How to approach wiping down to others...

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  • Laces_0ut
    Laces_0ut Posts: 3,750 Member
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    I wipe down equipment after I use it. More because if I'm using it properly, chances are I'm sweating all over it. Not so much fun for the next person to sit down in a cold puddle of sweat, or have their hands slip off the grips because I left them sweaty.

    To all you people waxing hyperbolic about wiping down equipment by immediately equating it to full sterilization - I ask, what ever happened to politeness and respect for your fellow man? 5s of your time, and people will say "What a nice guy" as opposed to "That guy is an *kitten*".


    even though i dont get the fixation with all the wipinig i do wipe down after i use the equipment for the reason you state.
  • Mighty_Rabite
    Mighty_Rabite Posts: 581 Member
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    I'll always wipe a machine down if I'm sweating onto it, or someone sweat onto it before me and it isn't clean, but other than that, I don't worry about it so much.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    I wipe down equipment after I use it. More because if I'm using it properly, chances are I'm sweating all over it. Not so much fun for the next person to sit down in a cold puddle of sweat, or have their hands slip off the grips because I left them sweaty.

    To all you people waxing hyperbolic about wiping down equipment by immediately equating it to full sterilization - I ask, what ever happened to politeness and respect for your fellow man? 5s of your time, and people will say "What a nice guy" as opposed to "That guy is an *kitten*".

    so you're equating someone remembering to wipe down a machine to how much respect someone has to their fellow human? that's the pot calling the kettle hyperbolic :laugh:

    sometimes people forget, sometimes people dont have a towel, sometimes people are so in the zone they arent even thinking about how much they are sweating. although i do wipe down things when i'm done (and yes, i refuse to do that ridiculous cleaning the machine down with spray and wipes that seems to be more and more popular) i'm not going to run after someone with a pitchfork just because they dont do it. maybe i would if i heard of cases of people dropping dead - or at least dropping into a coma - from dried sweatitis.

    and oh yeah by the way, my sweaty hands were ALL OVER that water fountain at the gym, the handles of the classroom doors. not to mention my sweaty butt and armpits on the foam roller and exercise balls :laugh: i guess i dont understand why people freak out about sweat on machines but dont think about all the other sweaty places in the gym. at least I've seen workers clean machines, I have NEVER seen anyone clean a foam roller.

    forgot to mention i've seen guys spit and blow snot rockets in the weight room when they thought no one was looking. the entire gym is one big hotbead of filth and germs
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    He works there and knows that wiping down the machines has about zero effect on sanitization.

    Yep. I mean, if we're talking a bench that's slathered in mangrease, then I'd expect a wipe as a common courtesy. If you want everyone to hose down a dry bench just because they once sat down on it, it's not helping anything and your killing extra trees for no reason.

    Edited to actually answer your question: if someone left a sweaty bench that I wanted to use, i point at it and say, "Canyougetthat?" Also works if they left 20 plates on the leg press. never had a problem. Personally, if someone asked me to clean my mess I'd apologize and hop to it, but if instead they complained about me to the desk I'd go into full on ahole mode. Just be direct. Most people are cool with that.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    200,000 years ago: our ancestors ate raw meat, didnt wash hands, etc.


    Present: why does no one wipe of the equipment?!?!?!




    honestly someone needs to say it, you need to metaphorically; grow a pair and man up.

    To be fair, our ancestors had a life expectancy of 28 years old. But I'm with you on this anyway.
  • Ocarina
    Ocarina Posts: 1,550 Member
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    I wipe down machines if they look grody and I'll do it when I'm done even if I don't sweat because I think its a courteous thing to do. I wouldn't want to touch someone else's sweat stains... I'm sure they won't want to touch mine. Germs are germs. Not too worried about actually catching something.
  • fawndam
    fawndam Posts: 595 Member
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    Yep!! that is the only way to keep safe....
  • fawndam
    fawndam Posts: 595 Member
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    Shower before and after...you keep others safe and yourself.....ask the mgr of the gym what their cleaning routine is...
  • oreillyn
    oreillyn Posts: 13 Member
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    If he works there, it's probably best to submit an anonymous complaint to the gym.

    AGREE!!!!
  • JessyJ03
    JessyJ03 Posts: 627 Member
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    ...and just to clarify...

    I DO wipe down the equipment I use. Not because it's sanitary; not because sweat is gross; not because I don't want to be accosted by the "wipe brigade". I do it because there is a sign on the wall that states it as a rule.

    Rules are rules.

    This. Our gym also has these signs all over the place. I'm not a freak about it if someone doesn't do it but I take the time to do it myself.
  • moonlightturk
    moonlightturk Posts: 398
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    Talk to him about that or better yet get your own wipe and wipe it. You're paying for the gym so you might as well get what you deserve from it, cleanliness...
  • CuteAndCurvy83
    CuteAndCurvy83 Posts: 570 Member
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    When did our society become so germophobic?

    I ask you to take the 'cleanliness factor' you are applying to the health club and put it in the grocery store.

    Do you wash all of you canned products before you put them in your cupboard? Do you wash off the boxes for you frozen, low-fat entrees? Do you sterilize the bottle of dishsoap before you set it next to the sink?

    All of those things were touched by humans at some point in their manufacture. Humans that sweat, pee, poop, sneeze and flake off dead skin cells at the rate of millions a day.

    I dare you to do some swabs and cultures in your own kitchen. I'll bet you 10 to 1 that the average piece of exercise equipment has less variety of microbes than the counter next to your kitchen sink or the vegetable drawer in your fridge.

    i like your style.

    sheesh people it's a PUBLIC gym. as long as you arent sitting on the equipment with open wounds what are you worried about?

    you're not going to get ebola from a friggin' leg extension seat. :laugh: if you guys are so concerned with things being uber sanitary and sterilized why oh why are you working out in public gyms and then expecting everyone else to have your level of obsession? i know people who are like that about bathrooms and guess what, they just dont use public restrooms because they know that not everyone is as diligent as they are.

    in any case, i'm a sweater so i generally put down a towel on a back and on the seat when i sit down anyway.

    and i like YOUR style! :)

    i dont care if someone wipes it down before me. ive played so many sports and have been sweated on so much it means nothing to me.

    when people complain it makes me think of this.

    tips6.jpg

    I'm so thankful it's not just me...I just thought maybe I was just weird. I never wiped the machines when I went to the gym, I don't wipe shopping cart handles, I don't open bathroom door handles with a paper towel, I touch everything, and even my friends are amazed at the fact that they always get sick more then I do..They are obsessive with their washing and hand sanitizer and they seem to be sick ALL the time! Meanwhile I may get one cold a year..Haven't had the flu or anything since I stopped working at the daycare (and believe me no amount of hand washing helps when a snotty little 10 month old sneezes in your face.lol)
  • Preacher224
    Preacher224 Posts: 44 Member
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    I am not a germaphobic, however I have seen the pain and suffering a case of severe MRSA can cause. Tennis ball size black boils that can go down to infect the bone. And it can be caught from casual contact with gym equipment. I went to a gym in St Louis on the St Louis University Medical School grounds for a while and they provide spray bottles of antibacterial spray and towels at every machine and required members to use it. Most gyms do not. And I have been in a few. I am a former certified trainer. I believe all gyms should provide this service and make it a rule that everyone(no exceptions) should use the spray before and after a lift. But remember the wet spray must be on the surface approx. 5 mins for it to be 99.99% effective. If you spray it on and wipe it off you might as well clean it with your spit. Just sayin....
  • Meraid
    Meraid Posts: 148 Member
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    I usually don't wipe down after until I'm about to leave because usually it's me and my friend. But there's always the one person who wipes everything before and after and then I feel the need to wipe down after. I'm only slightly germaphobic when it comes to mouth germs so I have no problem touching something someone else has used. But I'm not going to assume everyone is like me, so I clean up after myself for them.
  • StarkLark
    StarkLark Posts: 476 Member
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    I wipe down equipment after I use it. More because if I'm using it properly, chances are I'm sweating all over it. Not so much fun for the next person to sit down in a cold puddle of sweat, or have their hands slip off the grips because I left them sweaty.

    To all you people waxing hyperbolic about wiping down equipment by immediately equating it to full sterilization - I ask, what ever happened to politeness and respect for your fellow man? 5s of your time, and people will say "What a nice guy" as opposed to "That guy is an *kitten*".

    even though i dont get the fixation with all the wipinig i do wipe down after i use the equipment for the reason you state.
    Definitely agree with both of you. I don't care about sweat, germs or any of that stuff that may or may not be on the machines or benches. But I sweat quite a bit and I want to respect my fellow gym members who might care about it. So I take a few seconds and wipe it down when I'm done. I'm actually a bit surprised at all the non-wiping love in this thread...
  • pucenavel
    pucenavel Posts: 972 Member
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    I am not a germaphobic, however I have seen the pain and suffering a case of severe MRSA can cause. Tennis ball size black boils that can go down to infect the bone. And it can be caught from casual contact with gym equipment. I went to a gym in St Louis on the St Louis University Medical School grounds for a while and they provide spray bottles of antibacterial spray and towels at every machine and required members to use it. Most gyms do not. And I have been in a few. I am a former certified trainer. I believe all gyms should provide this service and make it a rule that everyone(no exceptions) should use the spray before and after a lift. But remember the wet spray must be on the surface approx. 5 mins for it to be 99.99% effective. If you spray it on and wipe it off you might as well clean it with your spit. Just sayin....

    Aren't the use of antibacterial agents the exact thing that is creating more instances of MRSA in the first place?

    We should outlaw antibacterial products outside of hospitals.
    my friends are amazed at the fact that they always get sick more then I do..They are obsessive with their washing and hand sanitizer and they seem to be sick ALL the time! Meanwhile I may get one cold a year..

    Same here

    [quote\I never wiped the machines when I went to the gym, I don't wipe shopping cart handles, I don't open bathroom door handles with a paper towel, I touch everything
    [/quote]

    In my day, we ate dirt! We drank water straight out of the gutter!! We licked our toilet seats clean!

    ..and we liked it that way!
  • jndijohnson
    jndijohnson Posts: 7
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    I am not a germaphobe at all, but EVERYONE at my gym wipes the machines down. Some before AND after. Most just after. I always do, whether I leave visible sweat or not, just to be polite. My gym has anti-bacterial spray and towels just for that.

    In the OP's case I would complain to the manager. Probably anonymously. Definitely politely. lol
  • christine24t
    christine24t Posts: 6,063 Member
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    I don't think it's a big deal. I only wipe down cardio machines, not strength machines - I don't sweat on them. If you're worried, I would just wipe down the machines before you use them.
  • caraiselite
    caraiselite Posts: 2,631 Member
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    do people lick gym equipment or something?

    i've never been to one. i feel like i'm missing out. =D

    i could understand if you're going to eat off it.. but if you're just laying/sitting.. i don't see the big deal? your keyboard/phone/mouse are way dirtier.
  • ScottRy76
    ScottRy76 Posts: 31 Member
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    I just bring a towel with me during my lifting sessions so if i got to rest my head or any part of my back I lay on a towel rather then the bench itself

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