You are strict about washing hands after using the toilet, but how often do you wash your hands after a gym session? According to a recent study conducted by FitRated, you might want to think twice before your hygiene practice. A typical free weight set contains more than 300 times more germs than the toilet seat and that is not all. Exercise bikes and treadmills also had high bacteria counts leading to much concern over hygiene in fitness centres.

With over 70% of the bacteria strains found on gym equipment classified as harmful to humans, some of the microorganisms can cause deadly health problems, from pneumonia and septicemia to even toxic shock syndrome. So how can gyms ensure that their premises remain safe and clean for their customers?

Is wiping down gym equipment sufficient?

Most gyms encourage their members to use paper towels to wipe down the equipment they have used. It is the bare minimum, said experts, and even spraying the equipment over with an antibacterial spray does not really solve the problem. What gym owners should ask themselves is: how often can they truly clean and sanitize the equipment in a day?

The good news is that gyms can include their customers in the cleaning process. Beyond paper towels, gyms can offer sanitary wipes to help minimize bacteria before close of business. Although a small gesture, it would encourage one of every five gym users to follow the guidelines and thus help decrease the amount of bacteria formation.

For those gyms that cannot rely on patrons to keep up all the cleaning, staff should come in during slow times to consistently clean the equipment. For the most part, people who are in a gym to work out would not care if they had an immaculately clean and sanitary machine to sweat on rather than one still covered in the sweat and germs of the previous person.

 

Steam cleaning

 

Many gym owners traditionally have relied on disinfectants when it comes to a deep clean, but many are learning nowadays that steam cleaners do an even better job of sanitizing equipment.

Steam cleaners use dry steam vapor to kill bacteria on a wide range of surfaces without using harsh chemicals. The sheer heat from the steam is enough to kill most germs, and the variety in modern steam cleaners with their settings and attachments makes them capable of utilizing nearly every piece of equipment in the gym.

Another benefit is that steam cleaners have no chemicals, which saves money. It can also be utilized not only on gym equipment. It will sanitize your tiling ceramic and rubber, seating, locker rooms, and restroom facilities. Together with using it in conjunction with a scrubber dryer for bigger areas, steam cleaners give the health club an all-rounded solution for a deeper cleanliness.

A clean gym isn't something that is really to be done for aesthetic purpose only but protecting the health and well being of every person who walks through its door. While cloth or towel cleaning is good enough, more thorough schedules and steam cleaners are quite strong instruments in terms of cleanliness to keep gyms safe for exercisers to go to.

With such high concentrations of bacteria, gym attendees may think twice about that decision not to use hand wash after being in the gym. The fact is, being fit should never mean risking health.