Maybe you’re renovating your home and need to keep your fitness equipment out of the way. Maybe you’ve had to turn your home gym into a temporary home office, and you have no extra space. Whatever the reason, you should check out these critical steps to store your fitness equipment properly:

Find the Right Spot

You’re planning on shoving your exercise equipment into your basement, attic or garage for the time being. The problem with this plan is that these spaces usually don’t have strong ventilation, insulation or climate control. This is why you should build your home gym by understanding your personal and space requirements.

A lot of your gym equipment will be sensitive to temperature fluctuations and moisture. Resistance bands will wear out from heat. Condensation can damage machines like treadmills, stationary bikes and ellipticals. Mats can become breeding grounds for mould and mildew. 

Ideally, your gym equipment should be stored in a place that’s clean, dry, dark and cool. If you don’t have that available at home, you can look into a storage unit. Look at these self storage units in Woodbridge that come in a variety of different sizes so that you can find the right fit for your needs. The units are carefully climate-controlled all year round to guarantee that your items stay safe and damage-free. 

Clean Everything

Before you put anything into storage, you need to clean it. Cleaning accomplishes a few important things:

  • Eliminates bacteria growth
  • Controls odour
  • Maintains material quality 
  • Extends equipment lifespan
  • Reduces visible stains and scuff marks

You can take care of most of your gym equipment with a sanitizing spray and microfiber cloth. Use it on machines, weights, bars, benches and steps. Some items will need different cleaning methods:

  • Wipe down resistance bands with a microfiber cloth that’s damp with water. Soaps and sanitizing solutions will break down the material. 
  • Use a natural cleaning solution to sanitize your yoga mat without damaging the material. Whatever you do, don’t soak the mat. It could get waterlogged. 
  • Use a natural antibacterial solution inside of your boxing gloves and other protective equipment. If you’re trying to get rid of the strong smell, you can deodorize boxing gloves and other gym clothes using baking soda or sachets of cedar chips. 

Organize the Unit

Organizing your storage unit right off the bat is essential. A cluttered mess will make it hard for you to pull anything out of storage, and it could lead to damaged items and injuries. Here’s how you can start:

Create Zones:

Separate your items into zones, like machines (treadmills, rowing machines, stationary bikes) or weights. It will make it easier to categorize the items and keep track of everything. 

Use Labels:

Labelling is essential. It’s especially important when you’re storing heavy things. You don’t want to throw your back out after forgetting you put all of your medicine balls into a single storage bin. 

Make a Master Sheet:

A master sheet is an inventory list of everything you have in the unit. It helps you keep track of everything that you have so that you don’t have to turn the whole unit upside down when you’re not sure if you packed something away. 

These are simple tips that will help you store the essentials from your home gym. Following them will help you keep all of your things, from your dumbbells to your stair climber, in good shape.