How to wash yoga mat? – Your yoga mat has to withstand a lot: Let’s assume that you practice yoga twice a week. After a year, you will have spent about 150 hours on your mat and at least ten times as many beads of sweat in it.
At some point, the bacteria party takes on festival dimensions.
It smells in the looking-down dog, and hygiene during yoga practice is questionable. To stop this from occurring sooner and ensure that you enjoy your yoga mat for a long time, you should regularly maintain it.
Yoga is, besides relaxation, also a sweaty sport. Therefore you should wash your yoga mat regularly.
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Cleaning yoga mats in the washing machine.
Most yoga mats are washable, even in the washing machine. To be convinced, check with the manufacturer or read the enclosed description.
- Synthetic fiber mats are primarily suitable for washing in the washing machine. However, you should choose a gentle program and a low temperature. The handwashing program is ideal. You only need minimal detergent for cleaning. Necessary: Do not spin your yoga mat.
- The mat will come out of the machine without the spin cycle, dripping wet. First, dab the damp rug with a cloth. Now spread a dry towel on the mat and roll it up. If you press the rug out like this, much water will be out.
- The mat is still too wet to hang up. It is better to put the mat on the clothes horse with a large towel as a base.
- Germs love it moist, so the yoga mat should be completely dry before using it again. It can take about two days.
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How often should we clean a yoga mat?
The care of your mat depends on how sweaty your yoga practice is and on which surface you practice.
We recommend you spray the yoga mat with a spray of diluted essential oils after each yoga class and wipe it off.
Once or twice a year, it is recommended to clean it more intensively, and it keeps it hygienic and non-slip.
Too frequent washing is not suitable for the grip of the mat.
Cleaning yoga mats made of new wool
New wool has self-cleaning properties to a certain extent. But that is not enough.
- Vacuum yoga mats are made of new wool regularly.
- Fresh air is good for the mat. Hang the yoga mat outside more often over the balcony railing.
- If you put the mat in the washing machine because of stains, only wash it in the wool wash cycle at a low temperature. Spin-drying is also prohibited here. You can dry it afterward, as described above.
Is the yoga mat allowed in the washing machine?
In advance, not all yoga mats are suitable for the washing machine. Before you throw away the packaging of your new yoga mat, be sure to read the care instructions.
They tell you how to clean the yoga mat best and whether it can be put in the washing machine or not. It’s safer to wash it by hand in the shower than in the washing machine.
Which yoga mats are allowed in the washing machine?
The question of yes or no, you can clean a yoga mat in the washing machine is a divisive one.
Not all yoga mats are undoubtedly suitable for the washing machine, and an explicit washing machine prohibition applies to yoga mats made of natural materials such as natural rubber.
According to the manufacturer, they may wash yoga mats made of synthetic fibers in the washing machine up to 30 degrees, even up to 60 degrees.
This concerns yoga mats made of PVC, TPE foam, PER, and other plastics. If you are unsure if your yoga mat is one of them or how many degrees are allowed, please ask the manufacturer.
Too high temperatures can make the surface of your yoga mats porous and reduce their slip resistance.
If you do not want to put your yoga mat into the washing machine, there are enough alternatives to clean it thoroughly.
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Washing instructions for machine-washable yoga mats
- Temperature: maximum of 30 degrees or cold water.
- Detergent: if the yoga mat does not have large stains, it is best to wash it without soap or add a mild detergent drop.
- Program: we recommend the hand wash program or the short wash program – please set both without spinning; otherwise, the washing machine suffers.
A yoga mat made of natural rubber, please clean only by hand.
Especially yoga mats made of natural rubber can lose their slip resistance if the washing machine’s water is too warm.
If too much soap is getting added, the excellent grip for the hands is over. It also applies to yoga mats made of jute, bamboo, or hemp with natural rubber.
Our recommendation for natural rubber is; that it is better to rinse off under the shower and clean with diluted vinegar – see further down in this article.
Plastic yoga mats are machine washable.
From the manufacturer’s side, we can wash most yoga mats made of synthetic fibers such as PVC, TPE, or PER in the washing machine at 30 degrees and some up to 60 degrees.
To be safe, rinse them in the cold wash cycle with just a tiny splash of mild detergent. Yoga mats should not be spun or put in the dryer.
Cleaning the yoga mat in the bathtub
Do not put Yoga mats in the washing machine, and the best is to wash by hand in the bathtub or shower. Also mixed with a good smelling essential oil, Vinegar is effective against bacteria and fungi.
Clean the yoga mat in the bathtub with Vinegar:
- Put the yoga mat in the bathtub and mix Vinegar with water in a bowl (3 parts water / 1 part vinegar).
- Rub the yoga mat with a sponge and the vinegar-water
- Afterward, let lukewarm water into the tub until the rug is slightly covered and scrub it again.
- The yoga mat can then soak for a few minutes.
- Afterward, you rinse them clean with clear water.
- To dry, place over the clothes drying rack or a chair.
The whole thing also works with showers in the shower.
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Drying Yoga Mat
Since you do not spin, it will soak your yoga mat with water after washing. Before hanging it up to dry, there are several ways to remove excess water.
- Roll up the mat in the bathtub and press the water out of it.
- Remove the water with the window squeegee.
- Roll it in a big towel, put it in the shower, and kick the water out of the mat with your feet.
Then hang them to dry over a clotheshorse, two chairs, or a door and let them dry completely for one day, even better, two days.
Please avoid direct sunlight, and in our experience, this makes them porous and makes them no longer slip-proof.
To dry your yoga mat after washing, you can roll it up in a large towel and press the water out of it with your hands or feet.
Then lay it out flat for one, or better for two days, over a chair or the clothes horse to dry. It is essential that it no longer contains any residual moisture.
Most yoga mats do not tolerate sunlight very well and become porous. If you dry your yoga mat in the fresh air, hang it in the shade over a chair or the clothesline.
Care tip: Use a window squeegee to pull the water out of the yoga mat after washing.
Yoga mat care
What you may do:
- The rubber smell from new natural rubber mats often gives off and usually disappears without your intervention after a few uses.
- What about your care? Appreciate your mat and the yoga practice by stepping on the mat with freshly washed, skin-scaled, and clean feet and hands. Sounds obvious, but looking at the rugs of some yogis, it is not necessarily.
- Always keep your mat rolled up and protect it from sunlight and dust.
- It is better to use a yoga bag than a belt to avoid discoloration from sunlight and avoid friction.
- Consider using a yogi towel as an intermediate layer if you sweat a lot.
- Hang up the mat after cleaning and let it dry completely.
- The Yoga Mat is easy to fold and can be getting carried in hand luggage. However, do not leave the mat permanently folded, as this can cause breaks.
- Use your mats on smooth, clean surfaces, especially with thin travel mats, preferably on carpeting. Uneven, stone-hard, dirty surfaces will quickly cause holes or cracks in the rug.
- Most important: Consider cleaning your yoga mat as part of your yoga practice and proceed with love and patience.
What you should not do:
- Do not immerse your mat in the water; this can make it porous.
- Do not expose the mat to direct open sunlight. The rubber will change due to sunlight, and the surface will become dry and slippery.
- Do not leave the mat exposed. The dust will clog the pores, and the mat’s slip resistance will decrease.
- Do not use strong detergents or essential oils! Natural rubber mats and rubber mats are like sponges that absorb everything. The oils also provide less slip resistance.
Yoga mats with open pores need more care.
Yoga mats with open pores need extra care because bacteria, fungi, and germs can settle in their available porous structures.
To keep them hygienic, you should wipe them after each yoga class with a natural yoga mat spray and let them dry well before rolling them up.
Since most open-pored yoga mats are natural rubber, the hand washes in the bathtub or shower described above are for more thorough cleaning.
Make your yoga mat spray.
Unfortunately, many yoga mats come out quite slippery after a round in the washing machine, so I recommend a mat spray on your mat after every yoga class. You can make it yourself.
You need the following ingredients for 200 ml spray :
- Ten drops of disinfecting oil (tea tree, laurel, or orange)
- Ten drops of fragrant oil according to your preference (lemon, lavender, rose)
- 200 ml distilled water in a spray bottle
- One tablespoon of apple vinegar
You mix all this in your spray bottle (it also works excellent in old cosmetic sprayers) and put it in your mat bag to have it always ready.
Conclusion
If you clean your yoga mat regularly, it retains its essential slip resistance much longer and continues to give a safe stand and especially much joy in yoga.
Just make sure to keep your mat generally clean and clean it thoroughly when necessary. If you consider the texture and material of your yoga mat, you really can’t go wrong.
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Last Updated on 22/03/2022 by Buzz This Viral
