An eco friendly yoga mat is a tool used to provide comfort and stability in the practice of yoga as a system of exercise. These mats are often used to practice Yoga, all you do is spread them out and your all set. While they are not very expensive, they certainly are not cheap, and thus maximizing their viable lifespan and comfort are in the best interests of the owner. To extend the life of your mat, and keep it comfortable and safe, users need to take care of the mats.
A new mat will often have a rubbery smell and a slightly slippery feel to it. The rubbery smell will fade over time, however you can accelerate this by air-drying, if the smell is too bothersome. The slippery feel of the surface is due to a residue that forms on the mat during manufacture. Don't worry, the slippery residue will wear off after a few uses. If this is bothersome you can use a solution of detergent and water to wipe off the mat. In order to avoid soap scum to build up on the mat only use a small amount of detergent. You can also leave the mat outside in the sun for a shirt amount of time to get rid of the smell and slippery oil residue.
With long periods of use, an eco friendly yoga mat will eventually become soiled. Use water and a towel after spraying the top to wipe off the gunk if there is only a light coating of it. Washing your mat is one way you can help remove more set-in stains and soiling. Unfortantly this mats are not machine washable, so you will have to wash them by hand. You can use a small amount of detergent or household cleanser to a container mixed with cold water. To avoide excessive wear on the mat, scrub lightly when cleaning with the solution. After you clean the mat rinse it out with water until the soap is gone. If soap seeps into the mat, the surface can get very slippery as sweat mixes with soap. Seeing as this could make using the mat uncomfortable and dangerous, rinsing should be done properly.
You need to hang a mat up in order to dry it out. You can dry it quicker by using a towel. When rolling your mat, place a towel on top of the mat and then roll with the outside surface facing out. Then step on the mat to squeeze out any remaining water which will then be absorbed by the towel. Considering the water is spread out across a big area, it will take less time if you unroll and hang them to dry out.
Lastly, rolling an eco friendly yoga mat for storage should be done with the used surface outside. This will keep the corners from rolling up when you are using the mat. To avoid microorganisms from growing keep it in a cool and dry place.
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