20 Ways to Upcycle an Old Yoga Mat

We here at Charles & Hudson are always looking for ways to be as green as possible in our everyday choices, as well as be as economical as possible too. So when it was time to replace our old torn yoga mats, we got to thinking about ways to repurpose or upcycle them around the house.
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Sure it’s easy to recylce your mat with Recycle Your Mat or donate it through The Bolder Mat Company, both of which are awesome options to be green and generous. But we were curious about the different ways you could reuse your mat around the house to save money and help you in your DIY adventures.
So in no particular order, here are some ways your old yoga mat can be useful in home improvement:


1) Hang it horizontally in your garage to keep car doors from scraping the walls.
2) Use it as a kitchen mat in front of the stove or sink.
3) Scrub the heck out of it, then cut it up as liners for shelves and drawers.
4) Cut it into small circles and use them under furniture legs to protect the floor.
5) Put it under the litter box so the cat won’t track litter all over the floor.
6) Cut it to fit under slippery rugs to keep them in place.
7) Put it under the stationary bike or treadmill to protect the floor from sweat and machine-induced scratches.
8) Use it as a kneeling pad to keep your knees happy and clean when you’re working in the garden.
9) Cut it into circles to put under leaky planters and flowerpots to protect the furniture or floor.
10) Use it as a cushioned drop cloth for your next big painting or refurbishing project.
11) Hate rattling stereo speakers? Place cut out yoga mat squares under those noisy stereo speakers to reduce vibration rattle.
12) Use it to kill weeds in your garden. Place the mat over a section of your garden and the mat and the sun’s heat will smother weeds and their seeds.
13) Create safe and colorful step treads for stairs. Cut your mat into rectangles slightly smaller than the size of your stairs — glue on for a permanent solution or let the mat’s inherent stickiness hold it in place if you prefer easy removal.
14) Plug up drafty areas including windows, doors and under window air conditioners.
15) Cut to fit closet floors or place in foyers as a place for muddy shoes.
16) Use instead of bubblewrap to protect your valuables while moving or shipping.
17) Use an old mat in while working with wood to keep wood from slipping on your workbench while using power tools.
18) For garage music studios — hang and tack against walls for a nice aesthetic effect while also providing sound-proofing. It can also be tacked to the back of an upright piano for the same purposes.
19) Place underneath kids’ outdoor playsets for safer landings at the ends of slides or under monkey bars.
20) Use outside your bathtub or shower as a non-slip bathmat.
If you add in crafts and kids’ projects, this list could go on forever! What creative ways have you used an old yoga or exercise mat? Let us know in the comments!
Photo: Flickr.com/mikecpeck

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