Home Gyms and Sickness: Why Cleaning Is Essential

A home gym can be a quiet place where you go to relax and exercise after a hard day at work. However, if you've felt sick the last few times you've worked out, you may not be sure why. Unfortunately, your basement may be dirty and contaminated with items like mold and bacteria. Thankfully, professional cleaning can help you avoid the health dangers caused by these issues.

Home Gyms May Have Many Health Hazards

A home gym has many benefits. You can work out in peace away from your family, play music as loudly as you want, and keep your kids away from your equipment. Unfortunately, home gyms and especially those located in basements — even finished ones — are prone to growths like mold and bacteria, growths that may respond to the moisture in your gym.

When mold and bacteria grow in dirty home gyms, there's a good chance other infections can find a way to make a home there. The most common of these health problems include:

• Bacteria infestation, including E.coli
• Viral infection, including the flu
• Asthma attacks and other respiratory issues
• Allergic reactions to mold and mildew

These diseases ruin what should be a fun and relaxing experience in your home gym. Therefore, you need to contact a professional cleaner the moment you notice any mold or mildew in your gym or if you feel unexpectedly sick after a workout session.

Regular Cleaning Is Essential

Professional cleaning of your gym will successfully destroy mold, bacteria, viruses, and mildew and prevent them from coming back. For example, proper cleaning services can identify where these infestations originate and weed them out of your area with a focused cleaning attack.

The elimination of these contaminating elements shouldn't be a DIY job. The difficulty is too high for most amateurs, who may easily miss moldy spots or provide improper treatment. Some might even use cleaners that remove but don’t kill mold spores. As a result, the mold and mildew may grow right back in your gym and cause more problems.

However, you can follow a few simple cleaning steps to help out the professionals. For example, you can regularly clean your exercise equipment to ensure that mold has nothing to eat in your gym. Follow these tips for specific pieces of exercise equipment:

• All machines —Wipe down all of your exercise machines — such as treadmills or rowers — after every use. A simple cleaning solution can sanitize the area and eliminate the risk of mold.
• Free weights — All of your weights — including kettlebells — should be wiped off at least once a week. Since these items don't absorb moisture, they require less frequent cleaning sessions.
• Weight bars — Wipe down your weight bars when you clean your free weights —  this will keep them sanitized and ready to use at all times.
• Benches — Like your exercise machines, all basement-gym benches should be wiped down after every use. Unfortunately, your sweat may corrode the seat or invite mold and mildew.
• Resistance bands — If you use resistance bands in your gym, try running them under warm soapy water once every few weeks to keep them from attracting mold.

Utilize a broad range of cleaning items on your home gym equipment to keep them safe. Sanitation wipes, vinegar, cleaners and deodorizers, microfiber towels, and dish soap all have a place in your equipment cleaning routine. And so should a professional basement cleaner: try to schedule service when you start to notice a musty smell in the area.

So if your home gym is starting to smell, or if you notice signs of mold and mildew, please don't hesitate to contact us at NorthStar Cleaning & Property Services to get the help that you need. Our professionals will work hard to keep your home gym clean so that you can enjoy your gym in a safe and healthy environment.