Yoga is deeply a spiritual journey that soothes you and leaves your spirit elevated, better yet when you are using a clean yoga mat. There is so much that transpires between you and your yoga mat as you practice, certainly making the yoga mat one of your treasured accessories. It’s devotedly been there for you, and in turn you would want to return the favour by keeping it clean and in a perfect state.

You could be asking yourself, Why do I need to clean my Yoga mat and what do I need to get rid of the mat?’ Well, it’s bound that your mat will get sweaty, dirty, and even stinky with consistent use. Dirt and skin products can slowly penetrate the mats surface and with time deteriorate or even worse, make your slide while having your yoga practice.

The good news is that it is pretty easy to clean your yoga mat. Here is a six simple step-by-step instructions on how to effortlessly clean your yoga mat.

Step 1: Soak Your Mat in Warm Water

Completely submerge your yoga mat for a couple of minutes in warm water mixed with mild detergent. Soaking the mat helps in dislodging dirt and oil that is embedded within the fabric of your yoga mat. Cleaning your yoga mat gets even easier as ordinary dish wash or hypoallergenic laundrydetergents are two of the best cleaning detergents recommended for your yoga mat. You should be careful not to use too much detergent as this canmake your yoga mat slippery. Preferably you should use a 1 table spoon of detergent on 1 gallon of warm water.

Step 2: Softly Hand Wash Your Mat With a Cloth

Hand wash your yoga mat using a soft cloth paying attention to areas where your feet and hands are in constantly in touch with your mat. If you havebeen using your mat for a while now, these areas are most likely to be slightly faded. Thoroughly but gently wipe both sides of the mat so as not to pulloff the fabric as you clean it. It’s strongly advisable not to use a washing machine to clean your yoga mat as it will not only make it too slippery but alsoquickly degrade it.

Step 3: Use Clean Water to Thoroughly Rinse Your Yoga Mat

Discard the warm water mixed with detergent and rinse the mat. Why should you rinse your yoga mat thoroughly? Rising off your mat using clean water is truly important as it ensures all the detergent is completely washed off reducing the chances of your mat being slippery

Step 4: Drain Off Excess Water From Your Mat

It’s absolutely wrong to wring out your yoga mat so as to get off excess water. How then do you drain off excess water? It’s simple. Lay your yoga maton a flat surface and roll together with a dry towel. The towel will suck excess water leaving your mat with less water.

Step 5: Hang Your Yoga Mat to Dry

Once you have gotten rid of excess water, use a laundry drying rack to hang your yoga mat. Using a laundry drying rack is preferable as it effectivelydry both sides of the mat. Never use a cloth dryer as it will not only ruin your mat but also can cause your mat to catch fire. Use your yoga mat once it is completely dry.

Step 6: Maintain Your Mat As Clean As Possible

Once you have your mat clean again its obvious that you would want it to remain as clean as long as possible, here are some tips on how to main your yoga mat as clean as possible. Always wash your hands and feet before practicing Wipe off dirt using yoga mat special wipes