Post Classifieds

Fitness center stays sanitary after workouts

By Julianne Walshaw

On April 21, 2011

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Have you ever been in the fitness center putting away a floor mat after a hard, sweaty workout and thought to yourself "man, I feel sorry for the guy who uses this mat next" and then start to wonder who had it before you? What about before them?

How many people will have lain on that one floor mat before it is sanitized?

"I don't know, they probably clean the mats once a week or so. They never seem too disgusting," freshman business major Dylan Rediker said. "Bacteria doesn't really cross my mind a lot; it's one of those out of sight out of mind things."

The mats, and much of the other gym equipment, such as benches and free weights, to treadmills and yoga balls, are cleaned daily by on-duty staff members. If the equipment wasn't sanitized often and thoroughly, dangerous and even life-threatening bacteria could spread to a number of gym-goers.

Staphylococcus, the bacteria responsible for staph infections, usually exists on skin and mucus membranes, making it easily transferable to gym equipment and eventually to new skin. The only way to prevent a staph infection is to wipe down any equipment your skin touches with disinfectant.

Fitness faculty staff member and junior exercise science major, Alex Daigle says that the school supplies the gym with bleach and other disinfectant materials. Being kept in two spray bottles on the front desk is Lyndon State College's own mixture of sanitizing spray with a printed-out label of ingredients, including water, hydrogen oxide, di-hydrogen oxide, and Joy dishwashing liquid. These bottles are for the use of anyone who wants to wipe down equipment before or after exercising.

"We keep an eye out," says Daigle. "If we see that someone is done with something and just walks away we do a quick wipe down. We want everyone to feel comfortable."

Daigle pointed out a complete chart of the gym's to-do-list for every day the gym is open, where every piece of equipment is scheduled to be sanitized.

"We're supposed to treat this like a real job, and take is seriously. Our professors come in and routinely check our work," Daigle said. "We really do a good job here."