I am not the cleanest yogi. I wash my bra and leggings once a week, and I can鈥檛 say I鈥檝e ever showered after my lunchtime vinyasa class, even during high summer, when I鈥檓 pouring sweat. But there鈥檚 one thing I try to keep spotless: my mat. Yoga mats听get touched all over by sweaty hands, feet, and bodies and are then rolled up for听days at a time, which makes them a听. The best defense? Once or twice a month鈥攐r after a week of high-sweat practices鈥攔un your mat through the washing machine or suds it up with dish soap in the bathtub. (Check with your mat鈥檚 manufacturer for instructions and soap specifications before you do.)
But dirt, grime, and germs can build up fast. Quickly cleaning your mat after each practice helps kill microbes before they multiply, plus it removes the mealy floor dirt that inevitably tracks onto the surface and grinds into your hands and palms during salutations and warriors. Here are my cleaning strategies for three different types of mats.
The Fantastic Plastics
My all-time favorite mat is the 听($120) specifically because its classic closed-cell foam surface is so easy to wipe down. Grab a microfiber rag or towel (I love , $20), spray it with an antimicrobial mat cleaner like ($14) (or make your own with one part white vinegar, three parts water, and five drops essential oil), and give it a few passes. As easy as child鈥檚 pose.
The Sticky Rubbers
Here鈥檚 where it starts to get tricky. Sustainable, eco-friendly tree rubber is a great choice for the planet, but the same grip that makes for a stable practice also clings to dust and grit and doesn鈥檛 grant easy glide to a rag. So, to clean my 听($79), I first deploy a vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment鈥攇entle circular motions take care of particulates and a good amount of dust鈥攁nd then give it a good all-over misting with one of the aforementioned mat cleaners. I let it air-dry before rolling it up.
The Sleek Microfibers
I love my glidey microfiber-topped 听($78) for flowy stretching sessions, but I don鈥檛 love the way it听collects听hair and lint. I have been known to (carefully) run the floor vacuum over it, but the more meditative鈥攁nd portable鈥攕olution is a swipe it with a velvet lint brush, like the 听($10). Once that鈥檚 done, mist and air-dry.
One more tip I learned from a yoga teacher: when you鈥檙e ready to roll up your mat, first fold it in half like a taco听so the top surface is facing itself. That way, you aren鈥檛 transferring floor nasties to the side you practice on. You won鈥檛 be able to roll your mat as sveltly, but the grime savings are worth it.