Things I don’t want to think about too much include the long list of cooties that breed in yoga mats. (If you would like to think about it, check out this article on elle.com). Ew. Just ew. I went searching for simple recipes for anti-bacterial yoga mat sprays and found quite a few of them. I mixed and matched and came up with this concoction, which I’ve just used on my mats (they now smell lovely – not that they smelled terrible before – but now they really do smell delightful). Though it likely isn’t potent enough to kill off super bugs, it should be sufficient to handle everyday micro creepy crawlies.
Want to make some of your own? Here’s the recipe…
Nikki’s Super Duper Stinky Yoga Mat Cleaner
3/4 cup distilled water
1/4 cup witch hazel (the witch hazel I used includes some alcohol)
7 drops tea tree oil
5 drops lemongrass essential oil
5 drops lavender oil (if you don’t like the smell of lavender, try eucalyptus or peppermint)
Mix them all together and pour into a small spray bottle.
Instructions:
Do a hearty yoga class. Sweat all over your mat without fear. Sneeze on it – what the heck. After your workout, spray the mat with your fancy spray. Wipe with a damp cloth (not too wet, you don’t want the mat to get soggy). Let the mat sit and dry for a few minutes before rolling it up.
I’m thinking that if you are using this at a busy yoga studio you might also want to do a pre-emptive spritz of the floor before you unroll your mat. Just saying.
And now I’m curious… What do you like to use to swab your mat?