When summer comes, I take my yoga practice and my workouts outside – not just running but my favorite HIIT classes with FIT4MOM DuPage County. I’m not a nature lover by any stretch but I’ve come to love a good sweat sesh outside at sunrise or sunset. The breeze, the sky, the time just for me – it all comes together in a kind of magic.
But the combination of summer and sweat is suddenly less attractive when I’m in child’s pose at the end of class and facedown on my yoga mat. Instead of focusing on my breath, I’m focused on remembering the last time I cleaned that thing. The funk I’m smelling would suggest it’s been way too long.
In my opinion, there’s no great way to clean a yoga mat. Sometimes I soak it in vinegar water in the bathtub and then let it dry in the sun. I consider that the “deep clean” of yoga mats, and it only happens about once a season, when circumstances are really dire.
But to keep my mat fresh(er), I rely on a homemade spray-on cleanser that’s all-natural, chemical-free and safe to inhale from even your deepest asana. I try to spritz my mat after every use.
This DIY yoga mat cleaner uses essential oils to clean, disinfect, and refresh. The bright, crisp scent left behind is both invigorating and relaxing.
A note about essential oils: Purity is important to me and I make sure to use only therapeutic-grade oils. There are many options out there but I choose Young Living because of its seed-to-seal guarantee and commitment to local and sustainable sourcing. I encourage you to do your own research and decide which brand of essential oils is right for you.
I’ve included my exact Young Living recipe that includes specific YL blends, but the Tips section that follows the instructions offers substitutions that work great too.
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DIY Yoga Mat Cleaner
Supplies:
- 4 oz glass spray bottle
- Small funnel or eyedropper
- Distilled or bottled water
- Thayer’s Rose Petal Witch Hazel with Aloe
- 30 drops lavender oil
- 20 drops tea tree oil
- 10 drops Purification blend *
- 5 drops lemon oil
- 3 drops Thieves blend *
Fill the bottle with 2 oz distilled or bottled water.
Add 2 oz witch hazel until the bottle is nearly full (but leave room for your oils).
Add your oils and swirl or shake gently to combine. Shake again before each use.
Mist mat and let dry, in the sun if possible.
For a deeper clean, wipe your mat with a damp rag before spraying.
About the Oils
Lavender: A versatile oil known both for its calming and relaxing properties as well as its cleansing and soothing properties. Promotes balance and combats nervous tension.
Tea tree (melaleuca alternifolia): Another versatile and refreshing oil, used for cleansing and purifying, with an invigorating scent. Promote freshness and combats germs.
Lemon: Bright, cheerful oil used to refresh and cleanse.
Purification blend: A blend of 6 essential oils specifically formulated to refresh and banish odors. Neutralizes unpleasant smells with its clean, refreshing scent.
Thieves blend: A powerful blend of essential oils designed to clean and disinfect naturally. May offer anti-bacterial benefits.
* If opting to use another brand of oils, the spray will still be effective and smell just as good with the omission of Purification and Thieves. The powerhouse of lavender and tea tree (with a touch of lemon for good measure) provides all of the cleansing and refreshing benefits without the addition of these YL proprietary blends. You may also substitute citronella oil for Purification if you have it available.
Note of caution: The combination of therapeutic-grade oils and sunshine may result in color changes to your mat, particularly for dark-colored mats. If you have any concerns about color fading, omit lemon, Thieves, and Purification from your spray. You may also wish to test-spray a small patch on the back of your mat. My mat gets so beat up after a season of workouts that color fading is not even on my radar.
A cleaner, better-smelling yoga mat may not make you a better practitioner per se, but it might get you one step closer to finding your bliss.
I’m bringing my yoga practice outdoors again at the end of July to attend the Root to Rise Yoga Festival presented by NEXT Yoga. Root to Rise is an all-day event with an open-air power yoga “sound-off experience” with a live DJ and wireless headphones, a sound healing meditation class, acro yoga class, opportunities to try out aerial yoga and slack lining, health and wellness vendors, activities for kids and families, and more. Want to join me at Root to Rise? All levels of practice are welcome, but there’s just a few tickets left!
Share your yoga practice with me with #NeverDoneWithFun! I love to be inspired. Namaste.
