How to Clean Gym Equipment Properly | Fast and Easy Methods

Smooth gym management is all good, but are you still missing something important?  

Gym cleaning and hygienic environment.

Apart from A-class gym management, a well-cleaned gym adds to members’ experience. Besides fitness, cleanliness co-exists and matters too. Because no one likes to breathe and workout in a dusty and dirty gym. 

Hundreds or sometimes even more members come to the gym daily to sweat fat and burn calories. This means a thousand types of germs and bacteria are everywhere, from machinery to the mats. 

Remember, gym equipment is the thing your members directly come in contact with. If not cleaned and disinfected properly, contagious diseases and health issues can spread quickly. 

To avoid such health risks, you must know how to properly clean gym equipment and the products you need for it. 

Cleaning exercise equipment essential–why?

Equipment that runs daily gathers dust and gunk. Sometimes, members hit the gym, bringing in some dust or dirt with their shoes. The trapped dust in the mats and exercise equipment parts might trouble members with sensitive respiratory systems. 

Apart from that, wiping off dried smudges and trapped grime gets difficult. Dirt and grime not only make the equipment old and unpleasant but also reduce its lifespan. The moving parts of treadmills and ellipticals are at a higher risk of collecting dust, leading to electrical or mechanical failure of the equipment. 

That’s why consider cleaning exercise equipment to maintain a healthy and hygienically sound environment. It is essential for your members’ health and the gym equipment’s lifespan.  

Must-haves for cleaning gym equipment

To keep your gym germ-free, you must keep gym equipment cleaners in stock. At this level, you need to differentiate between general cleaners and sanitizers. Cleaning means removing dirt, debris, and impurities from equipment and removing germs to a low level. Sanitizing reduces the number of germs or bacteria to a safer level. Disinfecting kills 100% of germs on surfaces, ensuring a safe environment. 

Now, here are the must-have products to make your gym germ-free and fitness-focused space. 

1. Cleaner

When stocking your gym inventory, remember to include general or all-purpose cleaners. These help remove surface residues and grime from your equipment. With gym equipment clean, you can wipe off dust and kill the germs. 

Out of the huge variety of cleaners, purchase those that are lighter on the equipment and harder on the germs. Also, avoid strong and harmful chemicals such as ammonia and bleach, which can permanently damage the equipment’s color. 

2. Disinfectant

Another thing to have in your gym cleaning stock is EPA-registered disinfectants. You will need to disinfect the high-touch surfaces, killing 100% of gyms and reducing the risk of spreading infectious diseases. 

According to the IHSRA study, you can use alcohol and hydrogen peroxide to clean your gym equipment. Additionally, let the chemical stay on the surface for proper disinfection. After a while, wipe off the disinfectant thoroughly. Since some disinfectants may irritate the skin, wipe them off with water or avoid direct contact in such cases. 

3. Duster

A duster is one of the basic cleaning needs. To remove dry dust from your gym equipment, use a handheld duster or one attached to a vacuum. First, start dusting off the higher cabinets or shelves and move to lower-level shelves. A cleaner is also needed to clean dirt and debris. For basic cleaning, you can use a duster instead of a vacuum to dust off the gym machinery. 

4. Microfiber cloths

A duster and a microfiber cloth work almost the same: wipe off dust. But one thing that differs is the quality of work they do. Microfiber cloths are best for a thorough cleaning, as their fibers pick up dust particles, making equipment moteless.  

5. Vacuum cleaner or mops

What if the dust particles are stuck in mat corners and small spaces between machinery moving parts? Cloth or dusters won’t work here. 

You will need a vacuum cleaner to suck dust from areas that usually a duster can not. It is easier to mop up the gym and yoga mats with a vacuum cleaner than simply dusting off. 

Similarly, you can also use a mop according to the type of gym floor. You can also use a vacuum and a mop to clean and then disinfect the floor and usually unreachable corners. 

6. Sanitizer 

For a hygienic environment, why not keep an alcohol-based sanitizer? 

Use sanitizers after cleaning or workout sessions to keep the weights and treadmills free of germs and bacteria. Also, encourage your members to sanitize their hands before and after using the equipment. This way, you can promote a healthier and safer space for everyone. 

7. Laundry detergent 

Sometimes, you may want to wash a piece of cloth or duster. For that, keep a mild laundry detergent in the inventory. It makes washing used clothes, mats, and dusters easier. 

8. Air fresheners

Apart from cleaning, let’s not forget the fresheners. Since gyms are a place to sweat, but use mild and pleasant air fresheners to enhance the overall cleanliness and atmosphere of the gym space. 

Which pieces of equipment to clean?

Since you know the products for how to properly clean gym equipment, let’s talk about cleaning exercise equipment.

Dumbbells and weights

Dumbbells and weights are the most used equipment in any gym. With more sweat and germs on them, cleaning is needed every time. Since cleaning them sounds hard, why not ask members to wipe them each time after use? 

This way, members will have more satisfaction with hygiene in the gym. Your members and cleaning squad can upkeep with gym safety standards. 

(weight benches and free weights)

Yoga mats

Again, like dumbbells, yoga mats are most used in a gym. For pushups, they hit the mat. For planks, crunches, and bridges, they hit the mat. But how can you ensure the mats are not too nasty or smelly to be discarded?

Ideally, you can ask your members to wipe down the yoga mats to kill germs and make them odor-free. Still, if the yoga mat doesn’t look clean, go for a thorough cleaning with a microfiber cloth with disinfectant. But make sure that there are enough gym mats for your members to exercise on.

Treadmills, cardio machines, and stationary bikes

When cleaning exercise machinery, take some precautionary measures. First, remove the plugs and start dusting off the equipment. As most of this machinery involves leg movement, there will be more loose dirt on the treadmill and panels of ellipticals. 

Also, spray the disinfectant on the cloth, as directly applying it might result in liquid dripping into the mechanical parts. Clean all the high-touch areas, including the screen, small spaces, holders, and handles. You can also check for loose bolts that need to be tightened at this level. 

Resistance bands

Resistance bands are known for strength training and are the ground for germs to grow. To kill germs, it is essential to disinfect them. Clean the touchpoints with a cloth soaked in a detergent solution or gym equipment cleaner. Carefully wipe the grips and rest of the surface and let it air dry before the next use. 

Gym accessories

Where you disinfect all the major gym equipment, let’s not forget the smaller ones: kettlebells, medicine balls, and gym foam. Cleaning the foam can be tricky, but use a microfiber cloth sprayed with disinfectant to clean it. Similarly, for kettlebells and medicine balls, pay special attention to handles and textured surfaces where you think sweat and dirt can accumulate. 

Gym floor 

Depending on the flooring, you can keep it clean using the most suitable products in your inventory. For example, you can use a gym equipment cleaner or disinfectant liquid with a mop to keep it all fresh and clean. 

Steps for how to properly clean gym equipment

By this point, you know the essentials and equipment to clean. But when to do what also counts.

Establish a proper cleaning schedule. Your gym’s schedule depends on the number of members and their visits. This way, you can have cleaning on a weekly and monthly basis. 

However, here are some essential steps on how to properly clean gym equipment:

• Start dusting off the shelves and ventilation outlets from high to low levels.
• Clean the loose dust from equipment without applying any cleaner.
• Use gym equipment cleaner to remove dust, sweat, and grime.
• Disinfect the high-touch equipment surfaces and let it stay for a while.
• Wipe and sanitize the weights, dumbbells, and medicine balls.
• Clean the yoga mats with microfiber cloth with a detergent solution
• Sanitize and clean the gym floor with a mop or steam cleaner
• Use a fragrant spray to keep the gym environment fresh

Final takeaway

Conclusively, a clean gym environment improves members’ experience and maintains their hygiene. Following a proper gym cleaning routine can make your gym a germ-free space where your members can get fitter and healthier. 

Besides effective gym management, gym cleanliness matters too. Our cloud gym software allows you to manage your cleaning staff and schedules. So you can stay worry-free and confident about your gym cleaning.