I saw the "soak the mat" idea on Pinterest and promptly took all my mats to the bathtub to try it. I have to say, like so many 'remedies' on Pinterest, it didn't work at all. The mats were as cut as they started. Whatever those mats are made of, they don't seem to absorb water at all, so 'hydrating' is not possible. Nice idea tho. Wish it worked.