Some yoga mats can go in a washing machine and most cannot. Of ours, only the 7 mm Diamond mats are made for it: a delicate cycle at 30 °C, inside a laundry bag, then dried flat away from the sun. The plant-dyed chakra rugs and the Indico are better washed by hand in cold water, and the grass and banana fibre mats must never be soaked, let alone spun.
The short answer, mat by mat
| Mat | Machine? | What to do instead or as well |
|---|---|---|
| Diamond Clay, Diamond Orange (7 mm cotton) | Yes: delicate, 30 °C, in a laundry bag | Hand wash works too; dry flat away from sun |
| Prana Shakti, Prithvi (chakra rugs) | Better not | Hand wash cold, separately at first; dry flat in shade |
| Indico | Better not | Hand wash cold, separately at first; dry flat in shade |
| Sambu Diamond, Sambu Jute, Sambu Frame (grass) | Never | Shake out, wipe with a damp cloth, air in shade |
| Banana Fibre | Never | Shake out, wipe with a damp cloth, air in shade |
| Darbha | Never | Wipe clean, air in shade, keep dry |
Whatever the mat: cold water only, no bleach, no fabric softener, no tumble dryer, no direct sun while it dries.
Why the Diamond mats can take it
The Diamond Clay and Diamond Orange are our thickest cotton mats, 7 mm of GOTS-certified organic cotton with a raised diamond lattice, dense enough to come through a gentle cycle without losing shape. The laundry bag stops the edges rubbing on the drum. Thirty degrees is the ceiling, because the clay colour comes from alkanet root and heat pulls plant colour out faster than anything else. Delicate cycle, low spin, then straight out and flat on a rack.
Why the chakra rugs and the Indico are better by hand
The Indico is dyed with true indigo, and the chakra rugs carry seven bands of colour from more than twenty herbs. Plant dyes are not fixed the way synthetic dyes are; a machine's agitation can fade them unevenly, and the hand-knotted tassels tangle in the drum. Hand washing takes ten minutes. The method is in how to wash a cotton yoga mat; a little colour in the first rinse is normal, as we explain in colour in the first wash.
Why grass and banana fibre mats must never be soaked
The Sambu Diamond and its sisters are sambhu grass woven with cotton; the Banana Fibre mat is banana bark and fibre bound in cotton. Grass and bark are not cloth: soaking swells the stems and a machine breaks the fibres. Shake the mat out, wipe it with a cloth wrung out in cold water, and air it in the shade; see how to clean a grass yoga mat. The Darbha is the same, except that it is backed in cotton cloth and folds flat.
What about foam, rubber and PVC mats?
We only weave in cotton and grass, so for a foam or rubber mat follow its maker's label. If the label says nothing, treat it as wipe-only; a machine can crack foam or peel a bonded top layer.
A note on the underside
Our cotton, grass and banana fibre mats have a thin layer of natural tree latex brushed onto the underside by hand. A delicate wash does not strip it from the Diamond mats; after many washes it can soften, and a thin fresh coat restores it. If you are allergic to natural latex, choose with care and write to us first.
Frequently asked questions
Can I machine wash a cotton yoga mat?
Only if it is woven thickly enough. Our 7 mm Diamond Clay and Diamond Orange can be machine washed on a delicate 30 °C cycle inside a laundry bag with a little mild detergent, then dried flat away from the sun. The thinner plant-dyed rugs, the Prana Shakti, Prithvi and Indico, should be hand washed in cold water because the machine can fade the dyes and tangle the tassels.
What happens if I machine wash a grass mat?
The grass swells when soaked and the spin breaks the stems, so the mat does not recover. Grass and banana fibre mats only need shaking out, wiping with a damp cloth and airing in the shade. If one has been soaked by accident, lay it flat in the shade with a fan on it and let it dry slowly.
Which cycle and temperature for the Diamond mats?
Delicate or wool cycle, 30 °C, the lowest spin, a laundry bag and a small dose of mild natural detergent. No bleach, softener or tumble dryer. Lay the mat flat in the shade as soon as the cycle ends; the 7 mm weave can take more than a day to dry right through.
Next step
If your mat is a Diamond, put it in a laundry bag and set the machine to delicate and 30 °C; for anything else, a bucket of cold water or a damp cloth is all you need. The per-mat notes are on the Mat care page.
