The reality of the situation is--with Bikram yoga anyway--quarts upon quarts of sweat pour from pores oftentimes literally in a stream. That is why you are instructed to bring both a mat and a towel, to soak it all up. Most bath towels can hold over a quart of liquid, but they also provide an excellent hiding/clinging place for bacteria amongst the cotton fibers.

It took about two months, and by then I was shocked by a strong ammonia smell that jumped out as if pressurized when I unzipped my gym bag. Yikes! After some research, I found it was bacterial metabolic waste produced from the consumption of urea from my sweat that was culprit.

Apparently, per studies done on such things, only about 70% of bacteria are washed off in an average washing machine. Hence, it took a little while for these busy critters to reach a level where their byproducts became, well, nasty.

I eliminated the two pair of cotton trunks (or "costume" as Bikram calls it), opting for nylon ones. Bacteria can't hold on to the artificially smooth nylon fabric threads, and so wash off much more easily.

My mat had not yet reached the stink threshold, but I knew it was just a matter of time. But the towels. Ooowee...

I needed something cheap, non-toxic and effective to control the outbreak, and a few hours of research narrowed it down to the tried and true: Vinegar and Baking Soda. So for a couple of bucks and some diligence, the situation was quite effectively remedied.

Add about a half-cup of baking soda into the load you're washing your towels and costume. In the washer's bleach dispenser, fill with about a half-cup of vinegar--the common distilled 5% kind. The baking soda can double the soporific power of the detergent by softening or alkalizing the water, and the vinegar in the rinse cycle will kill most of the odor-causing bacteria outright, as well as bond with other dirt, grime and waste, carrying it non-toxically into the sewer, and out of your life.

If towels and your mat have been stinking for a while, get more aggressive by spritzer-ing your towels with full-strength vinegar, then machine wash them with a full cup of baking soda. If the odor persists, simply repeat. In my severe case, I carried on this protocol for three use-and-washing cycles, and that did the trick.

Despite the chemical industry's attempts to "build a better mousetrap," for household disinfectants, they are always competing against the lowly vinegar which research studies have shown can kill up to 99% of bacteria, 82% of mold, and 80% of viruses. Put this gentle powerhouse together with baking soda, and you have a combination that can only be beaten by spending ten times more dollars. Who wants to do that for a simple gym bag and its contents?

The "sticky mats" sold specifically for yoga practice are washable, but to prevent wear and tear on them, I spritzer mine with a 50/50 vinegar and water solution, and if possible, let it dry in the sunshine to take advantage of the anti-bacterial properties of UV. The vinegar smell dissipates in a couple of hours. I do the same with my towel before washing it, to reduce the sheer volume of bacteria to dispense with during the wash.

Cheaply and non-toxically, I can now pour out sweat to my heart's content aiming the bacterial beasties to more appropriate fertile grazing grounds...

August Newsletter
My Beginning Yoga Experience