Here's How Often You Should Really Clean Your Yoga Mat?

How often do you wipe down your cleaning mat? Do you share your mat, or borrow a communal one from your gym? Are you using the right cleaning products? Let's get down to the needy greedy!

Think of all germs on there.

Here’s what can build up on your yoga mat.

Your skin plays host to microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and even microscopic mites. This might sound gross, but it doesn’t necessarily mean anything bad for your health. These microorganisms are usually harmless, Elitza Theel, Ph.D., a microbiologist in the laboratory medicine and pathology department at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, tells SELF. They are, however, capable of transferring onto your yoga mat while you pretzel yourself into different poses.

Throughout the day, you also shed skin cells (typically between 30,000 and 40,000 daily), produce body oils, and secrete sweat, all of which can get onto your mat during your workout. Not to mention, if you share your mat or borrow a communal one from your gym, you’re now exposed to all that...stuff...from previous users.

How often should you clean your yoga mat?

If you know the brand of your yoga mat, the company’s website may offer detailed instructions on how often to clean it and exactly how to do so based on the materials. For instance, some brands recommend cleaning your mat with a bit of warm, soapy water after every session. Others even sell yoga mat cleaners.

In the event that the company doesn’t give detailed instructions or you don’t know the brand (like with communal mats at a studio), you typically can’t go wrong with wiping the entire thing down with an antibacterial hand wipe after each class, says Dr. Theel. You might also consider cleaning your mat before each use, says Dr. Theel, especially if you’re grabbing a shared mat at a gym or studio.

If you decide to buy your own wipes, make sure they’re safe for skin and porous surfaces (as opposed to only hard materials like kitchen counters). You can also use wipes provided by your gym or studio. Your workout facility should have both your safety and your mat’s longevity in mind, so their wipes should be perfectly fine. (You can ask them what kind of wipes they stock, just in case.)

If you’re seriously grossed out—but also like to make a beeline out of class without wiping down your mat—you might want to consider looking into yoga mats that are labeled antibacterial or antimicrobial (meaning they’re designed to kill a wider variety of microbes than just bacteria). Some of these mats are manufactured with materials that appear to have some level of inherent anti-pathogen properties, like cork, while other brands claim to treat their mats with antimicrobial or antibacterial additives. Simply hearing those claims might be enough for you, or you might want to get in touch with the companies and/or do your own research to see just how antibacterial or antimicrobial their mats really are.

The way you store your mat matters too.

Since microbes like bacteria and fungi thrive in warm, damp environments, so ensure your mat is dry before you roll it up, says Dr. Theel. This can help prevent mold and mildew, prolonging the life of your mat. If you don’t have enough time for your mat to dry completely before you take it home, you can roll it up to transport it, then unroll it to dry as soon as you can.

Whenever possible, you should store your yoga mat in a dry and relatively clean environment, Dr. Banerjee says. If you’re using a communal mat and have no say over where it gets stored, that’s an extra reason to wipe yours down before your workout begins. Be sure to give the mat sufficient time to dry before getting up close and personal. Antibacterial wipes are great and everything, but getting a faceful of the stuff isn’t the most pleasant.

Could Your Dirty Yoga Mat Be Making You Sick? More Information found on Elle.com

This article originally appeared on Self.com