Wait! Don’t clean your yoga mat until you read How to Clean a LuLuLemon Yoga Mat. While this is written for LuLuLemon yoga mats, all yoga mats should be cleaned like this. Why? Well because you pay good money for yoga mats so you want to take great care of them.
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Why Clean a Yoga Mat?
Yoga is undoubtedly among the most enjoyable and beneficial exercise routines. If youโre doing it right, it should cleanse harmful toxins off your body in the abundant sweat. In lengthy sessions, this sweat would inevitably flood the mat after soaking your clothes.
As you might already know, bacteria and mold thrive perfectly in such a moist environment. Thatโs why cleaning your mat is an absolute necessity after each class.
Then again, improperly cleaning your LuLuLemon Yoga Mat can cause permanent damage. Thatโs why I wrote this post. Iโll discuss how to clean a lululemon yoga mat from start to finish.
How to Clean a Lululemon Yoga Mat
Before we get to the actual cleaning process, we should know how cleaning a Lululemon mat can differ from the other brands.
The majority of Lululemon mats are made from natural rubber and latex. This is the reason behind their unmatched cushioning. Over the top, Lululemon usually places a polyurethane layer to absorb your sweat, allowing for non-slip lengthy yoga sessions.
All of these materials need special care to maintain their integrity. Thatโs why you shouldnโt use anything but essential oils, vinegar, and other natural substances.
How to Clean a Lululemon Yoga Mat after Class
Generally speaking, any yoga mat should be briefly cleaned after each class. This gets especially crucial if youโre practicing hot yoga.
Skipping the cleaning routine wonโt only affect your training, but it might also degrade your mat faster than it should.
After you practice, the sweat and dirt develop tiny solid particles. With time, theyโll fill the small spaces responsible for your matโs compressibility. If your mat is getting harder than usual, that could be the culprit.
Step 1: Get a Spray Bottle
Since Lululemon mats are often covered with absorbents, directly pouring water would take a lot to dry. Thatโs why I like to use spray bottles, especially those that produce a fine mist.
Step 2: Prepare the Cleaning Solution
For everyday cleaning, a 3:1 water and vinegar solution with drops of essential oils would be your best bet.
Despite its strong smell, vinegar is among the most potent natural disinfectants. With its excellent antimicrobial properties, 10% vinegar can kill the flu virus in 10 minutes.
If you havenโt cleaned your mat in a while, increasing the vinegar concentration would remove dirt and stains faster and easier.
Just like vinegar, essential oils penetrate the mat layers to eradicate any harmful organisms. Using lavender, rosemary, or eucalyptus would also add a pleasing, refreshing scent.
If you donโt want to bother with ingredients, you can buy a ready-made solution built specifically for yoga mats.
Step 3: Wipe, Wipe, Wipe it Down!
Have you seen the โWipe it Downโ challenge on TikTok? Pretty cool, isnโt it? Thatโs what you should do with your mat.
Get a clean cloth, spray it with the solution, and start wiping. Iโve seen tutorials recommending a fine brush for deeper cleaning. But doing that might actually damage the delicate cover of your mat.
You can, however, spray the solution directly over the mat. But you should know that the vinegar scent might linger until the next day.
Step 4: Let It Air Dry
Leave your mat in a shaded area to lose any excess moisture. If you sprayed over the cloth, your mat should be completely dry in around half an hour.
Itโs crucial to stay patient. If you rolled it with lurking moisture, youโll encourage bacteria and mold to grow, causing an awful smell.
How to Clean a Lululemon Yoga Mat in a Bathtub
As you might imagine, wiping with a cloth wonโt get rid of all the sweat and dirt. Every couple of months, you should give your mat a thorough clean in the bathtub to return it back to its best form.
Step 1: Wipe with the Same Solution
Use the everyday cleaning solution to give your mat a deep clean. Feel free to pour the solution directly over the mat since the spray bottle would be unnecessarily tiring.
And again, a cleaning brush might damage your mat, no matter how soft it is. Gently scrubbing with a soft cloth is all you need.
Step 2: Soak Your Mat
When you think your mat is clean enough, fill your tub with enough water to completely cover your mat.
Shake, flip, and move your mat inside the water to wash out all the lingering dirt, sweat, and solution. You can also let the water do its work for a couple of hours.
Step 3: Rinse
After draining the dirty water, spray your mat with clean water to make sure itโs completely clean. You should know youโre ready when the water comes out completely clean from your mat.
Step 4: Squeeze Excess Water and Air Dry
Place a large, dry towel on the floor and lay your mat over it. Firmly roll them together to squeeze excess water. But never wring your mat to avoid permanent damage.
Then, hang your mat up in the open air to get it completely dry. Avoid using a dryer because heat will inevitably damage the rubber.
Bonus: General Tips for a Cleaner Mat
Letโs be honest, nobody likes cleaning. I honestly canโt wait for robots to develop enough and do all these boring chores for us!
If you feel likewise, there are some tips that can cut down on the amount of work you have to do.
Clean Your Hands and Feet before Each Session
I know that most of you already do this, but I thought it would be a good heads-up for beginners.
Thoroughly cleaning your feet and hands before you practice is the easiest way to prevent pollutants from reaching your mat. Like I said earlier, dirt is the usual suspect. But lotions, creams, and other skincare products can be also blamed.
If youโre practicing in a public area with no access to water, wipes would be more than enough.
Fold Your Mat the Right Way
For the best results, you should fold your mat one time before rolling it up. If you skip the folding, the matโs bottom will carry all its dirt to the upper surface which is flooded with sweat.
When you fold, the upper surface will be enclosed on itself, keeping the sweat inside and the dirt outside.
Moreover, youโll be able to know for sure which side touches your body. You can easily forget which is which with a simple roll.
To Sum Up How to Clean a LuLuLemon Yoga Mat
How to Clean a Lululemon Yoga Mat? Simply, scrub it with a cloth sprayed with vinegar and essential oil. If you do this after each session, sweat and dirt shouldnโt build up.
Still, any mat must be thoroughly cleaned every couple of months to make sure it lives for the longest time possible. Using the same cleaning solution before soaking the mat inside the tub should do the trick.
Remember, fold your mat before rolling to keep the dirty bottom separated from the sweaty upper. Now go on and show the world what you can do on your clean mat! Make sure you also check our guide to the best non slip yoga mats.
Check out some of these beautiful LuLuLemon Yoga Mats
Find a few hand picked LuLuLemon yoga mats in some fun colors. Click the images to view/purchase each mat.
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