Eco Friendly DIY Yoga Mat Cleaner
Not sure who needs to hear this but it's time to clean your yoga mat. Since we are shooting for being as eco-friendly as possible we came up with a DIY yoga mat cleaner that is easy to make and actually works.
We decided it was time to buy our own mats after Kelsey fell in love with yoga. Having our own mats has been great because on rainy Portland days we can get in a quick apartment workout.
But having your own mat comes with the responsibility of cleaning. It seems like no one really talks about how hard cleaning yoga mats can be.
Initially, we took a hose to it but with our nomad life, having a hose nearby wasn't always an option. That's why we came up with an easy to use yoga mat spray.
We only use four ingredients and so far it's worked like a charm. It's quick to make and even travel friendly.
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Contents
Ingredients for our Yoga Mat Cleaner
Whenever we make a DIY anything we try to use eco-friendly products that we already have around the house. That's how this yoga mat cleaner came about.
We grabbed things around the house that we already clean with and did a little trial and error. Our final product resulted in just four ingredients.
Initially, we tried using vinegar instead of the witch hazel but didn't like the smell. The witch hazel also has a slight smell but it doesn't seem to linger on the mat as that vinegar does.
You can also use different essential oils but we found the lavender helps put you feel more zen and the tea tree oil helps with the cleaning aspect.
Putting it Together
Here's the easiest part. You just grab a glass spray bottle and put everything inside. It's as simple as that.
Start by filling up the bottle with about 1/3 Witch hazel. Since we love lavender, we use organic Humphrys lavender witch hazel.
Now add drops of the lavender and tea tree essential oil to personal preference. Our small bottle ends up fitting about 10-15 drops total with more lavender than tea tree.
Finish by filling the rest with water. It might not be the worst idea to use distilled water but our tap water works fine for us.
When you're making it, don't worry about stirring it or anything like that. Before using, we typically give the bottle a very slight shakeup just to make sure it's all mixed well.
How to Use Our Yoga Mat Cleaner
Every time after using our yoga mats, we use our bottle of yoga mat cleaner to spray it down then wipe it off with a rag. If it was a harder workout we use more spray and let it sit a few more seconds.
That's all we do and it made a huge difference in our yoga workouts. The mat smells amazing and it only takes a minute before putting everything away.
Even though we suggest using it after every use, even weekly would help. A lot of sweat and dirt build up over time and you don't want that sitting around.
If we have an extra sweaty yoga mat after hot yoga, we'll spray it down while it's still wet, wipe it down then spray it again and let it dry. Just a few extra steps but still easy to do.
If you aren't cleaning your yoga mat, it's time for that to change. Even if you don't want to do it after every use, at least try for monthly.
Yoga can be such a relaxing experience and a smelly/dirty yoga mat can ruin that real fast. A clean mat is a happy mat.
If you end up changing up the recipe and finding something you like better let us know so we can also give it try! Namaste.
