Yoga Mat Cleaner

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We've got a super simple but awesome little DIY for you! Now that Katherine is penning a yoga series for the blog, we thought it would be nice to share a few other yoga inspired tips and ideas with you. We've been noticing bottles of mat cleaner in stores that sell for anywhere from $8-12. While cleaning your mat is a must (although often overlooked, don't worry, you're not alone), spending that much money on a spray and then having to discard or recycle the empty container at the end seems crazy. We started making our own, and it takes less than 5 minutes, costs probably less than $1 to make, and uses materials you should already have around the house. 

If you google cleaning your mat, you'll quickly find there's a lot of different schools of thought out there. Personally, we don't think it needs to be quite that complicated. A quick little wipe to deordorize and disinfect after every 2nd or 3rd use is all it should take. We also noticed that there's a good amount of concern over using essential oils since it can clog up the pores of the mat. We've got a nice little trick that solves that issue, since we definitely wanted to use essential oils for their anti-microbial and aromatherapeutic properties. 

Our trick is simple: simply emulsify your oils in a little bit of vodka prior to adding your water. The vodka is virtually odorless (unlike rubbing alcohol), so it's a good choice. By mixing your oils directly into it, you'll notice that it breaks up the oil into super tiny particles, after which it mixes with water pretty effortlessly. No more vigorous shaking before each use, and you'll also know that you're not adding oils directly to your mat as it's diluted nicely in the water.

A quick note about essential oils. For this use, you'll want to stick with oils that are naturally disinfectant and anti-microbial. A few good ones are thyme, rosemary, lavender, oregano or tea tree oil. You can add a second or even third oil, depending on your preference, to make a custom blend that you like. We chose rosemary and peppermint, it's a heavenly combo that packs a powerful punch to freshen your mat. It energizes us every time we unroll our mat, ready to tackle a great class!

Lastly, you can use any kind of spray bottle you like, but this slim one is nice because it fits into your yoga bag pretty seamlessly. It holds about 100mL of mat cleaner. 

Let us know what you think of this DIY, and share the post if you liked it!

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MAKE THIS:

• 3 drops organic rosemary essential oil
• 3 drops organic peppermint essential oil
• 2 tbsp vodka
• distilled water

YOU'LL ALSO NEED:

• a funnel (not necessary but helpful)
• spray bottle (preferably glass)

METHOD:

In a small jar, pour in vodka and add essential oils. Mix slowly with a spoon until the oil droplets have disappeared and the vodka appears uniform in appearance. Using your funnel, pour into spray bottle. Fill the remainder of the bottle with distilled water. (While I'm not a fan of distilled water for drinking, it's great for this purpose because it removes any impurities in tap water that could affect your spray, such as chlorine.) 

To clean your mat, spray with mat cleaner and wipe down with a moist cloth. Rinse your cloth and wipe mat down again. Hang to dry.