Clean your funky mat!

{Image via Richard-}

The year 2009 for me was all about experimenting with my fitness (yes my fitness). Having never spent time in a gym that wasn’t required for credit or enforced by a burly woman who literally carried a sack of balls, I got a membership with Neil and against all insecurity decided to give it my best shot. I never thought I’d enjoy working out, be able to tame my OCD and get good and sweaty, and run a mile straight through. But I did it, and like any type of success, you have to grow it to keep feeling it. A few months ago, at my first yoga class (Power Yoga), the instructor mentioned that a new class was forming to practice Hot Yoga, which is Yoga practiced in a room at or above 98 degrees. I laughed openly. “Out of my league,” I muttered as I shuffled out of the room.

Several weeks later I found myself taking the class, and loving it. Great stretches, cleansing detox, and the fast and elusive sense of success again. I even bought my first yoga mat and felt pathetically cool toting it in the gym. After a few weeks of class however, the mat got a little funky and my first instinct was to wash it with a dish soap in the tub and hang it up over the curtain rod. It was wet for days, really messy and a hassle when I wanted to attend class several days a week. So I do what I do best, I googled.

There are tons of cleansers on the market, and they run anywhere from $10-20 per bottle, which to someone like me is out of the question. So I googled “DIY Yoga Mat clean” and found these little ditties I’d like to pass along to anyone in the same boat or who just realized now they’d never wiped down their mat.

Recipe #1:

• Three drops of tea tree oil
• Two drops of peppermint oil
• Two drops of lavender oil
• Distilled water

Recipe #2
This is for a stronger antibacterial/antifungal spray.

• 1 part warm water with 3 parts white vinegar
• Add 8-12 drops of essential oils like eucalyptus, lemongrass, lavender, mint, or tea tree oil

For both solutions, mix thoroughly and place the solution in a spray bottle.

Spray Cleaning Instructions:

1. Spray your yoga mat cleaner liberally over the surface of your mat. If your mat seems especially dirty, let the cleanser sit and soak in a bit before cleaning it off.

2. Wipe the yoga mat with a wet cloth or sponge. When the cleanser has been thoroughly removed, rub the mat down with a soft dry cloth, like a small towel or washcloth. Now repeat on the other side.

3. Allow your mat to air dry, which should take only about 5 to 10 minutes. If it takes longer than this, try rubbing your mat down more with the towel to remove the excess water and speed up the drying time.

{Via Apartment Therapy}

And while we’re at it, since I’m still a newbie, do you have any great Yoga resources, DVD recommendations, or positions you love and want to share? Feel free to leave them in the comments!