Yoga practice is made so much better with a homemade yoga mat cleaner! Yoga can be so healing for our mind, body, and soul. Whether you’re having a calming, slow practice or a sweaty hot yoga flow, you’ll need to clean the mat when you’re done! It’s wonderful to do it with a homemade product that you can trust.
Why switch to homemade yoga mat cleaner?
There are several reasons to switch from store-bought to homemade yoga mat cleaners. First, store-bought cleaners come in disposable plastic bottles. Although you may try to recycle them, those bottles often end up in the landfill or in our oceans.
We recycle just 9% of all plastic. When we don’t recycle plastic, it ends up incinerated, in a landfill, or finding its way into the ocean. Hard plastics, like those used in spray bottles, can take 450 years to break down.
Storebought yoga mat cleaners are often full of chemicals, with long ingredient lists of questionable items. Yet, yoga mats can easily get dirty and become a breeding ground for bacteria, so skipping the cleaning isn’t an option. Instead, skip the plastic and the unknown ingredients by making your own homemade yoga mat cleaner. I recommend getting a glass spray bottle like this one, but you can also reuse any old plastic spray bottles that you have cleaned out!
Two easy homemade yoga mat cleaner recipes
Recipe #1: Witch hazel spray
This recipe combines lots of essential oils for their wonderful scent and disinfecting properties. Witch hazel is an active ingredient that acts as an antibacterial and antimicrobial.
Ingredients:
- ⅓ cup witch hazel
- 12 drops of lemon essential oil
- 8 drops of peppermint essential oil
- 5 drops of tea tree essential oil
- Water
Method:
Add witch hazel and essential oils to a spray bottle, then top it off with water. Shake to combine and spray directly on your yoga mat when you’re ready to use. Wipe the mat clean and allow it to dry before rolling the mat up. This recipe works best with 16oz or larger spray bottles.
Recipe #2: Castile soap & vinegar
This recipe uses both castile soap and witch hazel as gentle, non-toxic cleaners, plus essential oils for their scent and ability to disinfect.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup witch hazel
- 1/2 tsp liquid castile soap
- 15 drops of tea tree essential oil
- Water
Method:
Mix castile soap, witch hazel, and essential oils in a spray bottle – 16oz is best. Fill the rest of the bottle with water and shake to combine. Spray your mat down and then wipe away with a cloth, allowing it to dry completely before rolling or storing it.
On a yoga kick and looking for an outfit to match your freshly cleaned mat? Check out my review of Organic Basics activewear!
Which homemade yoga mat cleaner recipe will you try first? Leave a comment below and let me know!
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