How to Clean Gym Mats at Home

Having properly maintained gym flooring is an underrated step in creating a great home fitness space that’s safe and comfortable. It lays a solid foundation for you to maximise your training while protecting both your gear from damage and your body from injury.

Good quality gym mats are designed to withstand high impact, protecting your floor and managing vibration. Lifespan Fitness’ commercial grade mats are made with 100% recycled rubber and have been fire tested against SGS fire ratings. Our mats use high-density rubber with bevelled edges for a clean finish.

We stock a range of gym mats, all with different thicknesses for different purposes. The thickness of your gym mat will influence the amount of excess weight you can use,with our full 50mm mats accommodating heavy powerlifting and weight drops. These thicker mats are engineered with two layers of rubber, with a high-density top layer and low-density underside for maximum shock absorption.

But good gym mats won’t be much use to you if they aren’t maintained. Today, we’re going to cover how to properly clean and maintain your gym mats, so that you can carry on with your workout in style and comfort.

Equipment and Tools

Pic of a workout room getting cleaned up/swept etc

The basic equipment you’ll need for cleaning your gym floors will be: a vacuum or broom, a mop and bucket, a scrubbing brush, and some mild dish soap (without bleach or harsh materials). You can also purchase specially formulated rubber floor cleaners.

1. Clearing the Floor

The first step is to clear the floor of all equipment and fitness gear. You’ll want to remove all obstructions from your space so that you can clean the entire floor. It’s also a good excuse to give some of your gym equipment a good clean, especially if you have large gym stations. You can also check out our other blog on cleaning weight plates.

2. Vacuuming/Sweeping

Next is to clear as much debris, dust and dirt as possible by either vacuuming or sweeping your flooring. If possible, it may also be a good idea to take each individual mat and give them a good sweep on either side, as well as the floor underneath.

3. Spot Clean

Take your scrubbing brush and remove any spots that the vacuum couldn’t get rid of. At this point, you want your gym mats to be spotless. Avoid any harsh scraping at this stage, as this can further damage or wear out your mats.

4. Mop the Floor

Now it’s time to give the mats a good mop. You can use regular floor cleaner, however it’s perfectly fine to just use some dish soap or other non-harsh soaps. This will be important in disinfecting your flooring, as sweat build up over time can harbour bacteria and germs. After this, you may also choose to give the floor a quick hose down to wash away excess soap.

5. Leave to dry

It’s best to let the floor dry on its own rather than wipe it down with a towel, as this will lead to the best result. At this point you may choose to apply a sealing finish; however, this generally isn’t necessary for our mats.

pic of a clean workout area with gym mats

We hope you found this helpful, but if you have any questions on cleaning or regular maintenance of your equipment, feel free to reach out to our friendly team, and we’ll be happy to help you out.

You can also read up on maintaining your other fitness equipment, such as your treadmill or treadmill belt.