Sometimes, there’s not many things better than rolling out your yoga mat, taking a seat, and rejuvenating your mind and body through a good yoga practice.
But there is an important, though often overlooked, aspect to yoga that we need to talk about. Whether you roll it out regularly or just every once in a while, it’s always a good habit to clean your yoga mat after every use. You do it with all the other exercise equipment you use, and your mat should be no different.
That might seem like an extreme proposition. Clean it every time? It’s not like you’re sharing your mat — that’s your mat, so those are all your germs, right? No!
First off, your mat is not one-sided. Think about the side that’s laying on the floor — especially a heavily trafficked gym or studio floor — and all those mysterious, unknown, invisible germ invaders that are clinging to the underbelly of your mat. Ew.
Now, let’s think about the side of the mat you practice your Downward Dogs on. After an hour long, refreshing and restoring yoga session, it’s very likely that most of your body has touched the mat. Your hands, feet, arms, legs, booty, belly, top of your head, and sometimes your face are all sharing the same narrow space.
You’ve probably also worked up a good sweat and really want to just roll your mat up and carry on with your day, with that post-yoga smile on your face…but if you roll up your mat without cleaning it first, you’re rolling up all that straight-up nastiness too, and creating a bacteria breeding ground. Gross.
But don’t worry! It is so easy to clean and care for your yoga mat with this DIY yoga mat cleaner. Just shake, spray, and wipe away after your yoga practice and your mat will be ready to roll up — all nice and clean! Plus, while cleaning you will be able to enjoy the aromatic benefits of Lavender Fine, Cardamom, and Frankincense Serrata CO2. What a perfect way to finish up a great yoga session!
DIY Yoga Mat Spray
What you’ll need:
- 23 drops Lavender Fine
- 23 drops Cardamom
- 35 drops Frankincense Serrata CO2
- 1 tsp Polysorbate 20
- 1/2 tsp Optiphen Plus
- 3.8 oz of water
What you’ll do:
- Measure ingredients
- Add all ingredients to spray bottle
- Shake, spray, and wipe away!
*Polysorbate 20 is an emulsifier that is necessary to encourage the essential oils to fully disperse throughout this water-based product. Optiphen Plus is necessary to preserve the product.
*Please note that not all yoga mats are made of the same material. We recommend spraying a small patch of your mat initially to make sure the essential oils do not negative effect the material of your mat.