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I have a really nice yoga mat. I bought it a couple years of ago and didn't skimp. It's thick and heavy and was once nice and sticky so your hands and feet don't slip. But it has seen better days. My yoga mat gets a LOT of use. Besides yoga and pilates classes 1-2 times per week, I use it every class for abs and cool down, which means by the time I actually hit the mat, I am usually a little (or a lot) sweaty. I also drape it over the step bench for all my strength classes so the bench is a little more comfortable when we lie down for chest presses or triceps extensions. I even sometimes stand on it with my shoes on - gasp! And let's face it, the floor of my gym's group ex room isn't the cleanest....
I have cleaned my mat on a fairly regular basis over the years but it was looking pretty bad. I was considering buying a new one. But I decided to clean it yet again. And this time, it looks and feels (and smells) like new again!! Here's what I did:
2 Tbsp Dawn dish washing liquid
1 cup white vinegar
3 cups warm water
in a big spray bottle. (This is the same formula I use to spot clean my carpet - it's awesome!)
I rolled out my yoga mat on a big beach towel on my kitchen floor and sprayed the whole thing liberally. Then I went at it with a wet sponge. I turned it over and did the same thing on the other side. Then I let it sit while I filled the tub with about 6 inches of warm water. I submerged my mat in the water and squished it around a bit to make sure all of it was rinsed. I drained the tub and filled it again with another 6 inches or so of water and rinsed again. Then I layed out my wet mat on a clean beach towel and layed another beach towel over it. I rolled it up tightly and kneeled on it a bit. Then I unrolled it and draped it over the bars of our treadmill to dry.
Voila. Yoga mat -- like new!!