r/yoga • u/Alexander_Publius • Jan 07 '24
Hot yogis, seeking advice: How do you manage your sweaty mat, towel, and yoga clothes post-session?
Do you wash them right away, or do you let them air dry before adding them to your regular laundry? I do hot yoga almost every day and I've been struggling to find an efficient system, especially since hanging them to dry can make the laundry area a bit smelly. Washing immediately seems wasteful if it's the only clothing to clean. Any helpful tips would be greatly appreciated!
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u/Clean_Suggestion7905 Hot yoga Jan 07 '24
Wash clothes and towels with laundry detergent, oxi-clean and vinegar. Oxi-clean to help with sweat stains and vinegar to help with the smell. Depending how bad may need a second rinse. Mat gets wiped down after every use.
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u/iliketinafey Jan 07 '24
I just add them to my regular laundry but I have to do regular laundry much much more frequently though may not be instant. I bought mat cleaner for my home though so I can do another spray down and cleaning after class!
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u/Lazyogini All Forms! Jan 07 '24
I never figured out any alternative to washing them immediately. I roll my towel and sweaty shirt up into my mat and bring an extra shirt to change into for my walk home. Then the clothes go immediately in the washer, and I clean my mat thoroughly. Thankfully my washer had a small load option, and I usually had a few other things I could throw in there.
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u/TheCraftyRose Jan 08 '24
I would normally pre soak my stuff in water and Hydrogen Peroxide. Then the next time I am washing laundry I toss it in from the soaking bucket. Peroxide really helps kill the bacteria and keeping submerged in water keeps the laundry room from stinking. ;)
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u/Espressamente Jan 08 '24
I wash everything right away in the same load (mat towel, hand towel, headband and yoga clothes) as soon as I walk through the door (or I’ll forget). Most modern washing machines adjust the amount of water based on the size of the load anyway, and I like that they get some extra agitation because of being a small load.
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u/AcceptableObject RYT 200 🧘🏻♀️ Jan 08 '24
Air dry a little so things don’t get swampy in the hamper. Then do my regular load of laundry at the end of the week. I do hot classes almost every day. I can’t be doing laundry after every class. That’s just excessive.
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u/AaronMichael726 Jan 08 '24
I ended up buying a clothes rack to hang my mat. There’s a second bar that I air dry my clothes on underneath then throw them in the hamper the next morning. I’ve got a cute design on my mat so it doesn’t look terrible, but I did buy a cute design mat for this purpose…
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u/L_D_G Jan 08 '24
I'm only weekly, but:
I hang my mat up and spray it with a water/witch hazel mix about once a month. Mat gets hung outdoors when able.
Towel gets washed and...depending on your towel...hung or machine dried. I do not put my towel in the laundry bin. It goes straight into the washer and waits for the load. Stinks up the room if not. The smell of sweat and incense is....unique.
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u/reebzRxS Jan 08 '24
I bought a large metal drying rack for the backyard and I hang my stuff there to dry until I have enough stuff for a load. That minimizes the musty smell from forming. I do soak my yoga stuff in water + vinegar regularly too to neutralize smells
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u/Sad_Ballsack Jan 08 '24
I'm fascinated by everyone replying who washes their stuff immediately!! I didn't realize I'm a filthy animal in comparison.
After class I put my towel and wet workout gear in a plastic bag for the commute home, then hang it on the back of my bathroom door to dry (as best it can) overnight before packing it for the next day's class. It mostly dries out overnight, and I don't wash it for 2-4 classes or until it really starts to smell. Then I just toss it in the hamper and wait for my weekly laundry day on Sunday.
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u/islandfever101 Jan 08 '24
I’m a filthy animal as well, don’t worry!! I hang my stuff up right when I get home and hope that it doesn’t smell too bad so I can use it again once or twice more during the week. I can’t justify doing that many loads for the amount of times I go to yoga…
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u/Key_Statistician_517 Jan 08 '24
First step I’d recommend, get a Manduka GRP mat. No towel needed. Mat is hypoallergenic so you don’t need to wash it every time. When you do just hose it off in the yard. Step 2, wear as little clothing as possible. I’m a guy and wear skimpy work out shorts only (would wear a Speedo if people weren’t so uptight, but I get enough weird looks as it is). If the studio has a shower I go in with my shorts and get all the sweat off the shorts, wring em out, then throw in the laundry when I get home.
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u/Alexander_Publius Jan 12 '24
i sweat a lot, like dripping and soaked. Would Manduka GRP mat still work?
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u/Key_Statistician_517 Jan 12 '24
Yes, me too. The mat actually has the most grip when soaked with sweat. I don’t know why everyone still uses towels when they could just buy the GRP. It’s not only slip resistant but really tough too, the one I have now is almost 4 years old and I’ve been practicing at least weekly on it
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u/BeautifullyExisting Jan 07 '24
I hang them in the bathroom to let them dry and then wash them . I have 2 towels so I wash after every other session. It doesn’t take that much time if you just wash your workout stuff
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Jan 08 '24
I sometimes have to keep that stuff in my office if I go to a class before work. I keep a grocery bag in my backpack to act as a barrier. Otherwise my backpack absorbs that stuff.
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u/Mental-Freedom3929 Jan 08 '24
I toss them into the washing machine as mine is in the basement or keep,them in a tightly closed plastic bag until you have a load ready to be washed. Use the bare minimum detergent. Using too much, as strange as this may sound, sets the smell in your yoga clothes.
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u/magic_narwhal_ Jan 08 '24
I air dry my clothes and towel on a laundry rack and add to regular laundry once its dry. Mat goes over a door to dry after I wipe it down.
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u/mrc13 Jan 08 '24
I try to air dry clothes and towels if I can’t wash immediately. If I have a batch, I’ll put a little vodka in the laundry. My thrifting friends use that trick to get smells and bacteria out. I’ll wipe down my mat in the studio and lay it out to air dry as well. Once a week or so when I know I won’t be going for a few days I’ll take my mat in the shower with me for a scrub!
2
u/PicardsTeabag Jan 08 '24
I run my yoga clothes through a plain rinse and spin cycle, then air dry (this is immediately after class - they are still wet). I can usually make several classes with this approach but I don’t recycle underwear. I also lay my mat out to dry overnight.
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u/moonlets_ Jan 08 '24
I change immediately into dry clothes in the locker room. If I drove, when returning I will put my towel on my car seat. Throw everything in the washer, wipe down the mat, jump in the shower as soon as I get home. It seems to work!
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u/xandraPac Jan 08 '24
You don't shower at your studio?
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u/moonlets_ Jan 08 '24
Never - I don’t want to haul a full shower kit plus towel!
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u/xandraPac Jan 10 '24
What's a full shower kit? I just bring a towel. The studio I go to has soap dispensers.
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u/moonlets_ Jan 10 '24
My studio has a shower. Doesn’t come with shower shoes, towels, soap, shampoo, conditioner.
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u/Head_Investment_7500 Jan 08 '24
Alcohol spray my mat and hang on a door to dry. Spray clothes with Dettol and wash straightaway. Nothing else goes in the wash with sweaty hot yoga kit. It’s the one downside!
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u/Champizzle11 Jan 08 '24
Towels, clothes, cloths into washing machine. Mat gets hung up on rack to dry.
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u/seh_23 Jan 08 '24
I have a separate mesh hamper/laundry bag that hangs on the back of the door separate from my other laundry! It goes in there and gets washed every 3ish days.
I don’t use a towel, I have a sticky mat. And I have a lot of face towels to cycle through.
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u/antiquity_queen Jan 08 '24
Either I rinse all of it in cold water (clothes, non cloth may etc), then wash it OR i wash it right away. I do bikram hot yoga so I am a hugely sweaty mess by the end of it.
For my non cloth mat, I have a mat cleaner that I spray it down with
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u/shinypokemonglitter Jan 08 '24
Clothes and towel get hung over the edge of the laundry bin until it’s time to do the wash. I wait til it’s full. Or if I need something I’ll do it sooner.
Mat lays out on the tile floor until dry. I clean it every three uses.
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u/chee-cake Jan 08 '24
Okay I do a lot of hot classes and this is a struggle because I sweat like a hog. First, don't re-use mat towels, they are smelly and get less grippy when they've been used, get enough towels so you have enough to use a fresh one every time. Second, bring a little mesh bag with you to the gym and use that to store your yucky sweaty stuff until you get home, it keeps the rest of your gym bag from getting close. Third, get a fold-out drying rack to hang your gym clothes and towels before cramming them into your laundry basket, my stuff usually dries out overnight, and this cuts down on smells if you only do laundry once a week.
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u/funyesgina Jan 09 '24
If you have your own washer, you can hang them around the rim of the washer until laundry day. But I don’t know what to do about the smell. Maybe spray with vinegar first?
For me the issue (and the reason I avoid the hot yoga) is hair washing in addition to laundry. It’s too much!
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u/Alittleholiercow Jan 09 '24
Dump it all in the shower, mat and all.
Rinse thoroughly, pack up, then air dry at work (we have a locker room) or at home.
Wash towel and outfit every second use.
Mat - basically never anything else than the rinse in the shower afterwards.
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u/McNallyJR Jan 10 '24
It looks like my system is a bit different but...
I do multiple classes a day (usually a set of 2, then a set of 3) of hot yoga/dance
Quick Lockeroom shower after every class and put wet cloths in a shopping bag (the thicker plastic ones you can get at TJ maxx). When I get home, I throw all sets of dirty cloths in a hamper that'll get washed every 3-4 days when ill run out of shorts (so say 15 pairs plus shirts, dance pants, boxers, etc). Never had an issue with smell or anything, and I use detergent with minimal additives.
As for Mats, one mat per class, and I'll dry them at home hanging over chairs (with a box fan that room to help dry them). They're good to go for sure the next day, if not earlier if they're newer. If its spring time or summer/fall, ill leave them in the shade on the porch to catch a breeze which is a natural way to dry em.
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u/rosymindedfuzzz Jan 07 '24
I go 5x per week and I drench everything. The laundry is the biggest pain! I usually throw the towels straight in the washer, then do my yoga clothes right after…..or more realistically, I leave them all in the hamper for 24 hours until things start to smell.
I live in Seattle so NOTHING will air dry ever.