A simple natural yoga mat cleaning spray is cold water with a little white vinegar, about one part vinegar to four or five parts water, plus a few drops of essential oil if you like the scent. Spray it onto a cloth rather than the mat, wipe, and let the mat dry flat in shade. Test a corner first on plant-dyed cotton, and never use it to wet a grass or banana-fibre mat beyond a well-wrung cloth.
What the spray does, and what it does not
A spray freshens. It lifts the sour note that sweat leaves in cotton, takes surface dust off and leaves the mat smelling of nothing at all. That is everything we claim for it. We do not say it disinfects a mat or kills anything, because a home mixture is not a disinfectant and we have not tested it as one. When a mat is properly dirty, the answer is a wash for cotton or a thorough wipe for grass, not a stronger spray; our guide to washing a cotton yoga mat covers the full method.
The recipe
You need a clean spray bottle, cold water, white vinegar and, if you want it, an essential oil.
- Fill the bottle most of the way with cold water. Tap water is fine.
- Add white vinegar, about one part to four or five parts water. A 250 ml bottle takes roughly 50 ml. The vinegar smell goes as the mat dries.
- Add a few drops of essential oil if you like. Three to five drops is plenty. Oil does not mix with water, so shake well before every use; undiluted drops sitting on the surface can leave a mark on cotton. Choose the scent for pleasure, not for any effect; we make no claims for it.
- Label the bottle and keep it out of the sun.
How to use it
- Shake the bottle.
- Test a patch on plant-dyed cotton. On a mat such as the Indico, spray a corner of the underside, wipe it and let it dry. If the colour is unchanged, carry on. Plant dyes can react differently from synthetic ones, so do this once for each mat.
- Spray the cloth, not the mat. Two or three sprays onto a clean cotton cloth is enough for a whole mat. A damp cloth puts far less liquid into the weave than spraying the surface directly.
- Wipe where hands and feet rest first, then the rest in long strokes.
- Dry flat in shade with some air moving, and roll the mat only when it is dry right through.
Which mats, and how much
| Mat | Use the spray? | How |
|---|---|---|
| Indico, Prana Shakti, Prithvi (cotton) | Yes, after a test patch | Sprayed cloth between washes; hand wash cold when it needs more |
| Diamond Clay, Diamond Orange (7 mm cotton) | Yes, after a test patch | Sprayed cloth between washes; delicate 30 °C machine cycle in a laundry bag, or hand wash, when it needs more |
| Sambu Frame, Sambu Diamond, Sambu Jute (sambhu grass) | Only on a cloth wrung nearly dry | Shake, brush, barely damp wipe; never soak |
| Banana Fibre | Only on a cloth wrung nearly dry | Shake, damp wipe; never soak |
| Darbha (kusha grass, cloth-backed) | Plain damp cloth is better | Wipe, air in shade, keep dry, fold |
On a grass mat like the Sambu Frame, honestly, the spray adds little. Grass stems do not hold sweat the way cotton does, and what they need is a shake, a brush along the grain and a cloth wrung out in plain cold water. If you do use the spray, spray the cloth once and wring it before it touches the grass.
What not to do
- Do not spray, hose or soak a grass or banana-fibre mat. The stems swell and the cotton binding loosens.
- Do not add bleach, washing-up liquid, surgical spirit or anything stronger. They strip plant colour and leave residue in the weave.
- Do not make it stronger than the recipe. More vinegar is not cleaner, and plant dyes may react to it; that is what the test patch is for.
- Do not spray the underside. Our cotton, grass and banana-fibre mats have a thin layer of natural tree latex brushed on by hand; a dry cloth is all it needs. If you are allergic to natural latex, choose with care and write to us first.
- Do not dry a plant-dyed mat in direct sun after wiping it.
- Do not use a spray to hide a smell. A smell means damp that never dried; our guide to removing smell from a yoga mat explains the cure.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good homemade yoga mat cleaner?
Cold water with a little white vinegar, about one part vinegar to four or five parts water, with three to five drops of essential oil if you want a scent. Spray it onto a cloth and wipe the mat, then dry the mat flat in shade. It freshens a cotton mat between washes; it is not a disinfectant and we do not claim it is one.
Can I use vinegar on a yoga mat?
Diluted white vinegar is fine on a cotton mat once you have tested a corner of the underside and seen that the plant colour does not change. Keep it to a cloth rather than spraying the mat, and dry the mat in shade. On a grass or banana-fibre mat, use plain water on a well-wrung cloth and keep vinegar off the stems.
Can I put essential oils on a yoga mat?
A few drops in a water-and-vinegar spray is fine for scent, shaken well so the oil disperses. Do not drip oil straight onto the mat, because undiluted oil can leave a mark on cotton, and do not expect it to clean or treat anything; it is there for the smell alone.
Can I use a cleaning spray on a grass yoga mat?
Not directly. Never soak or spray a sambhu grass, darbha or banana-fibre mat. Shake it out, brush along the grass and wipe with a cloth wrung out in cold water, then air it in shade until completely dry. If you want to use the spray, spray the cloth once and wring it before wiping.
Mix a bottle today, test it on a corner of your mat tonight and keep it by the door for after practice. The Indico is the mat it suits best; the full care notes for every mat are on our Mat care page.
