Cleaning and Maintaining Workout Equipment (Updated 2021)

It doesn’t cost much time or money to keep your equipment in good shape. Metal rusts if not cared for, rubber can develop cracks, and moving parts in machines can start feeling rough. Removing and preventing rust will also keep it out of your eyes and mouth.

Rubber Flooring

Brandon goes over how to clean your floor, as well as benches:

Vacuum the floor first to get as much dust as you can so you won’t spread it around. 

After that, it’s your choice of cleaning products. Use something mild, or dilute it. This isn’t your bathroom. You’ll be touching the floor and other surfaces with your body, Especially you don’t want to be laying down onto a dried-up film of strong cleaning chemicals.

As Brandon suggests, don’t go crazy with the amount of water on rubber mats. You don’t want the moisture to seep between the mats and get stuck on the plywood or concrete underneath, leading to mold.

I use a biodegradable cleaner called Charlie’s Soap for everything in my home, including my gym.

Rubber Weights

This applies to rubber coated dumbbells, rubber coated weight plates, or any other rubber surfaces or parts on other equipment.

Rubber plates and dumbbells may arrive with a layer of dark factory oil on them. It protects them during storage and transport. Clean the oil off as described below, but you may need some extra soap to dissolve that much oil.

Clean them occasionally with a cloth soaked in a light solution of dish soap and water, enough to get rid of the oils but not enough to leave a film behind. A tiny squirt in a half gallon of water is plenty. Wring out the cloth and wipe down the rubber good to get all the oil and dirt off from sweaty hands.

Do NOT use a harsh cleaner like most spray cleaners meant to be “tough on grease.” You’ll take some of the rubber off. A gentle spray cleaner might be ok, but you could be doing long term damage.

After wiping, dry them with a lint-free cloth. 

Ivanko’s SP-80 Rubber Cleaner and Rubber Conditioner used together are supposed to keep rubber weights looking like new for years.

A Magic Eraser scrubber sponge is known to clean up rubber weights well, and it can be used on most of your other equipment as well. It can be used on a lot of steel, rubber, or plastic surfaces. The only real exception is glossy surfaces that it may dull.

Rubber is sensitive to sunlight exposure and extreme temperature variations. Using those products is probably a good idea if sunlight ever hits them through a window or if your gym is in a garage with freezing winter air, to prevent cracking and help delay degradation.

Eventually rubber does degrade over the years. That’s why people sometimes go for urethane weights.

Urethane Weights

Like rubber, urethane doesn’t require much maintenance. It protects the underlying iron or steel from moisture, so rusting shouldn’t be an issue unless a lot of moisture has time to penetrate through the rubber. It’s UV and temperature resistant, so there isn’t much that will harm it.

Clean urethane the same as rubber, with a cloth soaked in a mild solution of dish soap and water, enough to get rid of the oils but not enough to leave a film behind. A tiny squirt in a half gallon of water is plenty. Wring out the cloth and wipe down the rubber good to get all the oil and dirt off of the urethane from sweaty hands.

As with rubber, a Magic Eraser scrubber sponge can clean up any visible marks or grime.

As with rubber, do NOT use a harsh cleaner like most spray cleaners meant to be “tough on grease.” You’ll take some of the urethane off or roughen the surface. 

Barbells

Many bars need to be cleaned and oiled. See the Olympic Bar Maintenance post for in-depth information on everything related to maintaining and restoring bars. Most of the instructions also apply to standard bars.

Iron Weight Plates

When you receive new weight plates, a layer of thick factory oil might be on them. This is to prevent rust during shipping and storage. Clean them the same as rubber, with a cloth soaked in a light solution of dish soap, and dry well.

Any household spray cleaner should be fine on iron plates, which usually have a baked-on enamel finish. You want to be more careful with rubber or urethane coatings. With that in mind, also don’t let overspray get on your rubber flooring.

Wiping them dry is important. Enamel paint coats pretty thin, and moisture can get in there pretty easily and cause rusting in no time at all. Weights tend to get scratched up over time or the finish wears off in spots, with nothing protecting the iron at all.

On older weights you got at a garage sale, the enamel or other type of paint might not be baked on or might be loose, and any wiping or good cleaner could be the final straw to cause it to come off. If your weights are in that bad of shape, it’s best to resign yourself to the fact that the finish is done for and you need to get it off. 

For getting off the rust and maybe even putting on a new coat of paint, see our article about bringing rusty weight plates back from the dead.

Iron Dumbbells

The heads (ends) of the dumbbells are another matter. Use the same procedure as removing rust from and repainting weight plates, above. If the dumbbells are solid (ie: the ends can’t be removed), be sure to cover the handles with painter’s tape, unless you want to paint them too.

For dumbbells with chromed steel handles, the handles themselves can be cleaned according to the Olympic Bar Maintenance guide.

For rubber, urethane, neoprene or vinyl covered dumbbells, wipe them down with a cloth soaked in a solution of water mixed with a tiny amount of dish soap just like cleaning some other equipment as described above.

Kettlebells

Cast iron kettlebells can generally be treated the same as iron weight plates or dumbbells.

Cardio Equipment – Bikes, Ellipticals, Treadmills, Rowers

Check your owner’s manual for instructions on where to lubricate and what to use.

Steel surfaces and handles can be cleaned with a cloth dipped in a very light solution of dish soap and water, and dried with a dry cloth.

Spray cleaners are ok, but be careful of any overspray onto rubber surfaces, as any chemicals stronger than dish soap will eat away at the rubber.

Silicone or teflon spray is normally ok, particularly on any internal parts that are not very exposed and won’t collect dust, as long as it doesn’t conflict with the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Concept2 rowers don’t require a lot of maintenance. Even if you buy a used rower it may be good for years before you have to do anything.

Weight Machines, Benches and Racks

Guide rods – These are what the weight carriage moves up and down along, or the adjustable slider on a bench. Clean these with a rag to remove any dust, and then apply a coating of oil or 3-in-One Dry Lube with another rag. This will keep the guide rods well lubricated so the carriage slides easily on them. A dry lube is one that sprays on and dries quickly to create a slick surface. A silicone spray is fine and I think is what most people use, but it can attract dust and also get on your hands.

Cables – Cables that are frayed, bent or twisted need to be replaced. Machines pretty much all use stainless steel aircraft grade cables. Under normal use it’s hard to damage them, but follow the manufacturer’s recommendations on any periodic replacement.

Seat Upholstery – Clean with a cleaning and deodorizing spray. The VaporFresh spray is a good one because it cleans off oil, deodorizes, and kills bacteria, all with natural ingredients such as essential oils that is not bad for your skin.

Steel Frames – Wipe down with a rag wet with a solution of warm water mixed with a tiny amount of dish soap, or use a spray cleaner. Wipe the frame dry with a dry rag to avoid rusting. A Magic Eraser scrubber sponge can clean up marks on equipment from rubber or dirty hands.

Spray cleaners are ok, but be careful of any overspray onto rubber surfaces, as any chemicals stronger than dish soap will eat away at the rubber.

Clean any rubber parts of machines as outlined in the Rubber Products instructions.