Kula Yoga (there’s one in Burlington and one in Oakville) and they are worth the work to track one down.
I third that. Jade Yoga mats are the best. Roots have Jade Mats in their stores now and possibly on-line. At $80 it is well worth the investment. Absolutley no slipping or sliding ever. :-)
Also check out “the mat” at lululemon. It’s a mat that doesn’t need a towel and is slipless. It’s my favourite mat. BUT, you can’t use a tea tree based cleaner on it because its an oil based which takes away from the mats ability to absorb your sweat. I use a lemon water cleaner on mine. I love this mat, no slip, no towel, no fuss.
Agreed! Try “the mat”..
The best mat I’ve ever owned and I do a lot of hot yoga.
Also to clean “the mat” from lululemon you just fill the bathtub with antibacterial soap and water and let it sit for a while and then just hang dry the mat.
Try “the matt” from lulu!! Its the best.
Agreed!
I have a Manduka and a Jade, the manduka turns into a slip and slide as soon as I start to sweat (and yes, I waited out the breaking in period).
The Jade is amazing, I never ever slip and I am a sweaty person.
Jade all the way.
I love the color of the mat, it just screams summer & energy to me!! :)
I kind of want to take this to the gym to wipe down all their nasty ab mats. *shudder*
I quit going to one gym because it almost got shut down by the CDC because so many people got staph infections.
I’ve had my Manduka for three years, and it looks as good as it did on Day One. They’re HEAVY but worth every penny. I was going through 2-3 sticky mats a year before I bought the Manduka.
Ive heard this from so many people. I think if it’s that durable it’s worth it!
Do Mandukas slide on carpet? I’m looking for a good mat to do plyo on, and I don’t have hard floors.
Nope! I use mine at home on carpet and it doesn’t slide around at all.
The Manduka BlackMat Pro is amazingly durable. I’ve tried an “Eco” version at the studio I teach, and I don’t find them as good. Because they’re made to biodegrade, they wear down faster (whereas my Pro mat looks new after 2 years of regular use). I believe that buying something which is not necessarily from eco-friendly materials, but will last a lifetime, is way better for the environment anyway. Not all Manduka’s are created equal! Keep that in mind.
I’m so glad your knee is feeling better Ange! Maybe a rest was all you needed. Very cool about the no-pore Manduka mats as well. Your cleaner recipe sounds fantastic – I’d love to make a vanilla scented one! I’d probably need tons to mask the vinegar smell though. Hmmmmmm….
Didn’t know you were injured…I have a trapped nerve in my hip and the moment preventing me from running…it’s been a week and a half and I’m missing it but trying new things…strength training and the cross trainer are my new friends and plenty of stretching. It’s given me time to reflect. I was clearly over doing it…you’re right, things like this happen for a reason!
Yea it was an unfortunate incident lifting a huge box of my cookbooks…lol. Never again!
Happy healing…I hope you find joy in new things. :)
I am loving yoga right now too!! I am so going to make this cleaner…I typically just wipe it down but I would love to have something that kills the germs, esp if I go to a hot class. I only started doing hot classes this week so my mat is safe for now! :)
I LOVE the new header!!
And the natural DIY cleaner! That’s awesome.
Also I know just how you feel about being out of your running groove. I slipped two discs in my back last winter and my comeback to running felt so slow and laborious. But before you know it you’ll be back into it and you’ll never remember feeling out of it :) Glad you were pain-free!
Thanks Cait!
My yoga mat is in our basement with the rest of our gym equipment and while it’s pretty nice for an unfinished basement, it’s still full of bugs and spiders and dirt. I was just sitting on it last night stretching after my workout thinking about how badly it needed to be cleaned. Perfect timing :)
I have two mat suggestions. The Manduka Pro and the Jade Yoga Harmony Professional Yoga Mat. The best mat for you depends on your practice.
I use a Manduka PRO mat and it is indestructible. Many of my friends have had their Mandukas for years and years and the mats are no worse for wear. The mat also has a great “stickiness” that holds up serious sweating; however, I have noticed that some people also use a yoga towel with their Mandukas during the summer.
I used to use a Jade mat and I loved it. It’s naturally sticky, grippy and cushioned. The natural rubber acts like sponge, so sweat is no problem whatsoever. Unfortunately, it is so natural that it biodegrades (not necessarily a bad thing). Eventually (after about 2 years) my Jade mat started to wear down. I continued to use it for another year, but eventually frequent jump-backs and jump-throughs took their toll. I ended up wearing down the front and back (down-dog positioning) down to nothing. Also, tiny bits of the mat ended up all over the place! After I could not longer use my Jade mat, I switched to Manduka.
Thanks Katie!
Oh! And, of course, I love your blog!
what kind of heart rate monitor is that? how much did you pay?
sorry for the questions…i am looking to buy one and am wondering which is best…
i have adrenal burnout syndrome and want to continue exercising without making things worse…
Hey Sophie, It’s a Garmin Forerunner 305 (purchased from costco- sorry I cant remember the price…I think it was $150?), anyways I’ve tried a lot of sports HRM watches before and this is the first one that I have had NO issues with. I couldnt recommend it more.
Thanks so much :)
I’m glad your knee is feeling better!!
Thank you!
I definitely recommend the Manduka mat! We have 2 of the black pro mat in our house – one of each size (71″ & 85″) – that we’ve had since 2006. They are WELL loved and still holding up great! I use them for all sorts of stuff from yoga to plyometrics to abs to a cushion for my weights during resistance training to keep them off the hard tile floor. When we got them originally, I got the longer mat for my husband & the shorter mat for me (I’m 5’6″). In retrospect I very much enjoy the extra length on his mat and use it more than mine, so I’d recommend the longer one if you like a bit more room to wiggle. It is a HEAVY mat to carry around and not cheap, but IMO well worth EVERY penny. And when I start to get fussy about the weight of the mat, I remind myself I’m going to WORKOUT so the weight of my mat is just helping me in my task. :) Hope that helps!
Thanks Debbie, Im glad to hear this!
Great tips! I am jealous of your yoga routine – I must get back to mine. I always feel so much better when I am practicing – so why do I deny myself that? I seem to be so all or nothing with exercise… what are your tricks to stay consistent?
I just tend to do what I enjoy and that can change from time to time, which I think is ok too! Sometimes I feel like doing more of a particular activity while othertimes not. I always say listen to your body and what it needs. That being said, sometimes I can fall out of things I love (like yoga!) and it just takes one class to get back into it (or one run, strength class, spinning, biking, swimming, etc)…so I say just do it! The hardest part is showing up.
oooh thanks for the tips. I need to clean my mat.. soon :)
I love love love yoga!!
I wish I could do it more!!!
they need more classes at my rec center though.. I can’t do the early morning since I’m already at work :(
but yoga rocks!
I’m embarassed to say that I’ve never cleaned my mat (hides face in shame). That’s largely because all of the advice online is so conflicting! I’ll have to get on top of that – thanks for the reminder!
So happy to hear your knee is feeling better! I need to purchase a yoga mat, thanks for prompting some discussion on the subject :)
Um… I feel so gross that I’ve *never* cleaned my yoga mat. I can’t believe I just admitted that. Well, now I know how! Thanks for giving back the advice others have given you!
I don’t think you are alone! :)
I love my Manduka Pro mat. I got mine from LuLuLemon and I got it in purple :) It’s super heavy though so it wouldn’t be easy to transport to class if you were say, biking or walking. You could do it but it might be a little awkward.
Thanks for the tips on cleaning mats! Think I’m going to have to do a deep clean to mine this weekend since it’s been a while… oops!
I dont think I ever thought about yoga mat care this much! I usually just clean with water, no wonder they are never clean. :-) Thanks for the tips!