Since owning my at-home gym equipment, I have quickly noticed that it is more challenging than many people and myself seem to realize.
Most of us will only access this style of equipment at our local private gym.
I would enter my perfectly maintained facility that was clean, tidy, and well-organized.
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I was so accustomed to this feeling and sight that the notion of upkeep of the equipment went right over my head.
Gyms are cleaned regularly to prevent these nasty body fluids from grossing us out. Therefore, the same care and diligent cleaning must be applied to our home equipment too.
Concept2 Rowing Machine
I became a proud owner of one of these magnificent machines.
After my realization about the fastidious cleaning required at local gyms, I knew I had to maintain that standard to be happy enough to consider my set-up as compatible.
It was critical that I was able to treat my Concept2 rowing machine with the care it deserves while delivering a spotless and irresistible machine for me as a byproduct.
Owning these relatively expensive pieces of gym equipment requires regular upkeep to ensure that I have not thrown my money away through sheer negligence.
Therefore, I have produced a series of steps to enquire that I clean the machine thoroughly every time to avoid issues like less resistance over time.
Related: How much noise Concept2 RowErg produces?
Clean Concept 2 Rowing Machine
What you need before cleaning:
- Cloth
- Chain Lubricant
- Bucket
- Detergent
- Gloves (Optional)
All of these household goods are required to make sure I get my machine back to looking new.
Let me show the conditions of my Concept2 RowErg before cleaning, yes, I put it exposed to open space that’s why it gets dirty easily.
The whole rowing machine is full of dust.
Some parts of the rowing machine getting rusted, oh no!
And the sweat stains! Yes, I really worked hard on this piece of machine
The PM5 monitor is getting so dirty too!
And the spiders love my machine I think!
Step-by-Step Guide
- The first step is to fill the bucket with clean water.
- Next, add the standard detergent to the water.
- Stir and mix the detergent well with the water.
- I will then use the cloth to wipe down all of the most used contact points of the rowing machine. Paying particular attention to the rowing as they receive the greatest degree of attention during my mourning workouts.
- The Concept2’s handles have a thin layer of foam which means sweat and skin cells will gently penetrate it over time. Hence why it is crucial that I give this section a lot of attention to ensure they are as clean as possible.
- I then move onto the seat, which is made of reasonably tough plastic. Luckily, it does not absorb moisture so easily, so a quick scrub should be more than enough.
- The PM5 monitor is the part that attracts dust easily, I scrubbed the PM5 monitor just like how we clean our phone screens.
- Next, don’t forget to clean the main support beam that holding us safely.
- The wheels are very useful for us to move the rowing machine around, and at the same time, we can roll in hair, dirt, etc.
- Moving off, I will then tackle the rest of the machine. Concept2 designed a robust rowing machine that can take a lot of vigorous cleaning, so I scrubbed the rest of the rowing machine thoroughly.
- Most significantly, I always ensure that I do not allow any detergent to get on the chain. This requires special treatment in the form of a degreasing agent. This is designed to agitate the old lubricant so any unnecessary build-up can be isolated and wiped clean with a dry cloth. This is an essential step as detergent will dislodge lubricant, and if any is left on the chain, it cannot be lubricated again easily.
- After cleaning, generously reply to the lubricant and wipe off any excess.
- It is always a great practice to lubricate the chain once a month, here is step by step guide on how you can lubricate the Concept2 rowing chain.
Ultimately, some simple tools and around ten minutes of my time once a month will guarantee that I have a perfectly clean Concept2 rowing machine for as long as possible.
Here are the snapshots of how it looks like after the cleaning process
The seat is cleaned and no more sweat stains!
The PM5 monitor looks great too.
The whole Concept2 rowing machine is now cleaned, don’t forget to perform the maintenance monthly to ensure the optimal performance on this machine no matter how it ages!
