You don’t want to be that person, you know, the one who everyone stays as far away from at yoga class because their mat reeks so bad and has so much sweat and bacteria growing on it that it might very well be the next step in the evolution of yoga. The living, breathing, stinky mat.
But no, oh no, not your mat. You would never sweat all over your mat, roll it up sopping wet and then throw it in the sweltering trunk of your car. Trust me, it’s not going to be so hot in the trunk that it cooks the little suckers who are throwing a party on your yoga mat. The heat just gets them even more riled up and excited to plant a foot fungus on your forehead the next time you rest in child’s pose. Now that’s a lovely thought isn’t it?
Well, it’s been a while since I’ve written about how to clean a yoga mat, and since I initiated my freshly-delivered yoga mat last night with more than just a few drops of sweat, it’s about time for a re-attack. Feel free to chime in with any tips or advice (“yogahacks”) if you’re already one of those who knows how to baby your mat like it’s a Rolls Royce.
First off, the method you use for cleaning your mat depends on what type of mat you have and how dirty it is. For daily preemptive action, you should at least wipe your mat off with a towel after each use. Some like to spritz their mat with a little mat spray before toweling it off or they use a handy wipe or it’s costlier cousin, the yoga mat wipe, to scrub away the nasties. Beware, however, that you don’t use mat spray just to cover up a smelly mat problem. Some people are allergic to it as well.
Even if you take the time to regularly wipe down your mat, it could still use a more thorough cleansing every couple weeks if you use the mat a lot. Cleaning a lightly soiled mat is as simple as grabbing a sponge or rag and rubbing out the oily spots with a solution of two cups of water and four drops of dish soap. If you don’t want to use soap, you can also create a 50% water/50% organic cider vinegar solution, which is what Manduka recommends for the Black Mat Pro and eKO if you don’t want to fork over the dough for actual yoga mat wash. Once the mat is clean, rinse the solution off with fresh water, and then rub the mat down with a dry terry cloth towel and hang it out to air dry.
The true stinky mat. If you’ve neglected your mat for so long that it’s practically alive, then you may want to choose to fully submerse it in a solution of warm water and mild detergent or mat cleanser. Once the mat is scrubbed off and rinsed clean, squeeze out any excess water, roll the mat up with a dry towel, and then smoosh the moisture out by stepping on it. Finally, hang the mat up to air dry.
One final method for dealing with a dirty mat is to throw it into the washing machine on the gentle cycle with a little detergent and cold water. I’ve never personally used this method, so I can’t vouch for the effect the washing machine has on a yoga mat, or vice versa, but can confirm that some manufacturers like Manduka highly recommend against using the washing machine, both for the sake of the mat and the machine. If you do choose to go this route, at the very least, remove the mat before the washing machine hits the spin cycle.
Obviously these are only a few of the numerous methods for keeping a yoga mat healthy and clean. Just remember, don’t be “that guy.” If you have a proven method that works for you or your particular mat and would like to share, please leave a comment.
Daily Cup of Yoga 
Power wash at the carwash.
Thanks for this post – a good reminder that I need to wash my mat 🙂
I’ve washed mats in the washing machine lots of times and it works great. And I do leave them in during the spin cycle. I always air-dry them afterwards – they take a day or two to dry.
I ONLY machine wash certain mats though – the only way I can think to describe them is as the less expensive kind 🙂 I NEVER machine wash my manduka mats, nor would I put eco-mats or any other kind of specialty mat in the washer.
Hi:
I am very picky about cleanliness so I regularly machine wash any of my mats that leave my house (note: i never wear shoes inside at home so my home mats rarely if ever would need such cleaning!). After all, studio floors (much less hotel carpet and any outdoor space) are not exactly pristine. To me, not totally washing your mat is like not washing your clothes.
Machine washing (and brief drying) works fine for particular brands. The eco mats are too fragile. My favorite mat brand is sold at yogaprops.net. Please see my review at http://www.yogaspy.wordpress.com.
We have very hot summers in Australia, woth hot weather sometimes for 5-6 months per year and I also worried about placing my forehead etc on riper mats that had absorbed sweat from dripping feet and bodies in what can become de facto Bikrim classs simply because of the heat. My solution was to buy the cotton yogitoes grip mat with the rubber nodules on the underside for grip. I lay that over any yoga mat, spritz some water on to make it ‘adhere’ strongly and then do my class. I machine wash it on cool delicate cycle once per week and dry it in the sunshine so it smells lovely. Sometimes I use a light eucalytus wash in the washing machine. It is interesting to see and smell how much sour foot odour etc it picks up from the studio mat – which is where otherwise I would have my face pressed down into! The cotton yoga mat overlay is light and easy to carry to and from class as well.
Thanks everyone for the great ideas on keeping yoga mats fresh and clean! It’s about time to take some of my own advice and give my mat a good scrubbing.