An unpleasant odor in the gym is one of the drawbacks of working out at home. This guide will teach you how to keep home gym from smelling.
When you work out, you produce sweat. The foul smell starts to build up in your home gym when bacteria break down the proteins in the sweat on surfaces in the room.
The smell in the gym may be due to dirty clothes, rust and rubber odors from gym equipment, and poor ventilation.
You can keep your home gym fresh by providing enough ventilation, regularly cleaning the gym, and wearing clean clothes. Also, keep the gym clear of things that smell, and use a dehumidifier and air purifiers.
Preventing the smell provides a pleasant environment to work out.
Various reasons cause bad odors in home gyms, and you can fix them.
You need to know the source of the foul smell to tackle the problem and create a motivating workout environment.
Odor experts recommend the following remedies to keep your home gym and, in extension, your entire home from smelling.
How to Keep Your Gym From Smelling
Home gyms are better when they are free from unpleasant odors. They can stink due to sweat, poor ventilation, and mold.
Keeping your home gym fresh is quick and easy.
Provide proper ventilation, clean surfaces in the gym after use, wear clean clothes in the gym, remove smelly things and use air dehumidifiers and purifiers to improve the air quality in the room.
Provide Proper Ventilation
Lack of good air circulation results in a musty gym. The air quality in your gym matters as it can impact the smell, your health, and your workout experience.
Good ventilation can help remove unhealthy and unpleasant odors and reduce them to acceptable levels.
Keep the windows to your home gym open to allow fresh air to get into the space and expel stale air.
If you have air vents, don’t close them to enable air movement; stagnant air is a significant odor source in gyms.
To improve air circulation, you can install ground fans.
Sweat increases humidity in your home gym, creating a breeding ground for mildew and mold.
Compounds produced by mold have a strong, stale, and pungent smell. In addition to the unpleasant odor, mold is a health hazard.
Check for mold and remove it with distilled vinegar and water and ensure adequate air circulation to keep mold at bay.
Clean Regularly
Sweat flies and land on your home gym’s floor, upholstery, equipment, furniture, and other surfaces.
Bacteria break down protein in sweat resulting in an unpleasant odor.
Cleaning surfaces in your home gym can prevent odors. Whether it is concrete, hardwood, tiles, or carpeted floor, clean them, considering the surfaces’ unique maintenance.
Vacuum the carpets at least once a week and clean other surfaces with water, detergent, and vinegar.
Cleaning your equipment after use will also help prevent unpleasant odors.
Wipe down the equipment you have touched, whether the jump rope, barbells, or dumbbells, to remove sweat and germs.
Not cleaning your equipment would make them breeding grounds for germs and cause nasty smells in your gym.
Rubbing alcohol can help kill bacteria on equipment and prevent stink.
Shower After Workout
Get in the shower after completing a workout session. Giving yourself time allows bacteria to breed and break down your sweat, causing a bad odor.
You could also transfer the sweat on surfaces inside and outside the gym, causing the stench to linger.
After a workout, don’t leave your workout gear in the gym.
Put them in a closed hamper in the laundry area, or if possible, wash them immediately after the workout.
Wear Clean Workout Gear
Keeping and using dirty gear in the gym can cause a bad odor.
Wearing shoes that you use outside the gym can bring dirt and debris into your home gym. Wear clean shoes dedicated to the home gym to keep it clean and free from bad smells.
People use towels in the gym and forget to wash them, making them a source of unpleasant smell in the gym.
Wash towels with body fluids like sweat after every single use.
Avoid keeping damp towels in gym bags and wash them with hot water to destroy bacteria.
Always wear clean workout gear in the gym.
Wash your gym wear after every workout to prevent bacteria multiplication and the transfer of dirt and foul odors on surfaces in the gym.
Clear the Gym of Things with Unpleasant Smell
Your home gym could smell because of keeping stinky things in the room.
Whether it is a garbage can or your cat’s box, they shouldn’t be in the gym.
Look around for things that cause a terrible smell in the room and find better places to keep them.
You will get a better workout experience if the room is clear of all the foul gases, which could affect your health.
Add an open box of baking soda in your home gym, especially near the workout area, to keep it fresh.
Baking soda will absorb unpleasant smells lingering in the room and also absorb moisture to reduce mold growth.
If your gym has a carpeted floor, sprinkle the baking soda on it, leave it to sit for an hour, and vacuum to remove it.
You could also sprinkle baking soda into your gym shoes to absorb odors and moisture. This will leave the gym smelling fresh.
Dehumidify and Purify the Air
Dehumidify the air in your home gym to remove moisture in the room and prevent the negative impacts of sweat.
Dehumidification prevents the formation of mold, keeping the gym smelling fresh.
It will improve the air quality in the room, make it breathable and prevent odors.
Air purifiers make a difference in eliminating unpleasant odors and improving your health.
Invest in a quality air purifier that can filter out the pollutants in your gym that cause a foul odor.
An air purifier removes viruses, mold, and bacteria responsible for the unpleasant smells in your gym.
Avoid Carpeting Your Gym Floor
Any other flooring type is better than carpeting your gym. The fabric soaks up sweat and other fluids, causing unpleasant odors which are hard to remove.
Carpets should not be in the gym, and commercial gyms rarely have carpets.
Summing Up Keeping Your Home Gym From Smelling
Make sure you take the steps we’ve listed above in order to keep your home gym from smelling. Even just doing one or two of these things will drastically reduce the odor at home.
Happy working out!
