yoga mat sanitation Archives

Yoga Mat Cleaning Machine Mitigates COVID Spend

Cleanliness and sanitization is a top priority for every business. Gyms and fitness studios are no exception. Yoga mats are a magnet for germs and it’s important to clean the yoga mats in your studio. Many offered tea tree oil, sprays, or wipes to students on a minimal basis pre-COVID. But, these times have pushed owners/operators to adopt new CDC cleaning protocols and in some industries, these charges have been passed onto the consumer. It is common now for restaurants to charge customers an extra 3-5% surcharge to make up for lost revenues. When every dollar matters, one way to help improve cleanliness and add to the bottom line is with MatFresher, the yoga mat cleaning machine.

time is money

Installing a MatFresher yoga mat cleaning machine in your studio can help you sanitize yoga mats and increase revenues. The best part is that MatFresher is free. Here’s how you can influence your students to use MatFresher.

Here are four ways to keep cleaning expenses down and get your students to use MatFresher, the yoga mat cleaning machine.

Make clean mats mandatory. Many students have a relationship with their yoga mat. It’s loved and cherished but who knows where it’s been? Ask students to clean their outside mats right when they enter the studio. This will create a new check-in ritual and help keep your yoga studio germ-free. Have students who rent mats clean it at the MatFresher to show others how easy it is to use.
Make a partner pledge. Ask students to do their share in keeping the studio open and safe by asking them to pledge a clean mat after every class… or at the very least once a week. Have them sign a board that they’ve cleaned their mat and raffle off a free class or yoga mat to the person with the most cleans in a month.
Show and tell. You may not feel comfortable mandating people to clean their mats, but you can show them how to use the MatFresher. Simply designate certain desk, instructors or ambassadors to bring one student to the MatFresher machine after each class. People follow others when they see something going on Plus the first few cleans are free for everyone.
Tell them all about it. You have many ways to reach your customers. Social media, newsletters, and word of mouth are some. Make sure you are getting the message out about having a MatFresher in your studio. If they don’t know about it, how can they know to use it. You know best what works for your clients.

The MatFresher yoga mat cleaning machine, holding an automatically-rolled exercise mat in its chamber.

MatFresher is a new tool to clean and sanitize your yoga mats for free. In fact, using MatFresher in your studio helps increase your bottom line. Your studio earns money for every clean yoga mat sanitized with MatFresher,

Share the Love with your Clients with Complimentary Yoga Mat Cleaning

Posted on by Andrea Metcalf

February is here and Valentine’s Day is coming – the day when lovers and loved ones express affection with greetings, cards, and chocolates. Around the country, exercise enthusiasts are returning indoors to workout and enjoy fitness classes. It’s time to show your members the “love”. MatFresher is the only yoga mat cleaning machine that loves your studio and clients. Here are 3 ways to share the love with your clients.

3 Ways to Share the Love with Your Clients

Buddy Pass. A great promotion for the month of February is selling a buddy pass. For some gyms and studios, one more person taking up space with limited numbers due to COVID restrictions can be a challenge but, a buddy pass for the month can bring in additional referrals and revenue. Friends gift buddy passes for free virtual classes and then attend in-studio class together.
Clean their mat for them. A sign of affection is doing something nice for someone else. What better way to say “I love you” then sanitizing their yoga mat. Have each instructor bring out one special member (or two or three) to your MatFresher. Then clean their mat. With MatFresher every new student gets three free cleans! In addition, your instructor will be their hero and it won’t cost a thing.
Call them by their first name. It’s not easy getting to know every student’s name. It shows you care. Take photos of each student and then place them on a wall in the shape of a heart. Students can take their own picture with an inexpensive Polaroid camera and share in the love.

If your studio doesn’t have MatFresher yet, now is the time to get on board. Love your students a little more by giving them an easy-to-use, novel way to clean their yoga mats in under 30 seconds.

clean yoga mats = happy students — Friends clean their yoga mat together.

Why MatFresher?

MatFresher is the only hands-free, multi-step solution to clean and sanitize mats. Not only does MatFresher brush away dirt and debris, in addition to killing germs with powerful UVC light, all-natural, sanitizing spray penetrates the pores that light can’t reach. Mats are then neatly rolled and ready-to-go in 30 seconds!

What Does it Take to be the Best Yoga Teacher

Posted on by Andrea Metcalf

Yoga is growing in the United States. There are more than 6,000 studios currently offering classes. Most owners dedicate more than half of their space to the yoga practice. And, there are more than 300 million yoga practitioners worldwide with estimates that 62 million Americans participate in some type of yoga workout. Yoga teachers make an impact on every student.

Great Yoga Teachers

But what does it take to be a great yoga teacher? The same as being a great teacher generally…and more! Students are drawn to their teacher’s passion. Therefore, yoga teachers who are passionate about their practice have a lasting impact on their students’ lives. They believe in the power of yoga to heal, refresh and restore – both, physically and emotionally. The best yogis share the impact yoga has had on them personally and they are truly dedicated to educating and inspiring their students. Being prepared for classes and understanding that students are at different stages in their practice and abilities are other key attributes. It is not enough to recite the Sanskrit poses, the best teachers guide others to their full potential and physical limits.

A Yoga teacher needs to be:

Authentic
Caring
Sincere
Empathic
Empowering
Passionate

The perception of a yoga studio is a reflection of the experience they have with their instructors. In order to build a successful studio, owners should understand their teachers’ communication style, method of instruction, and encourage relationships with students.

Yoga students

Cleaning during COVID

Instructors have always helped to keep the studio clean. However during COVID times, extra steps are needed to keep students safe. It takes extra time. Mat cleaning, floor cleaning, and sanitizing equipment are among the best-practices for studios. Foggers help germs from spreading. New ventilation systems and fans keep air circulating to dissipate harmful particles in the air. Also, to make yoga mat cleaning more effective, MatFresher machines are available.

Yoga student

MatFresher Yoga mat cleaning machine

In yoga, students typically bring their own mats. This brings germs from the outside to every class. Spray bottles and wipes are pretty ineffective, expensive, and chemical-based. The best way to detox a mat is with MatFresher. MatFresher’s unique 3 step process cleans both sides by brushing away hair, dirt, and debris, applying powerful UVC germicidal light and misting all-natural cleaner 120x more effective than bleach to kill up to 99.99% of the bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

As a yoga teacher, you care about each and every student. Help them make the best of their yoga experience, stay healthy and keep their mats sanitized and clean after every class. Be the leader and contact MatFresher to create new rituals.

Three Things to Learn from COVID for Studios Owners

Posted on by Andrea Metcalf

There is endless talk about COVID-19 and how it’s been affecting fitness and small boutique fitness studios. Although many face mandatory closings, limited class sizes and other restrictions, there is a little sunshine from the tragedy. This is a great time to re-evaluate how you’re doing business. Taking a hard look at expenses is never easy, but is always a good step to increasing overall profits. With a little extra time on your hands, consider these three things to learn from COVID for studio owners.

Improvements to learn from COVID for studio owners

1. Staff. The most valuable part of any business is the people that come in contact with customers. Now is a good time to evaluate who’s working for you and how they handle your most precious asset: your customers. During the pandemic, many people were let go…Who will you bring back may take some evaluation. You may rethink your front desk staffing in total. Many front desk workers are paid minimum wage to keep expenses down. Minimum wage may bring minimum excitement to the job. Think about other creative ways for staffing from trading membership for staff help to discounting memberships for those who help volunteer in sales and staffing.
Students with clean mats

2. POS Systems. Having your customers easily book services and pay for them is key to a successful business. There are many booking platforms on the market. Now is a good time to start looking if there is a better solution for your studio. Ask your customers which platforms they have used in the past and which they prefer. Have your staff contribute to the conversation. Since many instructors work at multiple studios, they may have experience with the new platform you are considering. Also, talk to other studio owners about which systems they use to help better determine which one is best for you.
Studio systems

3. Adding Revenue Streams. As much as you need to examine expenses to improve financial performance, look for where you can add profitable new revenue. Online streaming and on-demand classes have blown up due to stay-at-home restrictions. So, adding live stream and on-demand classes for your following is a must. Other revenue streams include items you can sell when you fully reopen. MatFresher cleaning machines help generate new revenue without any upfront or on-going cost. MatFresher keeps your customers’ mats sanitized while you make money with every clean. A MatFresher clean takes only 30 seconds, bringing peace of mind to staff and members while helping to stop the spread of germs. And don’t forget logo apparel, water, power snacks and other grab-n-go items.. Every dollar adds to the bottom line and your studio’s overall success.
Revenue and profits

Take respite and make long-term lemonade out of the short-term lemons COVID has brought to small businesses like yours. Start by contacting MatFresher and begin implementing the things to learn from COVID for studio owners.

Can your yoga mat make you sick?

Posted on by MatFresher

Between flu season and COVID-19, everyone should take measures to stay healthy. Yoga can help boost the immune system. However, beware of yoga mats. A clean yoga mat is a must for a healthy practice. Believe it or not, exercise mats harbor many germs. In fact, they can have more germs than an airplane seat or a toilet. Can your yoga mat make you sick?

A Professor at Rutgers School of Medicine, Robert Lahitia, claimed, “A yoga mat is basically an inanimate object used to spread an infection.” We often wipe mats to visibly remove sweat or dirt, but most contain deep grooves that are home to hard-to-remove bacteria. A quick wipe of the mat’s surface leaves these crevices unreached. The germs that can make you sick are not removed.

Along with various types of fungi and viruses, Lahitia also stated, “A yoga mat is a perfect incubator for many of our skin infections.” If a mat is not cleaned properly after use at a studio, the next person using it will be in contact with those germs. This can be dangerous and create a liability issue for the studio.

Studies show that the germs on yoga mats are more than the common cold germs. Without disinfecting shared mats properly, these infections can infect other members. If a student has a staph infection, those germs could be clinging to your mats. Bacteria live longer in warm temperatures. Hot yoga practices can present even greater risks. A yoga mat can make you sick.

Members of a hot yoga class could unknowingly be practicing on a hotbed of germs making them sick.

Are your yoga mats clean?

You may think you’re safe by scrubbing the surface of a mat with bleach. Although bleach is a good disinfecting product, studies show that bleach can be harmful to your lungs. Bleach may clean the mat, but it may not get into the crevices. You could be leaving bacteria on the mat.

To avoid spreading germs, some studios advise members to bring their own mats to class. However, the same problem of spreading germs remains. There are no proven home remedies that are 100% effective for sanitizing a student’s mat. Though the mat isn’t shared, the student can leave germs on their mat on the floor. Germs are everywhere. Household disinfectants and standard methods of cleaning aren’t truly effective.

A student’s exercise mat could still spread germs at your facility.

How can studios avoid spreading germs?

MatFresher was developed to solve the challenges of keeping mats clean. It is the only multi-sanitizing mat cleaning machine that eliminates germs. MatFresher increases studio revenue and requires no investment. It’s a machine that brings peace of mind to your facility’s sanitization process.

Here’s how the MatFresher cleaning machine works:

MatFresher starts with a two-sided roller system with soft brushes to gently remove hair and debris from the mat.
Next, the machine applies a powerful, germicidal UV light to the mat’s surface. This application destroys up to 99.99% of the most common bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
Then, a 100% all-natural cleaning solution is applied to the mat. This spray is 120x more effective than bleach and will never cause mold or mildew.
Finally, MatFresher neatly rolls the mat for you and pops out the bottom. You’re on your way in 30 seconds or less.

MatFresher sanitizes yoga mats and helps studio owners increase revenue.

MatFresher - the mat cleaning machine — MatFresher sanitizes yoga mats and helps studio owners increase revenue.

It’s faster than cleaning a mat at home and guarantees results. Exercise is meant to cleanse the mind and body. Why let your yoga mat make you sick? Visit MatFresher.com today to learn more about how your studio can increase revenue and customer satisfaction.

How Safe Are Your Mat Cleaning Methods?

Posted on by MatFresher

Health and sanitization are at the forefront of everyone’s minds these days, and we’re all wisely thinking more about the surfaces we’re contacting. Going even further, many are considering the ingredients and chemicals found within everyday products, like cleaning solutions. For yogis, it’s a question of how safe the mat sanitizing products are that we often use mindlessly. Are your mat cleaning methods actually effective against harmful bacteria and viruses?

With the increase in demand for cleaning solutions, costs have risen, and you may consider DIY cleaning methods or alternatives to sprays and wipes. Since these methods provide more control and result in fewer harsh chemicals, these attempts at saving money could be appealing. Has your studio or gym considered the pros and cons of standard cleaning methods? Let’s take a look at how your traditional products, and even DIY solutions, may be costing you more than dollars and how MatFresher saves money while cleaning mats safely.

Solutions That Do More Harm Than Good

Just last year, the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit advocacy organization, completed an audit of over 2,000 general cleaning products. Sadly, they discovered that over half of those reviewed contained ingredients that are harmful to lungs. Even worse, these pollutants can be up to five times more potent when used indoors versus outdoors. The mission of yoga and other exercise is to cleanse our bodies and minds and become healthier versions of ourselves. If we contact dangerous chemicals when cleaning mats, this defeats the overall purpose of our yoga training.

Don’t assume that a mat cleaning wipe or spray labeled with buzz words like “green” is a fix-all. Unlike many other industries, companies are not required to disclose ingredients for cleaning products. Many solutions are mislabeled as “all-natural” despite containing non-organic, unsafe ingredients.

DIY Solutions

As stated previously, some people have resorted to DIY solutions for cleaning their mats. Perhaps a mixture of known ingredients could be healthier and greener than chemicals inside a bottle of bleach. However, can you be sure that your exercise mat is getting properly disinfected? The point of spraying or wiping down a mat is to rid your equipment of dangerous germs, so a “safer” cleaning solution may not be an effective one. Though a home-made product may lack a distracting scent that other chemical-filled solutions carry, there must be a way to clean a mat safely and with desirable results.

Along with the potential bodily harm, the ingredients of many cleaning products break down the surfaces of mats over time. This wear from cleaning results in purchasing equipment more often, leading to additional expenses. With so many negatives and question marks regarding the effectiveness of cleaning products, there is a gap. An opportunity exists to save your facility money on cleaning solutions – one that doesn’t cost your studio at all. MatFresher exists for that very reason: to promote a healthy and highly-effective clean for yoga mats while increasing studio revenue.

What is MatFresher?

MatFresher is the only multi-sanitizing mat cleaning machine. While there are machines that clean mats with UV-C light, most do not utilize a three-fold approach in removing bacteria. MatFresher 1) removes hair and debris from the mat, 2) uses UV light over difficult-to-reach surfaces, and 3) cleans with a 100% all-natural solution. With this thorough approach, the machine is up to 99.99% effective in destroying harmful bacteria. Without harsh chemicals or odors, MatFresher cleans in under 30 seconds and neatly rolls the mat so it’s ready for class or home. Having a MatFresher machine inside your facility allows members and employees to quickly and effectively sanitize equipment while saving everyone time. On top of these benefits, your studio shares in the profits as members pay a low fee for each wash.

So, why risk the problems associated with household cleaning products and DIY mat cleaning methods? Why not provide your members the best mat cleaning methods? Learn more about the machine built to solve the cons in cleaning.

How Clean is Clean for Your Mat?

Posted on by MatFresher

UV Light Sanitization: Facts and Snake Oil

What’s Actually Working

Properly disinfecting studios has always been vital, but the spotlight on cleaning measures has dramatically amplified in light of COVID-19. While many studio owners and students spend countless dollars on standard products like yoga mat wipes, spray cleaners, and even mat cleaning machines, it’s important to analyze the efficacy of these methods. As technology improves and more studies are conducted, information on various methods should be carefully evaluated before making an investment or trusting that a machine provides a true clean for your mat. MatFresher is the only multi-sanitizing mat cleaning machine. In addition to being completely free for studios, let’s examine why MatFresher’s safety measures are superior to other options.

cleaning items - MatFresher is clean for your mat

UVC Light

A mat cleaning technique that has recently increased in conversation is using UVC light. UVC light sanitizes surfaces it contacts. But how does this technique actually disinfect? The light must reach the pathogen directly to eradicate it; if the conditions are not completely met, harmful particles remain. Because yoga and exercise mats have uncontrollable characteristics like crevices and unique materials, the effectiveness of UVC light is conditional.

Eco-friendly mats are a prime example of how UVC light affects materials differently. These mats are created with an open-cell material, providing more traction in a hot yoga environment and increased absorption for sweat particles. Unlike closed-cell mats, the overall-positive absorption capabilities of open-cell mats create a trap for bacteria, rendering UVC light insufficient. Because the light cannot reach all areas of the open-cell mat, the process of sanitization does not happen in the way that users anticipate. Unfortunately, many are unaware of this and believe that their mat is safe after a clean, while germs unknowingly linger.

Understand Your Machinery

Many machines built to clean yoga and exercise mats claim a UV dosage centered around 99% cleaning efficacy. While this number sounds harmless, a discrepancy exists. Mats that make contact with the face or hands require a level of sanitization comparable to the Environmental Protection Agency’s requirement for clean drinking water, which is 99.99% pathogen-free. The gap between 99% and 99.99% is equal to 10,000 pathogen parts per million and 100 parts per million — a significant difference as it relates to health and safety.

Mildly resistant viruses, including COVID require a UVC dose of more than 40,000 micro watts per square centimeter for eradication. Mats used in certain environments, like hot yoga studios, may require additional dosage to inactive the pathogen. Machines that use a lower UV light dosage do not meet the basic requirements for killing viruses. Similar to how flossing teeth further aids the effect of brushing in teeth-cleaning, sanitization of a mat is not complete if the light is not reaching all of the sneaky spaces in which germs reside. Owners of studios and exercise centers need this information so that students and staff are not blindly trusting in a machine that does not sanitize comprehensively.

Consider the Cost

With the cost of additional cleaning measures top of mind for every studio, boosting revenue is more important than ever. Rather than relying on mat cleaning machines that are not effective and over-spending to maintain the equipment annually, there is an option available that provides peace of mind at no cost to the facility. MatFresher, unlike hard-to-find wipes and machines with false claims, is up to 99.99% effective in killing bacteria found on mats. Additionally, the mat washing machine uses a 100% all-natural solution that is gentle on yoga mats and on human skin. Eliminating the need for numerous cleaning spray bottles, MatFresher ensures that your facility reduces waste and your carbon footprint significantly. With all of these integral benefits in mind, adding a complimentary MatFresher machine to your studio is a no-brainer.

If you’d like to learn more about MatFresher visit matfresher.com and schedule a demo call today. MatFresher provides a true clean for your mat.