Citrus Yoga Mat Spray
Make the most of winter citrus by saving your peels to make a 3 ingredient Yoga Mat Cleaner!
Winter is time for this summer produce to come into stores, off our own trees & into our lives to help provide a great source of nutrition for the winter months. Citrus is so packed full of essential vitamins & minerals we need for our immunity in the colder season. Mother Nature knows what we need with each season & provides this natural abundance for us. Eating your produce seasonally means reduced food miles (CO2 emissions), higher nutritional density (not grown against the season) & according to Ayurvedic principles it provides a greater energetic benefit to you.
A great way to continue carrying this energy forward is to use the whole fruit. The citrus peel is a powerhouse you can use for so many things but my focus here is on it’s properties as a cleaning agent. Citrus peels contain citric acid, when combined with white vinegar & fermented for about a month you have a powerful anti-bacterial/anti-fungal agent with no nasty chemicals. This solution can be used for many low-tox household cleaning hacks but my favourite is an easy refillable cleaning spray I have been using for about 5 years now.
The main focus of mainstream cleaning product advertising is centered around its anti-bacterial use with nothing about anti-fungal. This is where nature again has the natural edge on what we can manufacture in a lab! microscopic fungus or Fungi, in the home & on commonly used items like your Yoga Mat disrupt our health (gut) & immunity just as much as bacteria/viruses. The Citric acid in this spray is particularly effective in reducing the fungal load in your house & on commonly used items. So here is the information you need to make yours.
The Citrus Yoga Mat Spray Recipe
What you need:
An old glass gar of any size
White vinegar
Empty Spray bottle of any size
Citrus Peels - pulp/white layer removed
How to Make:
Store your leftover citrus peel in the empty jar
Fill the jar with white vinegar untill peel is covered
Leave the solution for min 2 weeks (a month is ideal)
Put solution into your spray bottle with a squirt of natural soap if desired to also remove oil based residue (Dr. Bromer’s is my choice).
Hints & Tips:
Removing all the white inside layer of the peel reduces sloughing in the jar & fine fragments in the solution that can block the spray bottle. if you notice your solution is like this then just filter through a fine material (like muslin) as your pour into the bottle to catch them.
You can fill the jar with peel & top up with white vinegar all at once if you have a large amount of peel. If you only have small amounts from occasional use, then you can add it to a jar & fill it with a bit of vinegar each time to cover the peel.
The longer you leave the citrus the more potent it becomes - so depending on what your using it for you may need to slightly dilute it in the spray bottle with white vinegar before use. Remember, Citric acid is like bleach - it can affect colours so the stronger/longer you ferment it the more likely this is.
Every Yoga Mat is different! There are so many different types available now. Felt finish, Natural Cork etc. so check with your type of Mat the recommended cleaning type. I know that this cleaning solution of only recommended for your standard/commonly used yoga studio mat that is a rubber combination.
You can also add in any other Essential Oils - herbs or flowers from the garden to your cleaning solution if you would like a nice fragrance. Rosemary, Geranium, Lavender etc. are my favourite! Like any recipe, the more you make it and use it the more you learn from it and start to get creative with how you make it so let your own imagination run wild and have fun!
