Cork is a renewable natural material that is used in many areas of our everyday life, ranging from wine stoppers to fashion and from insulation to yoga mats. Cork is sourced from the bark of the cork oak tree, which is stripped from its bark every 9 years. It’s important to know that this process doesn’t harm the tree, and cork oaks absorb more carbon dioxide in their stripped form than otherwise.
A cork yoga mat has many benefits over synthetic mats, in that they are easier to clean and maintain. This is all down to the phenolic extracts found in cork, making the material antimicrobial and consequently resistant to bacteria growth.
Over the past few months, we have received many questions on how to clean and maintain the cork yoga mat. Time then to give you some inside on this subject.
What To Use To Clean The Cork Mats And Other Cork Yoga Gear?
Keeping the cork clean is quite easy when you regularly maintain it, meaning removing the surface dirt by washing it with mild soap water or vinegar.
Using a 50-50 water-white vinegar solution is good for proper cleaning of your cork yoga mat. Naturally, you can also clean your cork mat with a solution made of a mixture of natural soap and water.
Once you made a solution for cleaning the mat, use a moist cloth together with the solution to wipe the mat over the cork surface. It is also perfectly possible to put the cleaning solution in a spray bottle and spray it over the exercise mat. If the mat gets very wet the mat should be dried first before rolling it back up. It is also possible to dry the mat outside in the fresh air or under the sun.
How Often Should I Clean My Yoga Mat?
The frequency of cleaning the cork yoga gear really depends on how often and where you exercise.
1. If you exercise at home regularly then once per week should be enough. However, it is always good to refresh it with a wet towel and one of the solutions we mentioned earlier.
2. If you do yoga exercise in a yoga studio or fitness club or outdoors it is certainly better to clean wipe the mat with solutions mentioned above more often. It is preferred to do so after every exercise.
Certainly, the antimicrobial qualities of a cork mat fight bacteria and prevent mold and rot from appearing on it. Please keep in mind though that sweat, dirt, and dust can still build-up on it. Therefore, do not forget to do your part in keeping the mat clean.
What Not To Do With The Cork Mat?
Never use a washing machine to wash cork yoga mats. Also, it is not recommended to use any abrasive scrubbing as it might cause the cork chips to come off.
In conclusion, with the sea of options of yoga mats we have out there, it is certainly getting more difficult to align with a healthy and natural yoga lifestyle. Making the right choice about which mat will serve you the best as well as defining what is quality and what is not might always be a challenge.
Our cork yoga mats can be a great choice for any yogi. They are safe to use, antibacterial, high –performance and certainly durable.
Do not hesitate to let us know if you have more questions on the topic or if you are interested in other subjects as well.
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