You should wipe down your mat at least every couple of uses, said Jana Long, executive director of the Black Yoga Teachers Alliance, and Erica Whalen, co-owner of Mang’Oh Yoga (now called The Yoga Common). (The Black Yoga Teachers Alliance previously received a donation from JadeYoga, the maker of one of our mat picks, but was not involved in our review of yoga mats.) This is for the good of your mat and for maintaining a clean environment, particularly in shared practice spaces. Pathogens typically found on gym equipment (such as the fungus that causes ringworm or athlete’s foot, the virus that causes plantar warts, Staphylococcus aureus, and E. coli) hitch to yoga mats, too.
