Why It’s Important to Wipe Down Gym Equipment

Going to the gym is, for many of us, the highlight of our day. It’s a place where we can unwind, burn some calories, and work towards reaching our fitness goals. But it’s also a place where germs, bacteria, and other horrid things come to join the party. For example, did you know that a treadmill has 79 times more bacteria than a water faucet? We know - it makes us shudder too.

That’s why gym owners bear such a huge responsibility to ensure their users are safe. Aside from mopping up floors, cleaning up debris, or vacuuming the free weight area, it’s more important than ever to promote a germ-free environment. Although it may sound complicated, it’s actually very simple to accomplish. All that needs to be done is wipe down the gym equipment!

Wiping Down Gym Equipment: Why It Matters

We already gave you one germy gym statistic. But there are more. And they seem to get worse the longer you read. Filtrated, an equipment review site, collected samples from 27 pieces of gym equipment from three different gyms to test for germs, bacteria, and more. Here’s what they found out:

• An exercise bike has 39 times more bacteria than a reusable plastic lunch tray.
• A treadmill has 79 times more bacteria than a public bathroom faucet.
• Free weights have 362 times more bacteria than a public toilet.
• To top that off, over 70% of the bacteria were found to be potentially harmful to humans.
• Most of the bacteria found are known to cause a combination of skin infections and respiratory illnesses.

Fitrated states that when we stop to consider “the sheer number of people who touch gym equipment in a facility during any given day, it should come as no surprise that the surfaces are less than spotless.” When we look at how a gym can be crawling with even more bacteria than a public toilet, we can begin to see the problem.

How To Keep Your Gym Safe & Germ-Free

So, how can you help gym-goers stay safe during a workout? Is there any way to keep your business squeaky clean? The answer is yes! Again, all you have to do is make sure the gym equipment is wiped down. With what, you may ask? A dry paper towel? The typical old rag people use to wipe off their sweat? Not really. You need to wipe down your gym equipment with an even simpler item, consisting of two words: antibacterial wipes.

As Lauren Pardee states, the disinfecting wipe is a gym owner’s “knight in shining armor”. It helps keep the equipment free of harmful germs and bacteria with just a simple application. However, most disinfectant wipes contain rubbing alcohol (also known as isopropyl), bleach, or phenol, but these ingredients can dry out the hands after repetitive use. So when you’re choosing which wipes to use in your gym, try to look for some that use benzalkonium chloride as the star ingredient. It makes them tough on germs and bacteria, but gentle on the hands! Trust us - your cleaning staff and clientele will definitely thank you!

At Need Wipes, we have the best of both worlds. Our antibacterial wipes are made with benzalkonium chloride, making them gentle on the skin but tough as nails on any germs they encounter, killing 99.9% of germs and bacteria! They’re also 100% biodegradable, plant-based, and free of plastic. Made of naturally derived bamboo, our wipes decompose after only 6 months. This means no more plastic wipes filling up landfills with waste!

So if you want to keep your gym environment clean while your clients work out, you can now do so through an environmentally-friendly solution: Need Wipes. A safe gym environment and a plastic-free future for wet wipes is possible - but only with your help. Making sure that you are offering these antibacterial wipes creates a win-win scenario: it helps keep the gym equipment clean (no more “toilet seats” here!) while providing a safe space where people can work out, sweat, and unwind.

At the height (and seemingly endless challenge) of COVID-19, it’s even more important that gym equipment is wiped down before and after use. Offering these types of solutions helps keep everyone safe. And when offered to your clients, it also helps promote good gym etiquette! So stay safe, healthy, eco-friendly, and germ-free with Need Wipes.