When first building a garage gym, most people are faced with a mountain of a task. We all want the best equipment and to create the best possible gym (replicating commercial gyms but more customized), but to convert a garage into a gym often requires time, money, and hard work.
Some of the key tasks that don’t involve equipment are making your garage resistant to dampness and moisture and also finding ways to control the temperature which includes cooling and heating a garage gym.
These are all maintenance tasks to get the most out of a garage gym and another key maintenance task that most people don’t like is cleaning. Yes, cleaning your garage gym is crucial not only to maintain your gym equipment but to ensure you are training in a clean and healthy environment.
Therefore, we’ll be covering how to keep a garage gym clean with some simple tips and tricks to speed up the process without missing any tasks.
How to Keep a Garage Gym Clean
To keep a garage gym clean you need to implement 3 key strategies which are:
- Organize your garage gym space to minimize clutter
- Create a regular cleaning schedule to clean your garage gym daily, weekly, or monthly
- Use different cleaning methods for different types of equipment
Below, we’ll cover each of these in more detail.
1) Keep Your Garage Gym’s Space Organized?
Organizing your gym space and keeping it free of clutter helps save a lot of time when cleaning. This organization usually happens in the planning phase of making your own DIY home gym, but you can still organize if you feel your gym is becoming too cluttered and difficult to clean.
How Do You Free Up More Space in Your Garage Gym?
The best way to free up more space in your garage gym is to make sure each piece of equipment has its own designated spot with enough space to walk around it. Also, check that you’re utilizing enough hangers so equipment or garage items that aren’t used often can be hung on the wall.
You can also take inventory of non-gym items and see what is being used regularly. Finding a new spot for cluttering items is a great way to free up more space and make cleaning your gym easier.
To help, check out our guide on how to store weights in a garage gym.
2) Create a Cleaning Schedule for Your Garage Gym?
Creating a cleaning schedule for your garage gym is easy; simply take a piece of paper and write down the days of the week, what equipment you have, and decide how often you want to clean.
It’s good to have this cleaning schedule hung somewhere in the gym where you can see it as a reminder of what needs cleaning, and on what day. This keeps you accountable and also eliminates decision fatigue.
This is when you see a load of cleaning tasks, it becomes monumental and in the end, you end up cleaning nothing because you couldn’t decide on what to tackle first.
By having this written down and clear for what and when you need to clean, it eliminates the need to think about it and you just get to work – this is a common mental trick used in a variety of fields and it’s often a foundation of productivity.
Which Gym Equipment Should be Cleaned Daily?
According to GarageGymDIY, it’s always a good idea to sweep down your gym mats before starting any workout session. Then, any equipment that is used during the workout session should be wiped down after the session is over.
By wiping down the non-metal parts of your equipment that are used, you help keep your gym smelling fresh every day.
Which Equipment in Your Home Gym Should be Cleaned Weekly?
You will want to clean the floor weekly with a mop, and then wipe down all of the equipment, regardless of whether it’s been used or not. This doesn’t include the metal parts of equipment, just the non-metal parts such as padding.
Which Gym Equipment Should be Cleaned Monthly?
Once a month, it’s good to put extra time into your gym and wipe down all of the metal surfaces, and deep clean the bars, plates, and dumbbells with a nylon brush.
This can be done to remove rust from weights and can also include more vigilant tasks like lubricating a cable machine or lubricating and tightening a treadmill belt. These are obviously more specific tasks but ones that need to be picked up with some frequency each year.
What is a Good Rule of Thumb for Knowing When to Clean Your Gym Equipment?
A good rule of thumb for cleaning your gym equipment is,
“If it’s been used, sweat on, sat on, or laid on, it should be wiped down”
The uncleanliness of a gym comes mainly from two things: sweat and dirt. If you’re able to keep sweat to a minimum, your gym will feel fresher for a longer time.
3) Use Different Cleaning Methods for Different Types of Equipment
Most garage gyms will have a variety of equipment which will be based on individual needs, training style, budget, and overall aesthetic of the equipment. This means you’ll find equipment all made up of different materials and each having different requirements.
Below are just some of the methods needed for general garage gym cleaning tasks:
How to Wash the Gym Floor?
With matted gym floors, it’s better to use a mild disinfectant directly, and use less water to avoid dampness below your mat. If water gets stuck below the mat, it may lead to bacteria growth, mold problems, and an unfresh smell in your gym.
Simply take any spray bottle, fill it with a mild disinfectant and spritz it once or twice over a section of the mat. Then, take your scrub brush or mop and wipe the area. If your garage has a fan, you can turn it on to speed up the drying process.
How Do You Wash Your Garage Gym’s Non-metal Surfaces?
To wash your garage gym’s non-metal surfaces, take any disinfecting wipes (ideally ones that are formulated for gym equipment) and wipe down any non-metal surfaces. This includes the seats or padded areas of your gym equipment.
Be careful with strong disinfectant as it may lead to premature cracking and worn padding.
How Do You Wash Your Gym’s Metal Surfaces?
Washing your gym’s metal surfaces with a disinfectant wipe is easy, keeping in mind that dust likes to hide underneath benches and other metal surfaces that are out of sight.
How Do You Clean Treadmills and Exercise Bikes?
The easiest way to clean treadmills is to keep a container of disinfectant wipes beside the machine so it’s easy to wipe down every time you use it. This includes wiping down the handles, the dashboard, and the tread. Cardio equipment can become dirty easily without daily maintenance.
How Do You Clean Bars, Plates, and Dumbbells in Your Home Gym?
To easily clean bars, plates, and dumbbells in your home gym, you will want to use a nylon brush, three in one oil, and a towel. You will also want to be in a well-ventilated area.
Take your bar or dumbbell and lay it horizontally with a towel underneath. Work in small sections from one side to the other, pouring a little of the oil on the metal, then taking your nylon brush and scrubbing in between the knurling to clean out any gunk or chalk build-up. Then, wipe it down with a towel and work on the next section.
Final Thoughts
Cleaning is certainly one of the more boring components of owning a garage gym, however, it’s an important task that needs to be regularly undertaken to keep your garage and equipment in good working condition whilst also providing a hygienic environment to train in.
Cleaning a garage gym doesn’t need to be a difficult task. To keep a garage gym clean, you should invest in a good organizational solution to prevent clutter and ultimately the build-up of dust. Next, you should set a cleaning schedule taking into account workout days along with a more diligent weekly and monthly cleaning schedule.
Finally, you should match the cleaning requirements to the equipment you own. Wiping down surfaces for cardio machines, barbells, and weights is a general task that can be tackled in less than 5 minutes, however, more dedicated tasks like removing rust or lubricating machines will require more planning and time.
Therefore, set a schedule for all of your equipment and stick to it. It’s boring but an essential part of owning a garage gym and if you still can’t bring yourself to stay on top of the cleaning tasks – hire a cleaner to do it for you!
