Do You Need To Wipe Down Machines At The Gym? Yes, & Here’s What Could Happen If You Don’t
I hate to admit it, but there have been a few times at the gym -- when faced with the choice between leaving my sweat and germs on a treadmill or having to walk all the way over to the cleansing wipes and back -- I've chosen to leave my sweat and germs on the treadmill.
I know. It's gross.
While usually I clean down pretty thoroughly, I have often wondered as I do it just how necessary it really is to wipe down a machine at the gym after you use it.
I mean, there are germs and bacteria covering the entirety of more or less every public surface, and I'm certainly not going around cleaning soda machines and subway poles.
Could the gym really be any more germ-laden than those other surfaces?
Well, actually, yeah -- it can.
Just one study revealed there are 362 times more bacteria on free weights in a gym than on a public toilet seat.
Are you gagging yet?
Free weights were the most germ-laden, presumably because they get wiped down the least between uses.
In fact, more bacteria was found on the exercise equipment than all of the other surfaces they were compared to in the study, which was commissioned by FitRated from EmLab P&K, an indoor air quality lab.
The researchers performed tests in three different gyms and 27 pieces of workout equipment, including treadmills, weights, and everything in between.
While it wasn't a particularly extensive study, it certainly raised a few eyebrows and called some necessary attention to how gross many of us are when we're at the gym.