The Ultimate Guide to Cleaning Your Aerial Yoga Hammock Clean
Are you wondering how often you should clean your hammock—and the best way to remove germs, dirt, and stink? Read on.
When you hang your hammock and you realise that it doesn’t smell quite as fresh as it could it can be a bit of putting especially if you plan on laying in it for savasana. But it happens to the best of us.
Storage fabrics that have been used for some time can get a lingering smell of old sweat. Even those that are fully clothed for their practice can still end up with the smell of sweat as well as a build up of dirt and grime from the hands and our clothes.
It is extremely important to clean your aerial yoga hammock on a regular basis. The more often you use it the more frequently you will need to wash it.
The accumulation of sweat, dirt, and oils can speed up the deterioration of your yoga hammock.
It is advisable to clean your yoga hammock quarterly- or, at least on a regular and consistent basis, especially if your materials are used frequently by the public.
In this guide, we will talk about how to take care of your yoga swings, so that you can keep them fresh and prolong their lifespan.
Why Clean your Yoga Hammock?
Yoga hammocks are made of porous fabric, that will absorb dust, dirt, bacteria, sweat and oils. These will accumulate on your yoga hammock with time thus the need for regular cleaning.
An accumulation of dirt and bacteria can become a health hazard and could give rise to illnesses. Giving them a clean will remove the dirt and prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi while keeping them fresh and nice for use.
If you sweat a lot into them they may begin to stink after a while. And nobody likes the smell of stale body odour. Giving them a clean will remove the sweat and keep them smelling nice and fresh.
Should you wear make up and lotions when using the hammock, they will leave a residue on the fabric and over time they will become slippery. Slippery fabric could lead to wrist injuries or even falls. It will make practising much harder than it needs to be.
The accumulation of dust and if you store the fabrics away for periods of time they can start to smell musty. Giving the yoga fabric a quick clean will remove the bad odours and get it smelling pleasant for use once again.
One more reason to keep the aerial yoga hammock nice and clean is to preserve its lifespan. The build-up of oil, grime and dust can speed up the deterioration, increasing the likelihood of you needing to buy a new hammock. Keep those hammocks clean and reduce the need to buy a new aerial yoga hammock.
>> Take a look at our guide to the best aerial yoga hammocks in 2021.
Can you put your hammock in the Washing Machine?
The manufacturers of fabric for an aerial hammock and aerial silks state that they can be washed in a washing machine. If you wash your fabric too frequently, however, it can damage the integrity of the fabric.
Depending on who you speak to whether you can pop them in the tumble dryer is different. The advice may vary between manufacturers. Some say they can be dried on medium/low heat other state you must never tumble dry them as this can damage the fibres and make the silk weaker. This would mean that they were no longer safe to use (2).
Tips for Cleaning the hammock!
Most trainers will advise that you wash them regularly, most suggest that you should wash them as least quarterly. More if you are super sweaty or wear lots of lotions and makeup.
To clean the hammock you can either hand wash it or pop it in the washing machine.
- Start by removing any metal hardware like loops or carabineers. If you don’t you may cause tears or holes in the fabric or damage the machine.
- Then remove any knots that you have been tied in the fabric to either hang it or to make handles. If you don’t undo the knots these areas will not get cleaned as well as other parts of the fabric.
- Next pop them in the washing machine with some detergent. A colour safe detergent would be a wise idea if you don’t want the lovely colour of the hammock to change.
- Don’t add any fabric softeners or bleach – you don’t want to risk changing the colour or making the fabric slippy.
- Next, you will need to dry them. Take a look at the next section on drying your hammock.
How to Dry the Yoga Hammock
This is a debated topic and you should always follow what your care label suggests. There are two drying options
Let the fabric air dry
After washing the hammock lay it out on a flat, clean surface for 12-24 hours.
Pop it in the Dryer
If you choose this option make sure the manufacturers don’t advise against it. Tumble dry hammock on a low to medium heat.
Always make sure the hammock material is completely dry before you hang it back up on your rig. Rigging them before they are fully dry may cause damage to your fabrics.
Can wearing a t-shirt help avoid the need to clean your yoga hammock?
Sometimes, the best way to minimize a problem is to prevent it from happening in the first place.
Yogis are advised to wear tops with sleeves that cover the armpits when practising aerial yoga. The clothing will then absorb most of the sweat and dirt instead of the hammock itself.
Another way to reduce the amount f cleaning needed is to ensure you have clean hands before you practice. A quick wash with some soap and water can remove any traces of dirt, grime, make-up and lotions before you grab hold of the fabric reducing the need to clean the fabric quite so often. An alternative is to give your hands a quick blast with some hand sanitsier.
If you don’t have time to clean them and they need a quick refresh you can always spray them with a fabric spray like Oust of Fabreze. It’s even nicer to give them a spritz with a homemade hammock spray as these are cheaper to buy in the long run and better for the environment.
>> Take a look at how we make our own hammock spray.
Sophie Green has been pole dancing and aerial arts at home and in studios around the world for over 13 years. She’s taken a number of instructor courses in pole and aerial. Plus attended a course on rigging. She takes part in lots of exercise.