I am the
sweaty lady at the gym. Whether I'm strength training or tying my shoes, I can
usually be found covered in a fine mist of newly made sweat. So it was no
surprise that my yoga mat smelled of gym socks after a few sessions of Bikram
Yoga. In the past, I’ve just washed my mat in the bathtub with Dr. Bronner's
Peppermint Castile Soap. My mat would be squeaky clean but it would take about
three days to air-dry. In search of a more efficient way to clean my yoga
mat, I took to the interwebs. I came across some "natural"
commercially produced brands. They had ingredients I couldn't
pronounce and a price tag I couldn't justify. I found tons of
homemade recipes, but a number of them
featured vinegar as an ingredient. After my experience
using vinegar as an all-purpose cleaner, I knew I could not and would not deal
with the smell of vinegar while in Half Tortoise pose. This recipe is a
pared down version of several homemade recipes and uses Witch Hazel instead of
vinegar.
Here's What You Gotta Have:
- Water
- Witch Hazel
- Tea Tree Oil
- Peppermint Essential Oil
- Spray Bottle
Here's What You Gotta Do:
- Fill
the spray bottle up 3/4ths the way with water.
- Fill
the remaining amount with Witch Hazel.
- Add
1 drop of Tea Tree oil per ounce of liquid (So if your spray bottle is 8oz, you
would add 8 drops of Tea Tree oil.)
- Add
1 drop of Peppermint oil per ounce of liquid.
- Twist
the spray lid into place and vigorously and shake the bottle for a minute.
- Spray
a generous amount of the Cleansing spray onto the mat and wipe down with
cleansing cloth or paper towel. Turn the mat over to other side and repeat.
- Hang
the mat and let air-dry.
Tea Tree Oil has natural antiseptic and antifungal properties.
Witch Hazel is an astringent that is commonly used to treat skin ailments, but can also be put to use as a cleaning agent; like isopropyl alcohol and hydrogen peroxide, the chemical cuts through grease and helps break up dirt and oils from skin and sweat.
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