Blast Those Bacterial Invaders: How and Why You Need to Clean Your Home Gym

About 25.4 million people in the United States participate in home gym exercises. Working out at home is popular because it saves both time and money. You don’t have to spend time driving to the gym or pay money for monthly memberships or the water bottle that you forgot to bring.However, as convenient as it is to own a home gym, many people forget that you still have to maintain it. There are many hygiene issues that surround working out at home, so it is important that you properly clean your equipment. Here are some of the hygiene issues associated with home gyms and a discussion explaining why you need to sanitize your personal gym equipment.   

There are hygiene issues that require proper cleaning of home gym equipment. Consider some of these reasons why it’s important that you keep your equipment fresh and clean. 

• Gym equipment are breeding grounds for bacteria. According to a study conducted by FitRated, an exercise bike has 79 times more bacteria than a water faucet and free weights are 362 times dirtier than a public toilet. The sweat that drips off our bodies while we exercise create breeding grounds for bacteria that can lead to pneumonia, meningitis and other infectious diseases. Without the air ducts that are found in regular gyms, your home doesn’t ventilate your equipment as well and increases the moisture and warm conditions that allow bacteria to thrive.
• Cleaning helps your equipment last as long as possible. You no doubt spent a lot of money on your gym equipment so it’s important that you take care of it so that it lasts as long as possible. Sweat is corrosive and can lead to rusting of equipment as well as deterioration of brake and track pads.
• Clean equipment creates more accurate heart monitors. Most gym equipment comes with monitors that help you determine your heart rate and fitness activity. They are extremely accurate, but can become less reliable if your equipment is covered in dirt or sweat.

How You Should Clean Your Equipment?

Cleaning your equipment doesn’t take long, but it’s important that you do it properly. Check out these tips on how to keep your equipment clean.

• Use baby wipes to wipe down your feet and hands before starting a workout as this can reduce the amount of dirt that gets on your equipment.
• Wipe down your equipment after each time you use it. However, cleaning takes more than just wipes. You should conduct a full wash of your equipment at least once every two weeks.
• Don’t use products that have drying chemicals, bleach, or hydrogen peroxide as these can not only damage your equipment but also become irritants if introduced to your skin. Instead, use ammonia mixtures that have quaternary ammonia mixed with water or organic ingredients.
• You can use a homemade mixture of white distilled vinegar and oils such as tea tree, lavender, or rosemary oil as an alternative to store-bought disinfectants. 
• Disinfecting gym balls is completely different from regular equipment cleaning. You should only use soapy water for these items rather than any storebought or homemade mixtures. 

Properly cleaning your gym equipment regularly can help to increase the longevity of the equipment as well as prevent lurking bacteria from making you and your family sick.