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BANG FOR THE BITE
Natural yoga mat cleaners are good for you and nature, but they are a bit pricey when compared to conventional cleaners.
COCKTAIL FACT
Yoga is comprised of 8 different "branches" of study and thought. The physical postures are actually only 1 of the 8.
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home › tip library › Yoga Mat Cleaners
So we told you long ago about all natural yoga mats, but did we mention how to keep them clean?
The Bite
If you get a natural yoga mat (or even with your old PVC one) steer clear of cleaning it with synthetic cleaners and detergents. Stick to the natural theme with your sticky mat – use cleaners that will preserve its life while letting you breath non-toxic air in your downward dog.
The Benefits
- Be good to your skin. Many detergents contain skin-irritating chemicals like alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEs), which are linked to hormone disruption and some cancers, and may be absorbed by your skin.
- Focus on your breathing technique. Traditional all purpose cleaners, commonly recommended for cleaning mats, often contain chlorine or ammonia, which are harmful when inhaled and toxic when combined.
- Stay friendly with fishies. APEs do not break down in water treatment processes, contaminating waterways and harming the reproduction and survival of aquatic life.
Personally Speaking
As our resident yoga guru, Heather is always promoting the cleansing benefits of yoga. Until she discovered Vermont Soap, though, we can’t say that her mat benefited from much cleansing.
Wanna Try?
- Vermont Soap Organics Yoga & Exercise Mat Cleaner – comes with tips on how to clean your mat, too ($6-$50).
- Integrity Yoga Mat Wash Products – not just for yoga mats! Spritz some on your other exercise equipment ($10-$28).
- Alternatively, wash your mat with shampoo or vinegar in the tub or shower and hang to dry.
Share your mat-cleaning faves (and read about Heather's not-always-so-clean attitude) at the Ideal Bite Blog.
Apr 04,2006
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All editorial suggestions in this tip are the result of testing and a preference for the tip topic. No advertiser has paid to have its company referenced in the tip. For more information, please read our Editorial Policy.
Shoes, Sweat and Sutras
Sunday, I did laundry. I did ALL my laundry. I did so much laundry, I even cleaned my SHOES. No joke. I did a whole load of sneakers - clunk-thunking around in the machine, causing it to imbalance every few minutes, forcing me to sit in my creepy roach basement for the entire cycle on a day where I really should have been outside in the sunshine.
The thing is - these shoes? It HAD to happen. They'd never been cleaned. For some unknown reason, out of nowhere, that fact started to skeeve me out a little... the fact that I had never washed these sneaks. So - years later - viola! Clean shoes.
I'd like to say that I wasn't the same with my yoga mat, because let's face it: the only thing that I sweat in more than my shoes are my yoga classes. But truth be told, until I discovered Vermont Soap's yoga mat cleaner about 2 years ago, I think I had only cleaned my mat like twice in 7 years. With a garden hose. And ammonia. (Um, er).
Let's just say that downward facing dog breathing in ammonia fumes is NOT exactly what Patanjali had in mind when he put down the yoga sutras 5000 years ago.
-Heather... off to plan what I am teaching in class tonight... April Fools yoga, anyone???
Biter Comments...
Ewwwww. Thanks for reminding me. I have to confess - I've never cleaned my yoga mat!! But I was thinking I might try my Method all purpose cleaner. Though the lavender scent might just be too relaxing in child's pose! For anyone who hasn't heard of it, it's non-toxic and biodegradable, sold at Target - and the ads are hillarious. Now I think I should go wash my running shoes too...
You wrote in the daily bite: Many detergents contain skin-irritating chemicals like alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEs), which are linked to hormone disruption and some cancers, and may be absorbed by your skin.
If I were you I would have named a couple of these many detergents to save people some time.
Hey G00d News - our mission here at the Bite is to give people access to the good options that they can follow... We want to reward the people and companies that are doing the right thing; never to call out the companies that aren't.
Rather than telling you what NOT to do; we will always give you great options to choose instead.
I just get in the shower with my yoga mat and use a little shampoo. Then hang it up to dry. Been doing it that way for years. I mean, really, special yoga mat cleaning juice strikes me as a little silly.
I just dump my mat in the bathtub with some shampoo or body wash. I let it soak until the next time I wander through the bathroom. Then I spray it with the hand-held shower head to rinse. I let it drip dry in the tub. When it's almost dry I run it through the dryer on low for 2 or 3 minutes (no, it won't melt). The dryer run-through helps it to regain its stickiness.
I do this about once a month. It keeps my mat from, well, stinking.
Dove Beauty Bar : Quaternium 15 : (Formaldehyde) - Carcinogen. Causes cancer, dermatitis, neurotoxic, sensitizer-poisonious, irritant to the skin, eyes, and mucous membranes. Butylated Hydroxytoluene , (BHT) Carcinogen.
Johnson's Baby Shampoo: Quaternium 15 : FD&C RED 40: Carcinogen, and causes dermatitis.
Crest Tarter Control Toothpaste : Saccharin: Carcinogen, contains Phenol Fluoride: Carcinogen If you accidentally swallow more than a pea-sized amount of this, you must contact the Poison Control Center immediately. This warning does not appear on the tube.
Tide & Cheer Detergent : Detergent : Can cause temporary respiratory tract irritation. Symptoms include stinging, swelling, or redness. Sodium Silicate : Can be corrosive. Can cause burns to the eyes and tissue damage to the skin, as well as cause burns to the mouth, throat, and stomach if swallowed. Sodium Sulfate : Corrosive, Severe eye, skin, and respiratory irritant. Can cause asthma attacks. Trisodium Nitrilotriacetate : Carcinogen
Clorox: Sodium Hypochlorite : Corrosive. Sensitizer: Can be fatal if swallowed. Eye, skin, and respiratory irritant. Especially hazardous to people with heart conditions or asthma.
Cascade : Sodium Hypochlorite: (see above) Sodium Silicate : Can be corrosive. Can cause burns to the eyes and tissue damage to the skin, as well as cause burns to the mouth, throat, and stomach if swallowed.
Fantastic, Formula 409 : Butyl Cellosolve: Neurotoxic. Eye and skin irritant. Damages central nervous system, kidney, and liver. Readily absorbed through the skin. Damages blood and body's ability to make blood.
Windex Aerosol Glass Cleaner : Butyl Cellosolve (see above) Isobutane: Neurotoxic
Lysol Disinfectant : Dioxin ; Carcinogen. 500,000 times more deadly than DDT Ethyl Alcohol : Eye, skin, respiratory tract irritant.
Details on the above data are available in "The Safe Shopper's Bible" by Dr. Samuel Epstein, MD. & David Steinman. Macmillian, 1995. Lysol data from "The Environmental Health Newsletter."
Looking for alternative cleaners for your entire home? and your shoes and your yoga matt.
http://www.stayinhomeandlovinit.com/cgi-bin/team.cgi?id=id237305&action=show
Hope this helps in your search.
I can always use a reminder to not use the convenient, easily purchased cleaning products that are advertised everywhere we turn.
I have quit using Windex, in favor of a vinegar/water solution for mirrors, any glass, and I just use soap and water on my granite counter tops in the kitchen as there is some concern of etching with certain things....soap and water and a scrubby pad work well on my stove top most of the time unless I slack up on cleaning up after cooking. Soap or citrus-based cleanser or Murphy's Oil Soap for the vinyl flooring we have yet to replace in the kitchen....Sun/Earth dishwashing liquid for any dishes I wash by hand....
There is an added benefit to using vinegar/water and soap & water for cleaning....it's LESS EXPENSIVE.
I can hardly walk down the grocery aisle that has all the cleaning products and artificially scented candles on the shelves...I think it stinks to high heaven.
I do need to break the habit of using bleach and water for the toilets and for the mildew/mold that tries to grow on my shower enclosure...
There's still room for improvement!
You can check out Environmental Working Group at www.ewg.org to find out more about the chemicals in your products and find others that are not as harmful. But again, the really basic stuff works well, especially if you Flylady (hey Pam!), and I don't worry about my kids overdosing on vinegar.
I was very disturbed to find out, just after reading idealbite's warning about parabens, that there are parabens in the Jo-sha wipes, which are recommended by idealbite! From Jo-sha's website:
"Ingredients
Water, Polysorbate 20, Phenoxyethanol, Parabens, Aloe Vera, Lavender Essential Oil (Peppermint, Eucalyptus, Tangerine Essential Oils respectively), Vitamin E"
I hope someone at idealbite is cross-referencing their recommendations for conflicts, though it doesn't seem like it.
I use white vinegar for just about everything. From dishes to clothes to cleaning to disinfecting. I believe it kills 99.9% of germs, and it's all-natural. One stop shopping here!
PHOTO ALBUMS
Posted by: Liane | April 04, 2006 at 06:05 AM