Comments on: How do you disinfect your yoga mat?

Question: How do you disinfect your yoga mat?

madmethods — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 12:40:25 -0800

How do you disinfect your yoga mat? Thick foam-rubberish version. Clever tips on how to wash the big floppy awkward things are welcome as well.

By: hydrophonic

hydrophonic — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 12:49:20 -0800

Wipe with diluted vinegar.

I haven't tried it, but I just just read about how vinegar is the solution (hah!) for everything, via boingboing.

By: typewriter

typewriter — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 12:51:49 -0800

Sometimes I throw the thing over the clothesline and let the sun do the work. (I'm told this is bad.) I bought a spray thing especially for yoga mats. (Probably just some hydrogen peroxide with some lavendar essence and a waste of my money.) Sometimes I wipe it down with a sponge and hang in the bathroom to dry. That's it. I should probably try and wash it more.

By: jamaro

jamaro — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:34:24 -0800

I wash mine in the bathtub with liquid dishsoap and a very small amount of bleach.

By: koahiatamadl

koahiatamadl — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:35:13 -0800

Just wash with hot soapy water - why would you disinfect it? Not like you're eating your dinner of it...

Place in bathtub/shower and shower off excess soap...

By: sanitycheck

sanitycheck — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:35:52 -0800

I bought a cheapo spray bottle at the drugstore and filled it with this recipe for antibacterial yoga mat spray.

By: PandaMcBoof

PandaMcBoof — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:40:48 -0800

I use a little bit of soap (usually Dr. Bronners) in a bathtub, then rinse clean in the bathtub and shower, and hang dry. You can roll it along with a towel before hang drying to get some of the moisture out. If I had a dryer, I'd probably use that.... a dryer (on low) will get your mat dry or mostly-dry within 10 minutes.

If you have a front-loading washer, you can put your mat in the washer, but with much less soap than you'd use for a load of clothes. You can either use a little laundry detergent, or Dr. Bronners / Sal Suds. Some people say this method is harmful to your mat; I think it's Ok if you do it some of the time.

I don't usually sweat so much that I find it necessary to wipe down the mat between my (usually fairly infrequent cleanings), but spraying with a mild topical cleanser of some sort seems like a good idea if you sweat a lot but don't want to wash your mat daily or weekly. There is stuff made specifically for the purpose, or try vinegar / water if the smell doesn't bug you.

By: croutonsupafreak

croutonsupafreak — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:42:07 -0800

What is it infected with?

By: sully75

sully75 — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:24:21 -0800

I used to wash it in the washing machine all the time with no problems. I worked at a big yoga studio for a while and we washed the mats in the washing machine there. YMMV your machine may break. I don't know.

By: doubtful_guest

doubtful_guest — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:26:43 -0800

Some yoga studios spray them down with tea tree oil, I've heard. I usually just throw mine in my front-loading washer when I need to (every couple months or so).