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When’s the last time you cleaned your yoga mat? If it’s been a while (or maybe never), I welcome you to learn how to make the easiest DIY yoga mat spray in this blog post.
Why Clean Your Yoga Mat?
You may think your yoga mat isn’t that dirty if you’ve never cleaned it, but how often would you go without cleaning your floors?
Sweat, dirt, and loads of bacteria can end up on your mat just like any surface. If you haven’t ever cleaned your yoga mat, I won’t judge. I went years before I first cleaned my mat (gross, but I’ve been there.)
The number one rule of any yoga practice is safety. A clean mat is a safe mat, and there’s comfort knowing you can rest your head on your mat without second guessing your surface (and enjoy a lovely scent.)
The more comfortable you are in your practice, the better your class will be. That’s a pretty good reason to keep a clean mat!
Benefits of a Clean Yoga Mat
Now that we know a clean mat means a better practice, here are a few other reasons to make sure you take good care of your beloved mat:
- Get more practices from your mat before tossing it -save money and reduce waste by extending the lifespan of your current mat.
- Aromatherapy – create a more relaxing practice when you use real, genuine essential oils.
- You’ll have a better experience – Just like cleaning your home, a fresh clean mat is just easier and more enjoyable to use.
- You’ll create more than just a yoga mat cleaner. I’ve also used this recipe for keeping my shower clean.
Easiest 3 Ingredient DIY Yoga Mat Spray
These are the ingredients and amounts I’ve found to be useful for cleaning my mat. I welcome you to tweak this as much as you need to create your own perfect spray. I’ve opted for vinegar over alcohol as a natural disinfectant. You can also experiment with witch hazel if that’s your preference.
Ingredients:
- Distilled Water (1 Cup)
- White Vinegar (¼ Cup)
- Essential oil of choice (10 drops to start, adjust as preferred)
Equipment:
- Spray bottle
- Clean cloth or paper towels
If you wish to include essential oils for aromatherapy purposes, I recommend you use natural oils and not synthetic. Natural oils come from plants, whereas synthetic oils are made from perfume. This source explains the benefits and potential risk of essential oils if you’re considering adding essential oils to your practice.
Not sure which oil to use? Here is a list of essential oils to explore in your practice to balance your chakras after trauma.
If you want a quick recommendation to get started, I highly recommend this organic eucalyptus oil from Amazon. There are no added perfumes or dyes, it’s therapeutic grade, and most of all it smells amazing! This has my go-to oil for this DIY spray for years now, and a perfect starting point.
How To Prepare:
- Combine the ingredients in your spray bottle and shake to combine. It’s okay if it smells like vinegar. This will fade once your mat dries, leaving you with the fresh essential oil smell.
- Important: Test a small area of your mat first. I like the corner of the opposite side I use. This is to make sure there are no adverse effects from the spray on your mat. Allow to dry completely before cleaning the entire mat.
- Once your mat passes the test, liberally spray your mat until it’s damp but not soaking.
- Wipe with a clean cloth or paper towel.
- Allow your mat to dry completely before use.
- Enjoy your fresh new mat!
Can I Use This DIY Yoga Spray To Deep Clean My Mat?
If your mat needs more than a simple wipe down and you want to give it a deep clean, then that may be the better option.
I have not used this to deep clean my mat because I waited a long time to initially clean it and wanted something more heavy duty. I personally used a natural dish soap which worked wonderfully, but always do a test before trying any new products on your mat. You can try this out as a deep cleaner or use another cleaner like I did. It depends on how much dirt is on your mat, but I’d recommend this DIY spray for light, maintenance cleaning.
Before you dive into deep cleaning your mat, I invite you to read below so you don’t make the same mistake I did.
While deep cleaning your mat, know that it’s normal to see a yellow liquid wash off. This is not dirt, but a chemical part of your mat that keeps the consistency and thickness. I spent almost an hour squeezing this out only to learn I was damaging my mat. I learned this so you don’t have to, so I hope this saves you time and confusion.
Tips And Tricks For Long Term Cleaning
- Store the bottle in a cool, dark place. You can take a small amount into a smaller spray bottle on travel so you always have a fresh practice.
- I welcome you to clean your yoga mat once a week as a baseline. You can adjust this based on how often you practice. Rigorous daily vinyasa classes will need more cleaning than a once a month restorative class. It’s ultimately up to you and your preferences.
- Avoid harsh chemicals and rugged scrubbing materials. I welcome you to be as gentle with your mat as possible while cleaning. If you’re ever in doubt, you can reach out to your yoga mat’s manufacturer for best cleaning practices.
Overview
Your mat is only three short ingredients from a total refresh with this super simple DIY yoga mat spray. The best part is you might already have these ingredients lying around in your cupboard. Thank you for spending this time with me, and I hope you have your best smelling (and cleanest) practice yet.
