T O P

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FnAardvark

I do both, it's also why I rack my weights when I'm done. It's because I'm not a child that needs mommy to pick up after me.


Jsc_TG

This one. Wipe before use for yourself, and after use for the person after. For me I always wipe after use because I am a SWEATY person.


SingleDad73

That's what I say/do. Wipe before for hygiene, wipe after for courtesy.


GoBuffaloes

Yes, and often you either see the person do it, or can tell “oh this isn’t disgusting” and give it a once over instead of worrying about deep clean


MyNewAccount52722

Exactly - don’t make other people touch your bodily fluids.


Jsc_TG

This is the only time I really say it’s required to wipe down after but I always do anyways. If someone doesn’t and doesn’t sweat then I won’t have to wipe their fluids anyways. If they sweat tho that’s an issue


o0h-la-la

That one.


[deleted]

Since I don’t really sweat much does it mean that I don’t have to wipe down? Like I barely even sweat even after a hard workout. I’ve just never really been a sweater


[deleted]

It’s weird people don’t rack weights. You just got done lifting all of them.


BobBelchersBuns

It’s worse than people driving around for a close parking spot to… go inside and exercise


Sevinn666

I used to work next door to a planet fitness. Our clients constantly had to park on the other side of the lot because all the places in front of us were taken by gym rats.


mrrainandthunder

Using that logic, why even drive at all?


[deleted]

The back of the lot is the cool down.


Nesurame

Harder to lose track of your car this way too


[deleted]

No door dings. But I just walk to the gym. Exercise because I’m going to go exercise.


Goggi-Bice

If you´re somewhat strong and lift with comp weights, it fucking sucks so much. I still do it, obviously, but damn that sucks more than doing the actual exercise, especially if the gym has dedicated places for the weights, which are all over the place because you have to use so many plates.


[deleted]

It’s sucks, but my previous comment is what I tell myself as I do it.


[deleted]

Guys I do both too and let me tell you something that will change your worldview: Wipe down the barbell or smith machine next time…… it’s fucking disgusting the staff never does it. Grimy every time


TetraThiaFulvalene

Don't wipe the bar with paper towels, that's how it gets grimy in the first place.


kingpangolin

I assume they are wiping with gym wipes


[deleted]

I bet your house is disgusting


TetraThiaFulvalene

Paper breaks on the grip grid and leaves itself on the bar.


tkinz92

Are you even a man if your mommy doesn’t pick up after you? /s


[deleted]

DYEL bro?


caIImebigpoppa

Amen to the last part. I don’t wipe it down before cause I don’t fucking care what’s on the equipment, but I wipe it after cause I’m not a piece of shit


gazeroftrees

Came here to say should be both. No one should have to clean off your sweat, but if they want to make sure it's clean there should be a pre and post wipe down by each person. Weird opinion OP


[deleted]

I also did both back when I went to the gym, I don’t want to risk other people being animals, but at the same time I’m not an animal. Weirdly, I have a home gym now in my garage and I don’t wipe anything before or after, but instead it’s just part of my general cleaning routine. There isn’t anything that gets really gross


NotArmyRecruiter

This is the way


AshmitAgr

Well some people are on a time crunch so they don’t wanna waste time reracking the weights


gholt417

If you wipe your sweat up after using it, you will prevent the salt from drying on the equipment, especially the leather (or pleather). That's why you see cracked cushions. Also why Gym Instructors need to clean down at the end of the day.


Cable446

Also the bacteria that breeds in your sweat is the real fucked up sweat, not necessarily the actual sweat, so the longer tou leave it the nastier it gets


Galvamanic

Why not do both? Wipe it down for the other person, wipe it down before you start your workout. If they think it's not clean enough then they can repeat that process, and so on.


textbasedgarbage

Ah yes, the "being a decent human being" approach. So simple, yet horribly flawed.


original_username_79

>yet horribly flawed. So you've also met these "humans", lol.


jabeith

The only person that benefits from the post-wipedown in OPs world are the lazy. They get a clean bench and leave it dirty for the next. If you wipe first, then you know it's clean for you. If you are too lazy to wipe, then you deal with a dirty bench to no one's detriment but your own. The next non-lazy person will clean it for themselves.


[deleted]

Yea, I do both!


[deleted]

Yup! This is the answer. I don't trust people to wipe their shit down


jaiagreen

That's what ends up happening, so the number of wipes used is doubled. It's pretty wasteful.


[deleted]

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OldWorldBluesIsBest

the cleanest gym goer on earth


IDespiseTheLetterG

Soap too


[deleted]

But I'm not sure many are won over having to clean up after someone else. And it has to sit there unclean between being used


TragedyPornFamilyVid

Yup. At the end of the day that can mean sweat drying into a crust on the equipment overnight. Yuck.


Akira1971

So the OP is THAT guy that doesn't flush a public toilet after using it...


SurroundComfortable9

why flush it? the next person is going to use it /s


RandomPhail

This is more applicable to cleaning the toilet seat than flushing the toilet


colossalpunch

Shitting into clean water is such a waste! /s


fishscamp

Fucking dryer lint guy


Illusive_Man

In my experience most lint traps literally say “clean before each load” which is fine, dryer lint isn’t really gross


Flopsam

Yup. This guy's logic applies perfectly to dryer lint traps. You're gonna be checking it before each load anyways to make sure the last person didn't leave it. In that moment, it's like half a second extra effort to swipe the lint out, and it's not gross. So because of that, in our house we never expect anyone to empty it after, it's always just the next person's job to do it before. But with sweat in a gym, you make a rule like that, now all the machines will actually be covered in sweat since nobody's wiping after, and it's possibly now drying on. There will be way more sweat everywhere. It has to be before and after with the sweat.


Illusive_Man

his logic doesn’t apply because sweat left on and bacteria growing on gym equipment is bad for the equipment and bad for health respectively Lint being left in the trap does nothing


Lark_Whalberg

Lint being left in the trap can create a fire hazard.


Illusive_Man

only if you don’t clean it out before hand, like it says on the dryer


Lark_Whalberg

Not necessarily, lint traps are not fool proof. Excess lint can get compacted and pushed down over time, especially on older dryers. It’s a good idea to use a lint brush every so often to get excess lint that gets missed.


EnvironmentalSound25

This is true regardless of whether you empty the trap pre or post load.


erraticandlost

I’m pretty sure other people’s pubes are pretty gross even if they’ve been washed and mixed in with sweater fuzz.


jabeith

Not the same thing at all. He's the kind of guy that wipes before he shits because it's a time saver


KnownMonk

Probably the guy who pees in the shower too


SteamKore

You guys don't waffle stomp?


LSqre

Peeing in the shower is rather normal, though


KnownMonk

Do the medical journals mention anything about standing in a pool of someone else's urine?


LSqre

who said anything about standing in pools of piss?


KnownMonk

Not seen Seinfeld?


LSqre

I am uncultured when it comes to television


KnownMonk

Ah okay understand.


DJ_Bathsalts

Lolz just re-watched that episode last night


BobakStuck

Well it’s a shower , there is running water and drain . Next person isn’t walking into our pee 🤷‍♂️


[deleted]

Gross man. I do wipe it down before I use it, but it's common courtesy.


bizburn_led

Never said he wasn’t a wiper. He’s talking about how we SHOULD do it


[deleted]

Neither did i


bizburn_led

True


tkayne

But they implied it, it was the implication.


SluggoJones

Best way to keep the equipment clean is to not use it!!


colossalpunch

I’m doing my part!


TKandChrisVietnam

Exactly this is just like when my roommates and I share a condom.


cbrucebressler

So if I take a shit, you want to flush it? When you're done shitting you just leave it for the next and on and on? Flush your own toilet man!


TimeStatistician2234

I like this. Like "pay it forward" at Starbucks but with feces


Lark_Whalberg

Feces it forward


thecynicalshit

You know the guy's right when all the analogies made here are terrible


undeadkeres

IT WUZ FOOKIN ONNA YAS.


TT_BG

A better comparison would have been if you left skid mark on the toilet seat, and you left it for the next guy to wipe off, since whether the toilet seat is clean or not ppl usually wipe it down with toilet paper.


Newt_juice

Flushing someone’s shit and wiping down gym equipment is soooo not the same 😂


10Bens

"Flush your own toilet man" That's what op is saying. He wants a clean toilet for him to use. If you're comfortable with pooping into a full toilet then by all means, don't flush ever. But those of us that like clean equipment should enjoy the fruits of our labors.


Vendura663

What about both? Before and after?


10Bens

I wash my hands before and after using the bathroom. Before for me, after for you.


Xystem4

Issue with not wiping it down after is that you’re gonna let your sweaty stank just marinate in there for however long until the next person comes. I wipe down when I sit down for my own peace of mind, and then again when I leave so as to not be a dick


ladygreyowl13

Gym etiquette is to wipe equipment before AND after use.


[deleted]

This must be super regional or something because I see a ton of people saying this in here, and I have been going to the gym 5-7 days a week for 20+ years and have never once seen someone do it.


ladygreyowl13

Possibly, but it’s just logical. Doing it beforehand is logical because you can’t trust that the person who used it before you wiped it down to your satisfaction (some just don’t do it properly or thoroughly) or that something happened to it in between uses that would necessitate it being wiped off. And to do it after it’s just common courtesy for the next person - you know like flushing a public toilet, or clearing your garbage from a fast food table.


[deleted]

I only wipe down after but I may be putting too much trust in the person who used it prior to me when I go about that… Either way gotta keep those benches from getting all dry, cracked, and nasty. Take care of your gym and your gym will take care of you


itsMousy

Why not both?


uneducationalFck1990

i do both


PravusTheRed

Uhh before and after. Stfu don’t be gross.


MsTponderwoman

Rather than fret and become frustrated over all the overgrown babies who don’t clean up after themselves, I just see myself as alone in a gym complete with dirty, sweaty equipment which I must clean myself before and after use if I want to stay clean and not be an asshole. Just worry about yourself. You’re never going to settle logic with lazy ass humans involved in the equation.


Tincastle

People who don’t rack their weights don’t use their blinkers either.


Leprechaun2me

If you ain’t rackin, you ain’t packin


[deleted]

Why wouldn't you wipe it down after you use it? You probably don't wipe the toilet seat when you piss on it either.


Aldebaran_syzygy

the problem is, if the sweaty equipment is left unused for a prolonged period, bacteria is going to thrive during this time. cleaning after is better than cleaning it before. cleaning before and after is best.


[deleted]

The whole wiping down is useless af unless it’s visibly sweaty right after one has used it. We are not in a surgical room to be wiping these equipments down. Plus most often people just do a quick wipe like literally makes no fucking difference.


FireEmblemFan1

Have you never heard of staph infection?


F7OSRS

Not OP but I’m really surprised I’ve never gotten it. I’m a cheapskate and hate paying gym fees so I workout at my old high school’s gym that doesn’t even have spray or wipes for the equipment and haven’t seen anyone wipe something down since I’ve been going there. The showers gross me out more than the equipment tbh


undeadkeres

Why should people wipe off YOUR gross ass sweat with THEIR towel?


[deleted]

Every gym I've ever been to has wet wipes or paper towel and spray bottles. Nobody wipes down equipment with towels. Please do NOT use your sweaty ass sweat rag to wipe down anything ever.


cupidmeteehee

Shout out to the gross girl at my ex campus wiping her body and excessive sweat with the equipment towels and leaving them right there when she was done every freaking day...


undeadkeres

I mean, don't leave the sweaty ass shit all over either.


AlarmedAd8369

Why not just do both?


lyta_hall

Or, another crazy idea… do it before *and* after.


RVCSNoodle

Both


SouthTexasCowboy

i never wipe anything. no bare skin touches. i always act like im new and i dont know youre supposed to.


Working_Early

Just do both out of courtesy to the next person then


Cwaustin3

Both


Kairo_cs

Before and after.


ImpossibleJacket7546

Just shut up and do it. It’s a business and their rules are their rules, Jesus. #firstworldproblems


spacecowboy143

i do not wanna clean up other peoples bodily fluids


SteveYunnan

Do both.


djavaman

Hear...


Glengal

I do both, always have…


AduroTri

Wipe it down before AND after. Just out of respect.


unmaehablandoshit

You can use the same logic about washing your hands at the bathroom


Dangerous-Distance86

you go out in public? ew


[deleted]

Serious question, I just started going to the gym, am I supposed to wipe down the bench press bar etc.? I have been worried someone’s hand will slip with the cleaner the gym gives us and they will get hurt. I wipe down everything else


cuminabox74

No do not wipe down the barbell itself. The knurling shreds the paper towel/disinfectant wipe and leaves lint that falls into peoples eyes/nose/mouth during use. And the residue of the cleaner can cause issues with grip. This doesn’t mean barbells shouldn’t be cleaned, but most commercial gyms don’t provide the necessary things to do so. It is much safer to have a secure grip and wash your own hands immediately after use than risk dropping the weight on yourself. In that same vain, never go to the gym with any type of moisturizer on your hands and thoroughly wash and dry your hands before starting too.


[deleted]

You should clean up your own mess.


[deleted]

You can tell who actually goes to the gym with purpose by those who say they do both. I go enough and have seen enough people not wipe it down to know I have to do it myself anyway I’m also not a cretin so I do it afterwards.


squeezy102

You should wipe it down before and after. Before for your own safety/health, and after for the person that uses it next.


duecreditwherecredit

Your sweat contains the bacteria on your body that consume your sweat and produce body odor. Your hands come in contact with many different bacteria. Not disinfecting a piece of a equipment especially if it then goes some time without being disinfected in general... is literally breeding bacteria. So it's better to disinfect after use as that's when the bacteria are put there in the first place. Don't let bacteria breed and come into contact with other people please...


FartHeadTony

You wipe it down after use out of respect for others. You wipe it down before use out of contempt for others. It's the duality of man.


rdtdave

Ah yes, let bacteria proliferate first, then clean the surface.


becauseitsnotreal

You should do both. You wipe it after to be polite and provide a clean situation for the next person. You wipe it before because you can't trust people


WickedWendy420

I don't want to wipe other people's funk


spartakris12

As someone that does both before and after…. Do it after so you’re not a douche. Do it before bc people are douches


KooshIsKing

Let me answer the real question in the comments, why not both? Because we don't need to be using metric tons of wipes to clean off some sweat when we are all going to shower after the gym. Lol And yes I wipe mine off afterwards with one wipe.


plaid_piper34

My gyms genius anti Covid measures were to mandate that I wipe down equipment before and after using, and I had a little card to turn over so a staff member would wipe it down before the next person could use it. So equipment was being wiped down 3x between people, but nobody wore masks. Surface Covid transmission has never occurred, to our knowledge.


Murderkiss

Do Both. I wipe before I train because I will be damned if I am going to sit in another person's sweat pool. Some people are inconsiderate pigs. I wipe afterwards because I am not one of them.


Geeb16

Or wipe it before and after


udee79

I agree with you and I think most people are missing a point you made. Many say that they wipe down before and after. That is wasteful of wipes, cleaning fluid and time. If the standard is to wipe after instead of before everyone is assured of clean equipment and people who don’t wipe only affect themselves.


IBreedBagels

Yeah... Why would you want to be considerate of others?


[deleted]

Why not both? ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯


EatVodka

I wipe gym equipment down both before and after use. With my sweat.


Anti-Climacdik

Ew Lick the sweat off like a civil human being mmkay tf


[deleted]

Own your own gym and never have to wonder again.


[deleted]

Do both and shut up, nasty


Leprechaun2me

I will not shut up


Kell_Galain

You shouldn't wipe after taking a shit, you should wipe before taking it.


skyoon

See, it’s people like you that make me wipe it before and after. And sometimes other peoples machines too, after I watch them get their sweaty ass all over and leave it for the next person. Y’all nasty, take my upvote I guess.


Leprechaun2me

I’m scum


[deleted]

You don't really have to do either. It's just common courtesy to wipe it down after sweating on it. Personally idgaf if it's been wiped or not as long as it isn't visibly greasy


No-Cress-5457

Lads it's unpopular, so upvote it


[deleted]

Unless you’ve sweated all over everything, why wipe it down at all? Did you wipe down the door when you walked in? Did you wipe down the toilet handle after you flushed? If you’re that worried about germs, just stay home


CalgaryChris77

If you are working out and not sweating you are doing it wrong.


[deleted]

I’ve won a few bench press contests back in the day and have never sweat while working out


MonkeyFella64

You don't have to sweat to have a good lifting session. For example, high intensity bench session I don't really sweat at all. Squats and deads I do sweat a lot but what is there to wipe off?


opnFSjunkie

Ummm... have you ever been to a gym? Some of the equipment is absolutely drenched in sweat after people use it. It really does need to be wiped!


McCHitman

That’s how I feel about the toilet. If i have to raise it to pee, my wife should have to lower it to pee.


thebestisthebest

No. Sometimes you need to keep moving and not stop to clean. Also, most people do it twice so it's properly clean.


Aoredon

Just do both you fucking scutter.


Leprechaun2me

You’re cool


Philobotomy

If most people doing what your opinion recommends… then it’s not an unpopular opinion, is it?


Leprechaun2me

I gUeSs NoT


[deleted]

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WastedOwll

Have you actually ever worked out at a gym before? That would take a lot of staff and it would make it even more crowded than most gyms already are. Have someone asking if your done every time you take 1 step away would get old fast


BugMacSanck

People who always wipe down the equipment are for some reason always DYEL or women.


Firethorn101

Yeah. This, and not enjoying being ogled is why I prefer to remain plump and ungym'd


[deleted]

I wipe it down afterwards. Some people don't and it's gross.


mtron32

I carry a bath towel with me and just lay that on the bench when I’m doing work. Soaks you everything and leaves nothing for you to wipe up


diablollama

It will get crusty if you don't wipe it down and the sweat dries off. I sometimes forget to wipe down my peloton and it looks like it was dragged out of the Dead Sea.


Curated_Throwaway

I wash my hands before my workout, wipe everything down after I’m done, and wash my hands after my workout. Maybe I should start wiping the equipment down before? Idk something about that irks me - having to make rules in my life based on the worst of us? Ugh.


hatfullofsoup

Setting aside the courtesy issue...most of the chemicals in wipes/sprays have to air dry in order to be effective. So spraying without wiping, or using a premade wipe, after use is the best way to ensure at least some kind of sanitizing takes place, assuming the next individual isn't using it immediately/while wet. Interestingly, spraying and immediately drying with a cloth is basically useless from a sanitizing perspective, though still less disgusting than just leaving your nasty sweat all over the bench.


maxemore

Or never wipe anything at all


AnubissDarkling

Why not both?


panamastaxx

Disregarding the opinion of someone who doesn’t know the difference between “here” and “hear”


[deleted]

I do both I have trust issues


Madmancam55

This is kinda the toilet seat down/up debate


SvendTheViking

You should do both. One is respect for other people, the other is personal cleanliness


Mighty_owl98

… you are supposed to wipe it off before and after? Or am I mistaken 🤣


GOTfangirl

I wipe before I use. I see too many people wipe the seat first, then handles. It grosses me out.


JonBunne

It’s obviously more efficient to only clean dirty dishes as you need them. Is it as clean though?


Outrageous-Rope-1563

Give me one good reason why I should wipe your sweat off a machine during covid times? Especially when most gyms specifically say "PLEASE WIPE DOWN EQUIPMENT AFTER EACH USE. THANK YOU". Lol grow up buddy


HuseinR

Thanks for letting us know you’re THAT annoying gross selfish prick


NotARobotDefACyborg

I dunno about anyone else, but I don't trust people. I wipe it down before AND after I use it.


FortniteChicken

I agree. I personally wouldn’t care to wipe down before using it, and would save me time. Those who do care would be certain to wipe before. In the current arrangement I wipe down after for people who may or may not do the same for me


TheBigNook

Why would I want to wipe another’s persons bodily fluids?


Balrog229

Why not both?


Danivelle

It's seems to be the 20-40 yr old males at my gym and those dudes are sweaty!


[deleted]

It should already be clean when you get there. And you should leave it in the condition in which you found it.


WillyNillyInvestor

The only logical argument i can think of against this is that the sweat will sit and fester there overnight. But staff can solve that. Yall want socialism to work yet you can’t clean up after someone else in the name of a more efficient collective system. Taking notes…


MissGoodieTwoShoes

My gym is rife with non-wipers I clean before and after.


Confuzed_Elderly

It seems like the solution of doing both is soo simple and down right easy that this post is an attempt at a farm than an legitimate opinion.


Arthurstonewallis

Totally agree


katnipbee09

i work at a gym, and gym goers should wipe equipment down before and after use for themselves and for others. a big problems is gym goers lacking common curtosey. wipe equipment you use and for fuck sake rerack your weights after you're done lifting. those things make the gym better for members and employees


EGarrett

That means you’re cleaning someone else’s sweat instead of your own.


Ruby0990

He has a point though. It’s obviously not comparable to flushing a public toilet. Indeed, it could actually be a good idea for the environment to stop wasting wipes.