guides
How to Clean a Yoga Mat, Including a Child's One
How to clean a yoga mat with a damp cloth and mild soap, how often to do it, and how to deal with sticky hands, spills and sick on a child's mat.
To clean a yoga mat, wipe both sides with a cloth wrung out in warm water and a few drops of mild soap, go over it again with clean water, then leave it to air-dry flat before you roll it up. For a Yogi-Me mat, that is the care routine in full: a damp cloth, mild soap, air-dry flat. For any other mat, check the maker's label first.
A child's mat needs the same routine, just more often, because between the ages of 3 and 8 it meets crumbs, jam, playdough, bare feet and the occasional accident.
If you're still choosing one, our guide to choosing a mat for your child covers materials, size and grip.
What is the best way to clean your yoga mat?
The best way to clean a yoga mat is a gentle wipe, not a scrub. Use a soft cloth, warm water and a little mild soap, work across the top and then the underside, wipe again with a clean damp cloth, and dry it flat. Roll it up only once both sides are completely dry.
Here's the routine, start to finish:
- Clear it. Shake the mat outside or brush off crumbs, hair and grit with your hand. Pick off anything stuck on, like playdough or a sticker, before the mat gets wet.
- Make the cleaner. Fill a bowl with warm water and add a few drops of mild soap, such as washing-up liquid or a gentle hand soap.
- Wipe the top. Wring the cloth until it's damp, not dripping, and work from one end of the mat to the other in sections. On a mat with engraved poses, wipe along the lines of the engraving as well as across them.
- Wipe the underside. It sits on the floor, so it collects dust and grit too.
- Rinse. Go over both sides with a clean cloth and plain water, so no soapy film is left where small feet stand.
- Dry it flat. Pat off the surface water with a towel, then leave the mat lying flat to air-dry. Roll it up only when it's dry all over, because a mat rolled up damp holds the moisture inside the roll, and that's where a musty smell starts.
How to clean a TPE yoga mat
TPE, short for thermoplastic elastomer, is a soft, rubbery, PVC-free material used for many modern yoga mats. Clean a TPE yoga mat the same gentle way: damp cloth, mild soap, rinse, dry flat, and check the maker's label before using anything stronger. Our Sun Salutation kids' yoga mat is TPE, and that routine is its full care instructions.
What is the best homemade yoga mat cleaner?
The best homemade yoga mat cleaner is the simplest one: a bowl of warm water with a few drops of mild soap, such as washing-up liquid or gentle hand soap. It shifts everyday grime and sticky fingerprints, costs next to nothing and leaves no strong smell on a surface your child lies face down on.
You'll find plenty of recipes online for vinegar sprays, tea tree and other essential oil mixes, and bicarbonate of soda pastes. We don't recommend any of them on a Yogi-Me mat, because they aren't part of its care instructions. The same goes for bleach, disinfectant sprays and anything abrasive.
Soap and water cleans; it doesn't sterilise. For a family mat, that's what most days need.
How often should a yoga mat be cleaned?
There's no official rule for how often you should clean a yoga mat. A sensible rhythm for a child's mat is a quick wipe whenever it looks or feels grubby, a full clean about once a week if it's used most days, and a clean straight away after food, spills, sickness or sharing.
These timings are our suggestion, not an official guideline. If the mat comes out for kids' yoga at home most days, the weekly clean is the one to keep up.
- Ordinary use: shake it out afterwards, and give it a quick wipe if it needs one.
- Used most days: the full six-step clean, about once a week.
- Food, juice or sticky hands: spot clean straight away with a soapy cloth, then rinse.
- Sick or a toilet accident: straight away, clear it, clean it, rinse it and dry it flat, then wash hands.
- Used by a child with a verruca or athlete's foot: a wipe-down after each use, before anyone else steps on it.
Can you put a yoga mat in the washing machine?
Don't put a Yogi-Me mat in the washing machine. Its care instructions are a damp cloth, mild soap and air-drying flat, and a machine wash, a tumble dryer or drying it over a radiator isn't part of that. For any other mat, check the maker's label first, because care advice differs between materials.
How do you clean sticky hands, spills and sick off a child's mat?
Deal with children's messes while they're fresh. Lift off anything solid, wipe the patch with a cloth wrung out in warm soapy water, go over it with clean water and let it dry flat. Jam left to dry on a textured surface takes far more wiping later.
Crumbs, jam and sticky fingers
A house rule of no food on the mat saves most of the cleaning. When something does land on it, spot clean that patch rather than the whole mat.
Playdough, stickers and crayon
Pick off what you can with your fingers, then wipe with the soapy cloth. Don't scrape with a knife or anything sharp. If a faint mark stays after soap and water, leave it rather than reaching for a stronger product.
When your child is sick or has an accident on it
Clear it up straight away, give the mat the soapy clean, rinse it and dry it flat. Then wash your hands and your child's with soap and water. The NHS notes that alcohol hand gels do not kill norovirus, the vomiting bug, so soap and water matters here.
The NHS also advises washing clothes and bedding with sick or poo on them at 60°C, separately from other laundry. We'd do the same with any towels or cloths you used to clear up. The mat itself gets the soapy clean above.
Should children share a yoga mat?
Brothers and sisters can share a mat happily. If one of them has a verruca or athlete's foot, wipe the mat after they've used it. Children do yoga barefoot, and the NHS says verrucas can spread from contaminated surfaces, and athlete's foot by walking barefoot where someone else has it.
The NHS also says you're more likely to spread a verruca when skin is wet or damaged, and advises not sharing towels, socks or shoes with either condition. It doesn't mention yoga mats, so wiping the mat between children is our suggestion, not NHS advice.
When should you speak to a pharmacist or GP?
If your child has a verruca or athlete's foot, the NHS says a pharmacist can help with both, with creams, plasters and sprays for verrucas and antifungal treatments for athlete's foot. Some athlete's foot treatments are only for adults, so check the packet or ask the pharmacist.
The NHS advises seeing a GP if athlete's foot doesn't get better with pharmacy treatment, if a verruca keeps coming back or is very large or painful, or if a wart bleeds or changes how it looks.
When should you throw out a yoga mat?
Replace a yoga mat when cleaning no longer fixes it: the surface is cracking, flaking or tearing, it has lost its grip even when clean and dry, or a smell stays after a full clean and a proper dry. On a child's mat, flaking matters most, because little hands pick at loose bits.
If you're replacing a mat, our guide to non-toxic, PVC-free yoga mats explains what the material labels mean, and our guide to yoga mat thickness for kids covers how much cushioning a child needs.
Frequently asked questions
Can you use baby wipes or antibacterial wipes on a yoga mat?
On a Yogi-Me mat, stick to a cloth with warm water and a few drops of mild soap, because that's what its care instructions cover. Baby wipes, antibacterial wipes and disinfectant sprays aren't part of them. For any other mat, check the maker's label before using a wipe or spray.
Can you wash a yoga mat in the bath?
You don't need to, and we wouldn't soak a Yogi-Me mat: its care instructions are a damp cloth, mild soap and air-drying flat, and soaking isn't part of them. If floor space is short, an empty bath is a handy place to wipe it down. For any other mat, check the maker's label first.
Why is my yoga mat slippery after cleaning?
The likeliest causes are soap left on the surface or a mat that isn't fully dry. Go over both sides again with a cloth and plain water, then let the mat dry flat completely before anyone stands on it. A smaller amount of soap next time helps.
How do you get a smell out of a yoga mat?
Give it the full clean with warm soapy water, rinse, and air-dry it flat until both sides are completely dry before rolling. If the smell is still there after that, it may be time for a new mat.
A mat that's easy to look after
If it's time for a new mat, or a first one, a Yogi-Me mat needs only the routine above: a damp cloth, mild soap and air-dry flat. The 15 poses are numbered and laser-engraved into the surface, so a five-year-old can start at 1 and work through to 15 on their own, with nothing to set up and no screen to follow. It's designed for ages 3 to 8 and is full length, 183 x 61 cm, so they won't outgrow it and you can join in. It's non-toxic, PVC-free TPE, according to our supplier's specification, with 6 mm of cushioning. Sun Salutation has standing poses for children who want to move, Freedom Flow a floor sequence for children who need to settle.
If it's a Christmas present, it's one that copes with Christmas afternoon: chocolatey fingerprints come off with the soapy cloth, and it's ready again for a rainy January Saturday. Buying for brothers, sisters or cousins? Two or more mats are 10 per cent off. Our list of gift ideas that aren't another screen has more.
Let your child choose a colour, then hand them the cloth. Each mat is £34.99 with free UK delivery and 30-day returns.
