How to clean your yoga mat (properly) is featured in Cosmopolitan Magazine
by Jennifer Savin
There are a plethora of benefits when it comes to yoga; it's a fantastic practice for both mental (it's often praised for being an anxiety buster) and physical health – a quick session can even work wonders when it comes to helping to stop period pain, as well as keeping your body flexible.
While it can be a challenge to keep yoga up regularly, and contort into some of the required poses, ahem, one other teeny tiny hurdle is knowing how to keep your yoga mat clean. We have to confess, 'How often should you clean a yoga mat?' and 'What should you clean a yoga mat with?' have cropped up on our Google search list more than once.
Luckily, we managed to speak to Laura Colucci, a yoga teacher and founder of Spritz Wellness, to get the answers. Her holistic company offers an extensive aromatherapy product range – including, yup, yoga mat sprays – making her more than in the know. Hurrah!
So, let's get down to the nitty-gritty, shall we?
How often should you clean a yoga mat?
As previously mentioned, yoga provides a full range of mental and physical benefits, and your yoga mat can quickly become a very special, sacred space, says Colucci – therefore, it's important to keep it clean and smelling fresh. "The volume of sweat worked up during a session can often be surprising," she adds. "Over time and with regular use, the mat can accumulate a build-up of sweat, oil and grime, creating quite the aroma. It's recommended that you deep clean your yoga mat at least once a month."
One quick way of going about this would be to pop your mat into a washing machine on a gentle cycle, but it's always best to check your individual mat's instructions beforehand, to ensure it's suitable for such fun.
Alternatively, if you want to play it safe (or have long since binned the instructions), hand-washing your mat is also a great option. "Use a mild, natural detergent, or good old-fashioned mild soap and water, and always air dry it afterwards," advises Colucci. "Don't place it in the dryer!" She adds that to keep your mat in tip-top shape in-between deep cleans, it's worth investing in an all-natural mat spray too.
"The Spritz Wellness Yoga Mat Sprays (from £12) can be used before practice to freshen the mat and add aromatherapy to your session, we have three unique aromas designed to relax, energise or improve focus," she notes. "They can also be used at the end of your practice to wipe the sweat away, and to clean and restore your mat for your next session."
As for what you should avoid when going all out and deep cleaning your mat, Colucci says Dettol should be left firmly on the shelf.
