More and more people are setting up gyms in their homes so that they can workout when and how they like.
Once you have done the fun part and planned your home gym now you need to make sure you maintain it.
A dirty gym is not only a breeding ground for bacteria but also increases your risk of injury.
In this article, we will walk you through the most effective ways to clean and disinfect your gym.
Dangers Of Unsanitary Gym Equipment
Here are some of the reasons to keep your home gym safe and sanitary.
Injuries
Using gym equipment incorrectly is a sure-shot way to injure yourself.
However, it’s not just your own mistakes that can cause you to get hurt; you also run the risk of suffering from such accidents if you use unsanitary gym equipment.
Infections
If you don’t clean your gym equipment daily or frequently, you allow dirt, germs, or bacteria to settle on them.
Using the unhygienic equipment repeatedly can make you fall sick, especially if you do not wash your hands or shower after your workout sessions.
This is because you unconsciously let germs transfer from the equipment into your body, which adversely affects your health.
Strange Odors
When you do not sanitize your gym floor, mat, or equipment for a long time, unwanted microbes start thriving in your fitness room.
These unhealthy creatures multiply and spread all over your gym, giving rise to a disgusting smell.
The odd stench may impede you from working out in optimum comfort. Plus, it can be quite embarrassing to welcome someone into a stinky gym.
Now you know the why, let’s break down the how.
How to Clean Weights And Dumbbells
Weights and dumbbells can become rusty with age, but you don’t want to ruin them to such an extent because the original ones are pricey.
Keeping weights and dumbbells neat and clean will ensure their longevity. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to clean your weights and dumbbells by yourself.
Materials You Need
- A gallon of water
- Mild dish soap
- Clean clothes
- A bucket
Directions
- Take a bucket and fill it up with a gallon of water.
- Mix in a few drops of mild dish soap.
- Dip a clean cloth into the soapy water until it is damp. Make sure it is not soaking wet.
- Using the damp cloth, wipe down the weights and dumbbells thoroughly.
- Clean each nook and corner until it’s completely clean.
- If the cloth becomes dirty or dusty, put another clean cloth into the soapy mixture and clean your equipment with it.
- Once cleaned, use a clean, dry cloth to wipe off the excess moisture.
- Air dry them away from the sun.
How to Prevent Your Weights from Getting Rusty
Next is the cleaning technique to follow in case your weights and dumbbells get rusty:
Materials You Need
- 1 gallon of coke or white vinegar
- 1 gallon of water
- A large bucket
- Spray paint
- A Sandpaper or wire brush
- Dremel tool (optional)
Directions
- First, you should eliminate visible rust using the wire brush or sandpaper. You won’t get all of it in the first go, so keep at it. You will eventually get rid of the visible rust. If your weights or dumbbells are super rusty, try using a Dremel tool for additional rubbing.
- Next, mix the vinegar or coke with the water in the bucket and soak in the weights and dumbbells for a day or two.
- Scrub the fitness tools with the wire brush to remove excess rust.
- Rinse with clean water and towel dry the equipment. Avoid air-drying.
- To make your weights and dumbbells look pretty, spray paint them with silver, black, or any other color you like.
How to Clean Gym Mats
You may have brought a new mat for your gym, but it surely won’t stay brand-new forever.
Soon enough, there will be traffic trooping in and out of your gym. Dirty mats can be a health hazard.
They are home to bacteria, stains, and smells, all of which can level down the sanitary conditions of your gym.
Here is the expert way to clean your gym mats:
1. Sweep, Dust, and Vacuum Your Mat
The first step to cleaning gym mats is sweeping or dusting away all the visible dust on your gym mat.
Once you are through that, vacuum the surface. Vacuuming is important because it helps get rid of the hidden dust and debris effectively.
2. Clean with a Neutral pH Cleanser
If you experience high traffic in your gym, let’s say a lot of your family members work out in your gym, you will need to clean the mats with a cleanser.
You can easily find them in the cleaning section of a hardware store or supermarket. Using a mopping tool, cleanse the mat thoroughly.
Don’t use too much of the product as it will leave residue on the carpet.
3. Vinegar and Water Solution
If you can’t seem to find a neutral pH cleanser in any nearby store or you want to opt for a cost-effective option, you can create a vinegar and water solution and use it to clean the rug.
However, do not use too much of the solution, or else it will leave your carpet smelling strongly of vinegar.
Use a minimum amount of disinfectant and avoid the build of soap on the surface. To make the solution smell nice, add in a few drops of your favorite essential oil.
4. Nylon Mop
When cleaning a rubber mat, a mop with loose cotton fibers won’t do. It will stick on the mat’s surface and make the cleaning process an arduous one.
A better alternative is to use a mop with nylon ends. This will make scrubbing easy and quick.
How to Clean Gym Shoes
You need specific kinds of shoes (such as joggers or sneakers) for your daily workouts.
However, the daily use of workout shoes makes them smelly and dirty, ensuing the need to clean them.
Not sure how to clean your workout shoes? Here is the definitive way:
1. Dry Brushing
First and foremost, you should get rid of all the visible dirt from your shoes.
Using a dry brush, clean the outsole, midsoles, and other areas of the shoes.
A hard brush can leave unwanted marks on the shoes, so make sure you use a brush with soft bristles.
In case, you don’t have a brush, use an old toothbrush. It will work just fine.
2. Clean with Mild Cleaning Solution
Prepare a mild cleaning solution. For this, mix warm water and a small amount of any laundry detergent in a spray bottle.
Spray all over your sneakers and clean the outer and inner surface with a dry clean cloth.
3. Wash Laces
Cleaning laces is the hardest part, but not an impossible one. To clean the laces easily, take them off of the shoes and apply a bit of the prepared cleaning solution.
Using a soft dry cloth, massage the laces to eliminate stubborn stains. Allow them to dry. If the stains still exist, repeat the cleaning process until the laces are spotless.
4. Don’t Forget to Clean Soles
Soles are the part of the shoe that gets a lot of sweat and dirt and thus get weirdly dark over time.
To restore their original color, apply the mild disinfectant, and rub it off with a soft-bristled brush over the midsole and outsole. Remove the excess using a dry, soft cloth.
5. Air Dry
Last but not least, air dry your joggers at room temperature. Don’t try putting your shoes in a dryer or washing machine, or cleaning them up with harsh chemicals such as bleach.
To ensure the best result, clean your gym shoes as soon as they begin to get dirty.
How to Clean your Gym Floor
Cleaning the gym floor is important to prevent it from getting dirty.
If your flooring is made from some porous material, such as rubber, you should consider cleaning it more often to avoid the risk of corrosion.
To keep your gym neat and tidy, cleaning the gym floor is a must. Here’s how you can clean your gym floor and eliminate unwanted odors, stains, and germs.
1. Vacuum the Floor
The number one thing you should do is vacuum the flooring to remove dirt and debris.
Make sure you use a vacuum with soft bristles so that it can easily be used on carpets, too.
If you don’t have a vacuum, you can use simply use a broom and dustpan to sweep up dirt/debris.
2. Look for “Stuck” Items
This can be chewing gum or hard rubber. Using a scraper, remove these items from the floor. Gently scratch off the material.
Stick the scraper on one end of the stuck-on and push it upward to get it off the floor.
3. Prepare a Homemade Disinfectant
Next, mop the floor using a mild DIY solution. In a large bucket, fill one gallon of water and mix in 1 cup of white vinegar.
Instead of white vinegar, you can also use a neutral pH cleanser. Add in a few drops of lemon or essential oil for a nice fragrance. Soak in your mop and then clean the entire floor with it.
4. Change the Soapy Water
As the cleaning solution gets brown and dirty, drain it out. This will prevent the spread of germs and bacteria and your floor getting dirtier.
Prepare a new solution using the same method discussed previously.
5. Allow it to Air Dry
Once you have disinfected the entire floor, let it air dry completely. Doing so will give the applied chemicals to absorb all the germs and kill them for good.
However, if you walk on the floor before it is dried out, it will leave footprints and dirt marks.
How to Remove Odors From Gym Equipment
Stinky gym equipment is the last thing you would ever want to experience.
It leaves sour feelings in your heart and you never feel like working out again – not at least with the same enthusiasm as before.
Let’s look at the most effective way to get rid of strange smells from your gym equipment.
1. Wipe Off with a Clean Cloth
Using a dry cloth, clean off every piece of gym equipment you use. Make sure you wipe every corner you come into contact with while working out.
It would be wise to use a new cloth for each piece of equipment to ensure thorough cleansing.
2. Spray with a Disinfectant
Choosing your favorite disinfectant, sanitize your gym equipment.
Follow the instructions (present on the back of the cleaning product) to ensure you kill off all the germs and debris on your equipment.
Let the disinfectant sit for a few minutes before doing the next step.
If you’re using a homemade solution, make sure to add one or two drops of any essential oil for a nice fragrance.
3. Clean with a Cloth, Again
Using a clean cloth, wipe off the fitness tools, again. If you can still smell or see specks of dirt or debris on your gym equipment, repeat the cleaning procedure.
4. Let it Dry
After cleaning all your pieces of equipment, do not start using them right away. They may still be moist and thus feel sticky.
So, it’s best to dry them naturally before using them in your workouts.
How to Remove Sweat Odors From Clothes
Workout clothes can be quite high maintenance.
Sometimes, no matter, how many times you wash them, they still stink of sweat smells.
If this is your case, don’t worry. Below are some proven tips to get rid of stubborn odors from your workout clothes!
1. Wash Right After They Are Sweaty
Throw your gym clothes in the washing machine as soon as you get done with your hardcore workout.
Some experts say you should wash workout clothes after every single use. If you see your clothes drenched with your sweat and smell, it’s best to clean them straight away!
2. Store Them in the Freezer
This is a superb DIY hack. Simply toss your workout clothes in a plastic bag and slap them into a freezer.
The icy air will kill the bacteria that give rise to sweaty odors in the clothing. This will also save you from doing laundry every day.
3. Use White Vinegar In Advance
Before washing your workout clothes, soak them in a white vinegar solution for at least 15 to 30 minutes.
To prepare this solution, you should mix in white vinegar and water in a tub/bucket and add the gym clothes for the dictated amount of time.
4. Mix Lemon and Baking Soda in the Washing Machine
Lemon and baking soda are star ingredients for washing smelly gym clothes. In simply one wash, they help get rid of icky odors for good.
5. Hang the Clothes Outside to Dry
Sun and fresh air are your best friends as they help eliminate foul smells from clothes naturally.
Once you have washed the clothes, hang your clothes on your roof for a day until they dry out perfectly.
Conclusion
That’s a wrap on why and how to clean and disinfect your home gym and equipment.
All the cleaning methods discussed here are super simple and quick, and therefore, we are certain you will face no trouble maintaining your personal gym and keeping your fitness equipment on point always.
