Yoga Mat Cleaning

A yoga mat offers the perfect soft surface for working out on the floor. However, commercial yoga mats are the ideal breeding ground for germs. Properly cleaning yoga mats protects gym members from germs and dirt and provides them with a clean, safe surface to exercise on. Learn more about the importance of clean yoga mats and how to clean your commercial yoga mats below.

Why You Should Clean Your Gym's Yoga Mats

While the focus is often on wiping down gym equipment, cleaning your yoga mat is essential to maintaining your workout tools. When multiple people use the same yoga mats throughout the day, they quickly become dirty. If they stay that way, individuals risk catching sicknesses thanks to the germs that stay behind.

Left unmaintained, yoga mats can begin to smell and will become a breeding ground for germs. During a workout, users step and sweat on yoga mats, which soak up moisture and dirt through their porous surfaces. Sterile yoga mats ensure gym users are protected from contaminants and provide safe, fresh equipment to work out on.

Protect your gym users from skin conditions and health irritants with regular cleaning. Those with lowered immune system health are especially vulnerable to germs and contamination and poorly-cleaned equipment puts them at risk for health issues. By regularly cleaning the yoga mats at your gym or studio, you can keep your patrons protected.

How Often Should You Clean Your Gym's Yoga Mats?

Be sure to clean commercial yoga mats after every use — doing so protects each user from germs and dirt and gives them a sanitary surface for their workout. Every month, deep clean them to remove any odors or bacteria growing in the porous material. For yoga mats used outside or for hot yoga, deep clean them more frequently, such as biweekly.

Products You Can Use to Clean Yoga Mats

Any products you use to clean your yoga mats should be skin safe to reduce the chances of irritation. Avoid bleach and alcohol solutions since they can sink into the mat's surface and cause skin irritation if left on the mat after cleaning. Look for gentle soaps and mild detergents, tea tree oil or products formulated for yoga mats for cleaning.

There's a wide range of yoga mat cleaning products available that will help keep your mats clean and maintained. For example, yoga mat wipes often have essential oils to help remove odors and give your mat a clean, fresh scent. Some are formulated for specific uses like stain, grease or fungus removal, so explore your options and find the best product for your gym.

Choosing the Right Wipe for Your Yoga Mats

Use sanitizing wipes for wipe-downs before and after workouts. Choose bleach- and alcohol-free sanitizing wipes, as they're skin safe and designed to kill up to 99.9% of bacteria. Always double-check the sanitizing wipe ingredients to make sure they're skin safe and won't degrade your mats over time.

Certain harsh chemicals can eat away at your mats long-term, so always choose gentle cleaners to protect your mats and everyone's health. Giving the mat's surface a wipe-down with a sanitizing wipe after use will help keep the mats clean and fresh for repeated gym use.

Overall, yoga mat wipes are a quick, convenient way to keep mats clean in-between uses — just make sure they're readily available so people working out can use them. After closing, have an employee wipe down every mat thoroughly to make sure they're prepared for the next day.

How to Clean Your Gym's Yoga Mats

Now that you know the importance of cleaning yoga mats, let's look at the different ways to clean them. Here are three ways to clean your commercial yoga mats and protect your gym users:

1. Wipe Downs

Using sanitizing wipes, thoroughly wipe down the front, back and sides of the yoga mat before and after gym session use. For commercial spaces with lots of mats, you can encourage mat users to do it themselves by placing wipe stations in convenient spots around the gym. This is the most efficient way to clean frequently-used mats.

2. Spot Cleaning

For mats with stains, oils and grease spots, you can easily make a yoga mat spot cleaner or purchase your own. Mix a mild dish soap, white vinegar and tea tree oil with warm water in a bowl. Lay the mat down on a nonporous surface. Begin gently scrubbing the mat with the cleaner and a sponge.

Once you've sponged all the stains out, rinse the sponge with water and pat over the spots you cleaned to remove any soap or cleaner from the mat. Then, hang the mat up to dry. Ensure the mat is completely dry before hanging it up so bacteria don't grow.

3. Deep Cleaning

The easiest way to deep clean a yoga mat is to use a washing machine. This method is only for washer-safe yoga mats, so check your mats first before throwing them in the washer. Note that washers can decrease the life span of a yoga mat, so keep that in mind when deep cleaning.

If you have washing machine-safe yoga mats, put the mat in the washer with gentle detergent and select a low-heat, low-spin cycle. Hang the mats to air dry.

Alternatively, you can wash yoga mats in a tub of water. Fill the container with warm water and mix in a gentle, mat-safe detergent. Use a soft scrubber or sponge to scrub the mats. Rinse the mats with clean, fresh water to remove all of the soap. Finally, hang the mats to fully dry and roll them up when they're finished drying.

Shop Wipes at Wipes.com

If you own or operate a gym with commercial yoga mats, you know how important it is to keep equipment clean and germ-free. To ensure your yoga mats are well-maintained and safe to use, use our selection of sanitizing wipes. Our sanitizing wipes are skin safe, protecting yoga mat users from irritants and germs. We also carry a selection of Wipes Dispensers for easy wipe access at your facilities.

Shop our wipes now and get the best cleaning solution for your gym facilities today!