If you buy a yoga mat and use it from time to time but never clean it, the dust and sweat stains accumulated on the surface of the mat will eventually endanger your health. Therefore, it is necessary to clean the mat diligently. If the yoga mat is not cleaned in time, it is likely to have bacteria, fungi and dust mites. Bacteria can lead to folliculitis and fungi can cause ringworm and foot odor. Dust mites are the greatest threat to people with allergies as mites can induce allergic dermatitis and asthma. In addition, many fitness professionals encourage consumers to bring their own yoga mats, or provide wet wipes and cleaning solution for consumers to clean the yoga mats by themselves.
To ensure hygiene, it is best for you to wash your yoga mat every other week. If you don’t usually take care of your mat, or if you practice yoga every day, the interval should be shorter. The easiest way to clean your mat is to mix detergent with water, and spray it on your mat, and then wipe the map with a dry cloth. If the yoga mat is dirty and there is some dust, sweat or oil on it, you can also use a clean cloth to soak in the laundry detergent for 1 minute, and then gently wipe the mat with this cloth, focusing on the obvious stains. Then rinse it with water repeatedly without any washing powder residue. Later you should use a dry cotton towel to roll up the mat and absorb the excess moisture. Finally, you must dry the mat. Moist yoga mats are prone to mold.
If the mat is very dirty, then you can use some solvents and soak the yoga mat in the bathtub and add washing powder to it. This will help remove dirt, grease and odors. After soaking, you can scrub the mat with a damp cloth and rinse it off. Roll up the yoga mat in a large dry towel to soak up excess moisture. Then spread out to dry. It should be noted that the amount of laundry detergent should be kept to a certain number because once the detergent is left on the mat, the mat may become slippery and may pose a potential danger to you. It is not recommended to use vinegar to clean your mat because it may leave on the mat an unpleasant odor that is difficult to dissipate and will do harm to your yoga practice experience. Also, when drying your mat, remember not to leave it out in the sun. However, if the skin of the mat starts to peel off or some of them begin to stick to your clothes, you should consider buying a new one.
How to maintain your yoga mat? Here are three suggestions.
1. Clean your hands and feet before practice.
As hands and feet are more likely to get dirty and are contacting the yoga mat directly when practicing yoga, you have to pay close attention to the hygiene of your hands and feet. Making sure your skin is clean when you use your yoga mat will prolong its service life and prevent the spread of bacteria. Cleaning your hands and feet will also at the same time wash off the lotions or skin creams on them. These skin care products can damage your mat and increase the risk of you slipping while practicing yoga. You can also consider using gentle baby wipes to wipe off skin care products.
2. When practicing yoga, you can consider laying a towel on your yoga mat.
If you sweat a lot and the exercising room is hot, you can consider laying a towel on your yoga mat. The towel can absorb excess moisture and increase the friction of the yoga mat. Ordinary towels may make the mat more slippery and hinder the use of the yoga mat. When this happens, you can try the towel exclusive for yoga mat. The material of this towel is super absorbent and has skid resistance. In other words, it will prevent you from slipping when practicing yoga.
3. Air out the yoga mat regularly.
After each use of a yoga mat, most people will roll it up, clean it, and put it in a yoga mat bag or pile it up in a corner of their home. In fact, you should air out the yoga mat regularly so that the sweat and moisture will evaporate thoroughly and keeps the mat smelling fresh. You can hang your yoga mat on a coat rack or put it on a drying rack. Make sure that your yoga mat is fully dried after each use. Store your yoga mat in a cool and dry place and avoid direct sunlight. This will maintain the quality of the yoga mat and prevent excessive moisture from accumulating on the mat, thereby avoiding the breeding of bacteria or fungi.
As a leading custom yoga mat manufacturer in China, Speck is committed to sharing knowledge about yoga mat and OEM customized production. If you have any questions about the use of yoga mats, yoga mat production or mass purchase of yoga mats, please feel free to contact us.
Do You Want To Make Custom Design Yoga Mat?
Drop Us An Email And You Will Receive Our Feedback Within 24 Hours.
As a leading yoga mat manufacturer, Speck Group focuses on innovation, quality, simplicity, and sustainability.
