move Wellness yoga

DIY Yoga Mat Cleaner

July 27, 2022

Yoga mats can be a breeding ground for bacteria so keep yours clean with this DIY Yoga Mat Cleaner. Made from simple and natural ingredients like witch hazel, essential oils and water, this yoga mat cleaner is a no-brainer for any yogis looking to clean their mats regularly.

DIY Yoga Mat cleaner made from natural ingredients like witch hazel and essential oils so you can keep your mat clean and your body healthy!

The other day as I was rolling out my yoga mat to do an at-home practice, C pointed out how dirty my yoga mat was looking. TBH I don’t clean it at home nearly enough. When I’m in a studio, I almost always feel guilted when I see all the people around me being proactive and cleaning their mats, but at home not so much.

I also think it has to do with the availability of yoga mat cleaners or spray cleaners. In a studio or gym they’re almost always readily available, but at home I end up resorting to my plant-based all-purpose cleaner which does the trick but doesn’t get me particularly excited by cleaning it.

So I set out to make the best yoga mat cleaner using all-natural ingredients. This yoga mat cleaner is safe, effective and yoga teacher approved!

Why Use a Yoga Mat Cleaner

Think of your yoga mat like your exercise bike or your workout clothes… naturally as you workout, they get accumulate dirt, grime and sweat! Some might start to stink, will look grimy or will just be covered in bacteria or germs that you can’t see.

This bacteria can build up in your mat so it’s important to clean it regularly. Don’t just wait for a scent to develop before cleaning it.

Yoga mats can be a breeding ground for bacteria so keep yours clean with this DIY Yoga Mat Spray. Made from simple and natural ingredients like witch hazel, essential oils and water, this yoga mat cleaner is a no-brainer for any yogis looking to clean their mats regularly.

My favorite yoga studio in SF (The Pad Studios) has an incredible smelling yoga mat spray that I’m fairly certain they make themselves. It required me to do a little digging (aka I opened a bottle and put my nose in it) to figure out what combination went into their yoga mat spray and in the end I think I put together a similar result, with a Maven twist!

Homemade Yoga Mat Cleaner

Like most cleaning products, it was important to me that the combination be natural and made from plant-based ingredients. Especially since I’m putting my hands, my feet and sometimes my face directly onto it. My yoga mat and I have a pretty intimate relationship so just like my skincare products, I’d like for it to not be full of chemicals.

Making your own DIY yoga mat spray is actually easier than you think and only requires a few simple ingredients, without the harsh chemicals:

Witch Hazel – a special distilled herb that has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties (I like to use this alcohol-free version but it’s totally up to you if you want alcohol-free)

Essential OilsPeppermint, Lemon, Tea Tree Oil and Lavender essential oils which help with both disinfecting and smell lovely! If you prefer other scents feel free to use them instead (I also like orange, lemongrass and eucalyptus oils)

Water – to dilute the witch hazel and essential oils and make the spray more long lasting

Spray bottle – I like these ones from Amazon. You just mix all your ingredients and shake. Then just spray on your mat as indicated below.

How to Clean Your Yoga Mat

Using a yoga mat spray is so simple! Just spray the mixture directly onto your yoga mat – I like to do a light even coating. You don’t need to thoroughly coat or have puddles of cleaner! Use a clean towel to rub the spray in your yoga mat and wipe any excess away. Let your mat air dry completely before using.

yoga teacher Davida Lederle sitting on her yoga mat with her yoga mat cleaner

How Long Does Yoga Mat Cleaner Last?

Because this is made with just witch hazel, essential oils and water, this yoga mat spray will last for years! If one batch is lasting you for years though, you’re not using it enough!! Just saying…

Print

DIY Yoga Mat Cleaner

Yoga mats can be a breeding ground for bacteria so keep yours clean with this DIY Yoga Mat Cleaner. Made from simple and natural ingredients like witch hazel, essential oils and water, this yoga mat cleaner is a no-brainer for any yogis looking to clean their mats regularly.

  • Author: Davida Lederle
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

Scale

Instructions

  1. Add witch hazel to spray bottle and top with water until almost full.
  2. Add in essential oils. If you prefer more fragrance, feel free to add more.
  3. Shake and spray directly onto mat.
  4. Wipe clean using a towel and leave out to dry completely.
  5. Use after each yoga mat use or as desired.

Keywords: Yoga Mat Spray, Yoga Mat cleaner

Interested in practicing more yoga? Check out these posts:

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  • Reply
    Sarah
    April 7, 2023 at 8:37 pm

    Can I use this as a countertop cleaner spray as well?

  • Reply
    Ann
    May 16, 2022 at 12:29 pm

    I’m wanting to try this for a large exercise mat (2’ squares put together to form a 6’x8’ area) over carpet – should I be concerned that any overspray May damage the carpet? Thank you!

  • Reply
    Kate
    April 8, 2021 at 12:27 am

    Is there a reason alcohol-free witch hazel is better? (The only kind I could find in store was not alcohol-free and the one I ordered online had other things in it.)

    • Reply
      Davida Lederle
      April 8, 2021 at 11:24 am

      alcohol can potentially damage your mat but if you aren’t using it too frequently you should be fine!

  • Reply
    Joyce Low
    March 28, 2021 at 5:31 am

    Got a new mat recently and would like to prepare this for cleaning my mat! However, what would be a good substitute for Witch Hazel? I’m having difficulty finding it where I am..

    • Reply
      Davida Lederle
      March 28, 2021 at 5:23 pm

      Honestly – there isn’t a perfect substitute. You could do a heavily diluted apple cider vinegar mixture but it’s definitely not as effective.

    • Reply
      Lauren
      February 8, 2022 at 9:30 am

      Witch Hazel can be found in any drug or convenience store. It will be located right next to the large bottles of rubbing alcohol (in a similar looking bottle) in the first aid department. Super easy to find and super cheap.

  • Reply
    claire
    January 11, 2021 at 11:10 am

    If i just wanted to use tea tree oil, and none of the others, how many drops should I use? 28 drops?

    • Reply
      Davida Lederle
      January 11, 2021 at 12:13 pm

      tea tree is extremely potent so I wouldn’t use more than 5 drops – however if you find it doesn’t have much smell you can add a few more. You should smell it without it being overpowering.

  • Reply
    Lori Wasserman-Rizzo
    November 12, 2019 at 7:42 am

    How many ounces of witch hazel?

    • Reply
      Sophia
      September 25, 2020 at 3:24 pm

      2 Ounces.

  • Reply
    Terri Decker
    May 2, 2019 at 9:58 am

    any worry that the mat will eventually get oily??

    • Reply
      Davida @ The Healthy Maven
      May 2, 2019 at 12:03 pm

      No! There’s such a minute amount of essential oils. I’ve never had an issue.

  • Reply
    Carissa
    February 18, 2019 at 10:37 pm

    Thank you for the recipe and advice! Can’t wait to try it out!

  • Reply
    Erica
    December 18, 2018 at 6:25 am

    Thank you for sharing! I bet this smells amazing.

  • Reply
    Brenda Star
    November 23, 2018 at 9:51 am

    It seems really interesting to clean the mats with essential oils. As this is really helpful as they are without any chemicals.

  • Reply
    Alicia K
    August 14, 2018 at 12:57 pm

    This sounds amazing!! I never clean my mat enough. I just found my stash of essential oils, so this sounds like a fun project for me to do.

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