How to Clean a Yoga Mat

Here’s how to clean a yoga mat:

There are three ways on how to clean a yoga mat: by lightly hand washing, submerging it in a tub and hand washing, or washing it in the washing machine.

How to clean a yoga mat by handwashing

If your mat is only slightly soiled, spray it with a solution of water and a very small bit of mild dish soap. Use a clean, damp sponge or clean terry cloth rag. Wash the entire mat. Use a clean cloth, only dampened with clean water, to wipe the mat. Dry with a towel, then let air dry.

How to clean a yoga mat by handwashing in bathtub

If you haven’t washed your mat in a long time or it is particularly soiled, you may want to do a more heavy duty cleaning of your yoga mat. Fill your bathtub with warm water and a bit of mild detergent. Submerge the yoga mat and hand wash it using a clean cloth. Rinse with clean water. Towel dry then let air dry.

How to clean a yoga mat by machine washing

Put the yoga mat by itself into the washing machine and using a mild detergent for delicates, run it through the gentle or delicates cycle. Let air dry.

It is important to keep your yoga mat clean, but do not over wash your your yoga mat.

One way to speed up the drying process is to roll up your mat with a towel and squeeze excess water out.

Whatever method you choose to clean a yoga mat, be sure your yoga mat is completely dry before rolling it up. In between classes, it is actually a good idea to hang your mat rather than leave it rolled up.

And that is how to clean a yoga mat!

August 20, 2011July 7, 2023

Upholstery Steam Cleaning

Upholstery steam cleaning can be intimidating, but with these do it yourself tips, the task becomes much easier. Make your furniture look like new! There’s no need to hire an upholstery steam cleaning company when you can easily clean your upholstery yourself.

Upholstery steam cleaning requires the following items: upholstery shampoo, soil emulsifier or pre-conditioner (for very dirty furniture), scrub brush, steam cleaner, and a fan (optional). You can find these products at any home or hardware store. While experts will tell you an upholstery specific steam cleaner is required, a carpet steam cleaner will work just as well. An upholstery steam cleaner may be smaller and easier to work and come with hoses or nozzles that make cleaning furniture easier.

Your first step to upholstery steam cleaning is to pre-condition the fabric. It’s always a good idea to spot check the fabric on a part of the furniture you don’t see first. Pre-conditioning includes spraying a soil emulsifier or upholstery pre-conditioner on the fabric. This loosens dirt and oils that have been ground into the fabric.

Next, you’ll want to shampoo the the fabric. This can also be done with a sprayer, like the soil emulsifier. Some formulas offer a soil emulsifier and shampoo in one. It’s recommended that you use a shampoo made specifically for upholstery, although some mild carpet cleaners will work just fine on your furniture. After you’ve thoroughly covered the upholstery, scrub in the shampoo with a scrub brush or towel. You will want to agitate the formula enough to create some suds.

Use your steam cleaner to then steam the furniture. This removes the water and dirt. Remove as much water as you can with the steam cleaner so that your furniture will dry faster. Use a dry brush to brush the fabric in all directions to give your furniture a brand new look. If you’d like to speed up the drying process, you may also use fans or a blow dryer. You might also consider adding a solvent based fabric protector to your upholstery when you’re done to protect it from dirt and oils.

Upholstery Steam Cleaning: Microfiber, Suede, and Microsuede

Microfiber couches and furniture are becoming ever more popular. They are usually stain resistant, but can still get dirty over time. To clean a microfiber piece of furniture using a steam cleaner, you’ll want to make sure you use a sponge instead of a scrub brush to agitate the shampoo. Choose a shampoo or pre-conditioner that has a low pH balance. You can even use dish soap and water with microfiber. Use your hand or a gentle brush, when finished, to spruce up the fibers.

Microsuede and suede furniture can also be steam cleaned, but you will likely want a professional to do it. Other ways you can clean your suede furniture at home includes using baby wipes and suede shoe polish.

Now that you’re an expert at upholstery steam cleaning, check out our other do-it-yourself furniture cleaning tips here.

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July 6, 2010September 16, 2010

Cleaning Perspectives

Cleaning things is a terrible waste of time. Everything just gets dirty again, so what is the point? It is the definition of fruitless, universally true, and ultimately a colossal waste of time and energy. At the end of our lives, no one will ever say “Gosh, what a shame, and they were always so clean.”, or “My, it was so sudden but her house was always so tidy” In fact more people will likely be wondering how long before we turn to ashes or dust, cause that’s the last thing anyone needs is another pile of dust.

An uncle of mine was (and is) a farmer. He has never washed his truck. Ever. It must be an antique, and although the rain has kept some of the blue paint visible, for the most part it is a rolling mud covered chunk of rust. I believe the cohesiveness of the grime is holding it together. In any case his axiom was that if God put it there, he could take it away too. His reasoning was great, although he wasn’t completely consistent himself, as each winter he does plow the snow. I liked his thinking, so I adopted it, which was great until my boss asked me to tidy the public washrooms, and as an articulate, albeit lazy 16 year old, I asked why bother cleaning it, if it was just going to get dirty again. Towards the end of a rather lengthy lecture, he brought up showering, and asked if that’s how I felt about personal hygiene. Needless to say I quickly shut up and proceeded to scrub the toilets.

I have learned that there are tricks to having people think you are a clean freak, without dedicating your life to cleanliness. The most important things to remember are extra bedrooms, crawl spaces and the garage don’t count in cleanliness tests. They are like the FREE spot on a bingo card. Simply toss all of your junk into one of these FREE zones, and make the rest of your house look less cluttered, and cleaner. Be sure you can still close the door though, as falling debris can pose a hazard, which brings up our next tip. Closets. They are as good as gold, and what are the chances someone will look? Life is like Vegas, always play the odds.

My aunt used to have elaborate turkey dinners, which we often attended. She had obviously cooked all day judging from the number of courses, but when we sat down to eat dinner, the kitchen counters were clear. No pots or pans or mixing bowls. Just the beautifully presented platters and a spotless counter. My Mom once asked how she managed to clean everything up before the meal, to which see replied “don’t look in the oven”. She is a professional cheater. What a scam! Had my Mom not asked, to this day she would be revered as a miracle cleaner.

We all have the basic instinct to cheat. When going out on a date, it is a known fact that men will remove all of their junk from their cars, and toss it in their apartments. Meanwhile the female dates take all of the junk from their apartments and toss it into their cars, in anticipation of their boy friends arrival. This continues through the courting process and ultimately sets up everyone for a huge disappointment when they start living together. No wonder there are so many divorces.

Don’t get me wrong, I do believe in personal hygiene, and some semblance of order, however watching a sunset, reading a book, or playing catch with the kids, in my opinion, is a far better investment than vacuuming, scrubbing the shower, or doing laundry. At least I hope that is what they say about me when it is my turn to become dust on your mantle.

by Ken Pukanich

June 30, 2010August 25, 2010

Using Coca Cola for Cleaning

One of the active ingredients in Coca Cola is phosphoric acid. It has a pH of 2.8, (On a scale of 1 -14, with 1 being the most acidic, 7 being neutral, and 14 being very caustic). Pure phosphoric acid can eat through metal, and dissolve concrete, but it sure makes the coke taste good.

Rumors say that Coke distributors have used it over the years to clean the engines of their delivery trucks, and it also works to help scrub road grime from your windshield. We can’t actually advise using Coca Cola as a substitute for regular detergents, however there are some interesting ideas people have put forward over the years:

Toilet Cleaning

Pour a can of coca cola into the toilet bowl. Let the “real thing” sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china. It should work equally well for sinks and bath tubs.

CAR BUMPER RUST

Rub the bumper with a crumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in cocacola.

CLEAN CORROSION FROM BATTERY TERMINALS

Pour a can of cocacola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion. This is according to Heloise.

LOOSEN A RUSTY BOLT

Applying a cloth soaked in Coca Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.

REMOVE GREASE FROM CLOTHES

Empty a can of Coke into a load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The cocacola will help loosen grease stains.

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