May 19, 2020

How to Clean Home Gym Equipment

COVID-19 is enough to make anyone twitchy about cleaning and hygiene and just because you have a home gym doesn’t mean you’re off the hook.

We know that public gyms can be rife with bacteria and viruses. People do get sick, some seriously so, because the places they’re working out in aren’t cleaned sufficiently.

In a home gym, you have the advantage of knowing who’s using it. Chances are it’s either just you or other members of your household, but you can still infect yourself and other people by failing to implement and maintain basic hygiene of your equipment.

Fortunately, cleaning your gym equipment isn’t difficult or expensive. It doesn’t have to be time-consuming, either, but it should be done regularly.

Should I Wipe Down Gym Equipment?

Equipment should be regularly wiped down because if germs are on your hands they can be transferred onto the equipment and remain there for up to three days. You could easily infect yourself or someone else this way if you’re not cleaning regularly.

Think of it like this: you come home having pressed a pin pad at the shop, maybe you touched your car door handles or shook hands with a colleague. The germs from these surfaces are then on your hands and you can transfer them by touching your spin bike, treadmill or free weights.

Even when the current pandemic is contained, we will still need to be careful about flu and other serious viruses. Nobody likes being ill and preventing illness in your own home should be a priority.

If you’re using a heart rate monitor, then the reading could be compromised if there’s oil or dirt on the sensor. For an accurate measurement, you should make sure that nothing interferes with the data you’re being given.

Dust can get pulled into electrical appliances which can shorten the lifespan of your equipment so it’s important to regularly wipe away any dust particles and to vacuum or sweep the floor around it.

Wiping down equipment also makes it more pleasant to use. Sweat is still pretty disgusting even when it’s your own and its corrosive on some surfaces, too.

When you’re cleaning you shouldn’t just be wiping things down. It’s important to use a disinfectant product so that you’re eliminating viruses and bacteria rather than just wiping away dirt.

What Else Can I Do?

You should remember to regularly clean your gym kit, too, as there are rashes like folliculitis that you can develop if you regularly workout in an unwashed kit. Of course, you also don’t want bacteria to transfer off your clothes and onto the equipment’s surface.

You should unplug any electrical equipment before you begin and be careful of putting liquid onto computer displays.

You might also want to add an air freshener to keep the room smelling fresh or at least get used to opening windows. Some people use a de-humidifier.

What Can I Use to Clean My Gym Equipment?

It’s worth checking the instruction manual of your equipment to see if there’s anything you shouldn’t be using. Harsh and abrasive chemical products can breakdown materials and you may not notice the damage until some time afterwards.

Disinfectant wipes are handy because they limit the amount of product being used in one spot and reduce over-spraying. They’re also easier to dispose of than using a towel or cloth that could be re-used to re-infect other surfaces.

Disinfectant sprays are useful, however, if you’re trying to clean those harder to reach places that a wipe might struggle to get at effectively. Always make sure you’ve wiped the surface down properly afterwards and wait until it’s dry before using.

We wouldn’t advise using undiluted bleach as it can damage equipment and clothing and should be handled carefully. Don’t mix bleach with other cleaners as it can react badly.

If you’re looking for a more natural cleaning solution, then you can mix vinegar, water and baking soda. Natural cleaning products are becoming more popular and you’ve probably got all the ingredients in your cupboard.

For free weights, you could try diluted dish soap and then gently wipe with a cloth.

Don’t forget the floor either. You should vacuum or sweep the flooring and then mop where necessary.

Any mats that you use, including yoga mats, should be wiped down regularly with warm soapy water and a spray. Check the label because you can put some in the washing machine so long as you rescue it before it goes through a spin cycle.

You can clean your gym equipment in much the same way as you do the rest of your home by being mindful of the difference between those products which just clean and products which kill viruses and germs.

Your gym will need far less cleaning than a commercial one will but it’s still important to keep up hygiene as you would in any other room of your house.

Don’t have any gym equipment to clean? You’ll find home gym equipment for sale on the GymHugz website including barbell sets, plates and dumbbells.