Yoga Mats Guide

How to Clean a Yoga Mat Without Ruining It

Most mat damage is cleaning damage. Five steps, and one rule about your mat's material that decides whether water is friend or enemy.

By Janet H.Updated September 25, 2026How we pick

Gloved hands wiping a surface with a cloth and spray bottle

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The five steps

Work out which kind of mat you have. Flick a few drops of water on it. Beads that sit on the surface mean closed cell. Drops that soak in and darken the mat mean open cell, and that mat must never be soaked.
Wipe after every session. A damp microfiber cloth, or a light mist of cleaner and a cloth. Thirty seconds, and it is the single highest-value thing you can do for grip.
Deep clean monthly. Closed cell: warm water and a drop of mild dish soap on a soft cloth, then a second pass with clean water. Open cell: a barely damp cloth and a purpose-made cleaner only.
Dry it flat or hung, away from direct sun. Both sides, completely dry to the touch. Sun degrades rubber and dries out cork.
Roll it only when dry. A damp rolled mat is how mats start to smell, and people blame the material.

Open cell vs closed cell

This is the whole game, and most cleaning advice online ignores it.

	Closed cell	Open cell
Typical materials	PVC, some rubber, cork surface	Open-cell natural rubber
Water behavior	Beads on the surface	Soaks into the material
Can you soak it?	Briefly, with care	Never
Machine washable?	No	No
Drying time	Fast	Slow; needs real airing
Smell risk	Low	High if rolled damp

The practical consequence: a JadeYoga Harmony and a Manduka PRO want genuinely different treatment. Soaking the open-cell one gets water inside the material where it will not come out, and that is usually terminal for the smell.

The picks

What to clean it with

Two cleaners that will not leave a film, and the washable towel that takes most of the sweat before it reaches the mat.

Stock photo
Routine cleaning
ASUTRA Natural Yoga Mat Cleaner
A plant-based spray that ships with a microfiber cloth, so it is the whole job in one purchase. Light scent, and it does not leave a film that makes the mat slicker.
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Stock photo
Cleaning a rubber or PVC mat safely
Manduka Mat Renew Cleaner
The maker's own cleaner, which matters mainly because Manduka voids nothing and states it is safe on their surfaces. Alcohol-free, so it will not dry out rubber.
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Rescuing a slippery mat
Manduka Yogitoes Skidless Mat Towel
The fix for a slippery mat you otherwise like. Silicone nubs hold it to the mat, and the top grips harder the wetter it gets.
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#ad · Price set by Amazon · Affiliate disclosure for the link to Manduka Yogitoes Skidless Mat Towel

What never to do

Never put a mat in a washing machine. Almost no mat survives it. Mat towels are washable; mats are not.
Never use alcohol or a harsh disinfectant on natural rubber. It dries the material out and it will crack.
Never dry a mat in direct sun. The fastest way to age rubber and cork.
Never use oil-based soap. It leaves a film, and a film is exactly what makes a mat slippery — see why mats get slippery.
Never roll a damp mat and put it in a bag. This is the single biggest cause of the smell people attribute to the rubber.

How often

Practice	Wipe down	Deep clean
Occasional, cool room	Weekly	Every two months
Regular, cool room	After each session	Monthly
Hot yoga	After every session, always	Every two weeks
Shared mat	After each user	Monthly

If you practice hot, a washable towel over the mat cuts the cleaning load dramatically because the towel takes most of the sweat and goes in the machine — see mats for hot yoga.

When a mat already smells

Two completely different problems get described the same way, and the fix for one makes the other worse.

A new rubber smell is the material, not dirt. Natural rubber smells strongly of rubber for one to three weeks. Cleaning does nothing for it; airing does. Unroll the mat somewhere ventilated and out of direct sun and leave it for a few days. It fades and does not come back.

A sour or musty smell is absorbed sweat, and it is nearly always caused by rolling the mat up damp. On a closed-cell mat you can usually recover it: wipe thoroughly with warm water and a drop of mild soap, go over it again with a clean damp cloth, and dry it flat and completely. On an open-cell rubber mat the moisture is inside the material, and honestly, sometimes you do not get it back — which is the real reason the never-roll-it-damp rule matters more than any cleaner you can buy.

Things people try that make it worse

More cleaner. Residue is slippery. A mat that smells and slides is usually a mat that has been over-sprayed.
Fabric conditioner or scented spray. It coats the surface, traps what is underneath and destroys the grip.
Sunshine. It does kill odor and it also dries out rubber and cork until they crack. Shade and airflow do the same job without the damage.
Soaking it. On an open-cell mat this is how a recoverable smell becomes a permanent one.

How we picked

Chosen on published criteria, and we say so

Most gear sites open by telling you how many hours they spent with the products. We have not used most of these, and we would rather say so than imply otherwise. Every pick here is chosen against criteria we publish — grip, cushioning, size options, what buyers report after a year of use, and whether the thing is still actually sold — and every manufacturer figure on the page is labeled as the maker's claim.

Nobody pays for a place on this page, no product was supplied free in exchange for coverage, and a specification the maker does not publish is never guessed at. See the full criteria and weighting.

FAQ

Questions people ask

How do you clean a yoga mat at home?

Wipe it with a damp cloth after every session, and deep clean monthly with warm water and a drop of mild soap. Dry it fully before rolling.

Can you clean a yoga mat with vinegar?

Diluted white vinegar works on closed-cell mats and is fine occasionally. It is harsher on natural rubber than a purpose-made cleaner, and the smell lingers.

Can you put a yoga mat in the washing machine?

No. Almost no mat survives a machine wash. Mat towels are washable; mats are not.

How do you clean a yoga mat after hot yoga?

Wipe it down immediately, then hang it to dry completely before rolling. Never roll a wet mat into a bag.

How do you clean a yoga mat naturally?

Warm water and a drop of mild dish soap on a soft cloth handles almost everything, and it leaves no film. Diluted white vinegar works on closed-cell mats. Skip essential oils — they sit on the surface and make the mat slippery.

How do you clean a yoga mat without damaging it?

Work out whether it is open cell or closed cell first by flicking water on it. Closed cell tolerates a damp wipe with mild soap; open cell needs a barely damp cloth and no soaking at all. Neither wants alcohol, a disinfectant spray or direct sun.

Update log

What changed

September 25, 2026First published.

Receipts

Sources

We have not used every product on this page, and we do not pretend otherwise. Thicknesses, materials, sizes and warranty terms are the manufacturer's published figures, shown as their claims. Anything about materials, skin or injury is linked to a source. Prices are set by Amazon and change constantly, so we never print one. Read the full method.