Yoga mats. F.A.Q.
What are yoga mats made from?PVC This is the most common mat material. It’s the best for grip, durability, there are few allergy issues, colour stability is good and nothing can get near to PVC on price. The main criticism of PVC is that it contains Vinyl Chloride and does not degrade - it is not very environmentally sound. However, there are good PVCs and bad - some PVC contains heavy metals, DOP softeners and AZO Dyes and these can be harmful to humans as well as the environment. Yogamatters does not supply PVC yoga mats with heavy metals, AZO dyes or DOP.
Our German made yoga mats are Oeko-Tex tested PVC (’good’ PVC!). This type of PVC is safe for humans (in as much as no nasty chemicals will leech out of the product) and better for the environment. Many customers consider it is worth paying a little extra for this reason alone.
Natural rubber / latex The pioneering ecoYoga mat is made from this. Latex comes from the Havea Brasiliensis tree and is biodegradable. This is a good material, particularly from the eco perspective though some people have allergies to latex and the mats are less durable than PVC. About as natural as it is possible to get. See our eco-friendly yoga mat section for further information.
TPE These mats offer good grip and cushioning and the material looks and feels very nice. They are made in an interesting array of (usually double-sided) colours. TPE is often touted as the new eco material for yoga mats (indeed we include our TPE mats in our eco-friendly yoga mat section) and whilst it is quite good, it’s not perfect! TPE (Thermo Plastic Elastomer) is a form of synthetic rubber and hence it originates from petro-chemicals and is therefore not ultimately sustainable. TPE is degradable (not biodegradable) and it is recyclable in its raw material form (but not once it has been made into a yoga mat as the material inside is not also TPE). Our prAna yoga mats and Swedish BHU mats are made from TPE.
All of our sticky, standard, lightweight, travel and ecoYoga mats are machine washable: Use a little mild detergent and a cool wash cycle (no more than than 40 degrees). Don’t use the spin cycle. Allow lots of time to air dry (do not use a tumble drier or radiator) and avoid folding or using your mat until it is completely dry, as this may shorten its life. You can roll your mat up with a towel and squeeze excess water out to speed up the drying process. You can also use a damp cloth to wipe your mat clean. Do not wash your mat unnecessarily.
Cotton mats can also be machine washed - full details supplied with each mat.
Ultra black mats are too bulky for machine washing but they can be wiped clean with warm mildly soapy water.
марта 30, 2010 at 9:58 дп
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Спасибо за информацию !…