Pilates Equipment Care and Cleaning Tips
Hey, have you ever been looking at your Pilates equipment, wondering if it needs a proper cleaning or even how to do it? Whether you have home equipment or you’re in a studio, today, I want to talk about Pilates equipment maintenance and how to maintain your equipment, keep it nice and clean so it lasts a really long time.
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Something that really would irk me at Pilates studios, and I’d go, is just the amount of hair that just happens to, like, be around the equipment, and I have a lot of hair. A lot of hair. But like, there’s just, like hair there, and it’s really gross, so when I have my own home studio, I became aware of just like dog hair gets everywhere. And so you’re probably wondering, how do I keep my equipment gross-free and last a really long time? Well, I want to actually go over some simple ways to do it, because there are some easy ways to keep your equipment really clean, and then there are some strong maintenance ways you should be doing some things to your equipment. But I also want to say that all pieces of equipment are different. They have different maintenance schedules. Different brands have different suggestions and recommendations. So when in doubt, check with the manufacturer of your equipment to make sure that you’re using the proper things for you. But let’s get into what I use.
Why Cleaning & Maintenance Matters
So Pilates equipment cleaning and maintenance matter for a variety of reasons. Of course, the ick factor can be avoided big time if we keep things clean on a daily basis. But also, if you’re in a studio, it might be on an hourly basis that this is having to happen. But also, cleaning and maintaining your equipment on a regular basis is going to prevent things from falling apart. It might also mean that you catch something before it breaks. You might notice a spring is damaged before it actually breaks, and so you can replace it in a timely fashion. And it also makes your equipment last longer. So even if you have a home studio, maintain the Mats, the handles, the springs, the foot bars, all the mechanisms on the equipment. Just means you’ll have this equipment for a really long time. I really want you to have that. So we want to stick with these proper cleaning procedures to make sure that that happens for you. If you’re just getting started purchasing equipment, I would love for you to check out my video on choosing equipment for beginners. It can help you get set up with the right equipment from the beginning.
What to Use When Cleaning Your Equipment
Well, first of all, definitely check with your manufacturer of your equipment to see what they recommend, because depending on the materials that they use, it might be different than what I’m about to suggest to you, but here’s what I like to use. So I personally, when I’m doing deep cleaning, I’m going to use a tiny, soft-bristle brush, a toothbrush, and then a microfiber towel with my regular cleaning spray. And the particular spray I like that Balanced Body makes it’s really, really amazing. Or I also use a method soap, nice and clean, nice and easy on the equipment. You should also note that I actually am the only person who’s in my equipment, maybe a few other people, so I’m not using this spray multiple times a day, which is, again, why you want to work with your manufacturer. Balanced body stuff is really, really good. They have a big ball you can buy, add water, and spray. For after each use, I use it like a regular towel because it gets it’s easy to get the foot bar, it’s easy to get the carriage, the handles, things like that. But when I’m doing a deep cleaning, I like a microfiber towel because it gets in the grooves of the Naugahyde, right? You’d be surprised what can hide in those little grooves you can’t even see with your eyes sometimes. So these are the tools I like to use when I’m doing my cleaning.
How to Clean Pilates Reformer At Home
Alright, so when we’re talking about your Reformer after every use, daily, but definitely, if it’s being used more than once per day, after each use, you want to really wipe down anything you’ve touched. So I like to take that rag I showed you, wipe down the foot bar, the handles, the headrest, the carriage, right you’re gonna also wanna wipe down the box. When doing Reformer cleaning, you wanna avoid alcohol based products, because they can dry out the Naugahyde, the leather. I also would avoid some oils too. Because honestly, if you start using an oil tincture to keep things clean, it can eventually start to dry the leather out, because then the vinyl is expecting that oil to continue to be there. For weekly cleaning. I actually do use the microfiber towel and that soft bristle brush just to get into those little grooves. I also like to get under the shoulder blocks, around the headrest. You’d be surprised what little things can hide in there, anywhere that you look with your eyes as a client. So when I’m doing my own personal practice, I can see what needs to be done.
Monthly, I’m going to be a little bit deeper. I’m going to take the carriage off the frames. I’m going to wipe down the rails. Depending on the brand you’re using, they might even recommend that you have a whole different procedure for cleaning the rails, some sort of special sponge for that. You might even have to look at your wheels and oil them again. This is going to depend on the manufacturer, the brand of your equipment, and what you do there. For me personally, I just have to wipe down my rails, make sure my wheels are nice and clean. You also want to check your springs — this is an important part of Pilates springs maintenance. This is a monthly thing. I know some people might even do it weekly, depending on how much use they’re getting, but you want to make sure your springs are healthy and opening and closing evenly, because an unhealthy spring can break in. That is not a safe thing. I also, you’ll be surprised, the dust, the dog hair, the hair that can get into the gear bar area. So this is where I’m going to take a nice towel to wipe it through and really get that nice and clean. And I like to do a deep cleaning Pilates equipment once a month. But again, you might want to move that to a weekly chore task to make sure that your equipment stays fresh and nice for everyone to use.
Cleaning Other Pilates Equipment
Okay, but what about the other Pilates equipment? The Cadillac, the Tower, the Chairs, the Barrels, all of these also need proper Pilates equipment maintenance. After each use, you’re going to use the same product that you clean your Reformer with, a nice towel, and wash down anything that was actually touched. That’s a useful thing, at the very least, a daily cleaning schedule, right? More on a weekly or monthly you’re going to want to make sure, again, you’re checking the springs, make sure the springs are healthy. You might even want to move springs around to make sure that they’re being used evenly. When thinking about how to clean Pilates equipment, you’ll also want to consider washing loops, right? So some studios actually have a loop policy. Everyone brings their own loops. That’s really cool. Others don’t. But what you can do, even if you have a sock policy, you’re going to want to still wash those loops. Some can be washed with gentle soap and water. Some can also be tossed in the washing machine in a special bag. Just want to check with the manufacturer of what your loops are, but it’s good to keep them clean, right? Because, well, the ick factor is real, but also it also keeps things running. And he starts to do really nice and keeps things working evenly.
Caring for Your Pilates Mats
How to clean Pilates mats? Now, if you have a Mat, like a Contrology Mat, the same cleaner you’re using for your Cadillacs or Reformer is going to be great for that an easy-to-use a microfiber towel on keeps them nice and clean. If you’re talking about these more fitness-type Mats, obviously, you’re going to have people wipe them down after each use. It’s going to be really helpful, but you’re going to want to deep clean them. One of the best ways to clean Pilates mat naturally is to use mixtures that the manufacturer of your Mats recommends, or you can use one with a combination of soap and vinegar. Kind of kicks the smell out, but you’ll want to make sure you fully dry them out, right? And if you put them outside to dry them out, make sure they’re not in the direct sun; otherwise, it’s going to break them down faster.
All of this can sound like a lot, and especially if you’re a studio owner, it’s like, Oh my gosh, am I just becoming a professional cleaner? Here’s the deal. At Joe’s studio used to wipe down your own equipment in every studio I’ve ever worked at, part of the workout was cleaning the equipment. So trust that the daily use equipment cleaning can be done by the actual clients, and then the weekly and the monthly, it’s more deeper that you do want to be your teachers or yourself, because that’s where you’re gonna be able to catch things that might need to be repaired or replaced quicker.
Pilates Equipment Storage and Environment Tips
Maintaining your equipment also brings up the topic of storage, because how you store your equipment actually is going to determines how long it lasts. So you’ll want to think about making sure that your Mats can hang, your barrels, your spine correctors can maybe hang on a wall. You also want to keep any piece of equipment that you can out of direct sunlight, so even if you have a beautiful lit room. If you want to make sure that your equipment lasts a long time, you’re gonna want to put a blanket or something over the equipment when the direct sun is on it, because that can damage or weaken the vinyl or the naugahyde that is on there. And you don’t want that, because it’s going to be a bummer when that happens. When you store items after they’ve been cleaned, such as Mats, like gym Mats. I love that they can store on a wall, but if they’ve just been wiped down, you’re going to want to put space between them so that air can get there and dry those Mats out. Otherwise, they get gross. You did all this amazing work, and it doesn’t work out. So, keeping that in mind, if you want some tips or some ideas on how to make sure that your stuff is stored beautifully and accessible. Check out this video we did on storage for your Pilates equipment, props, all that kind of stuff over here.
Final Pilates Equipment Maintenance Reminders
First of all, have a checklist. I know this can be a lot to think about, and often the manufacturer of your equipment sent one when you got it. So if you don’t have that, contact them for a maintenance checklist; it will make things easier. And I want you to keep a log, not only for yourself and for your memory, but also for your warranties and for legal reasons. I promise you it’s going to help. Whether this equipment is stored in your own personal home and you’re the only one using it, or it’s in a studio and lots of people are having a consistent way of keeping your equipment clean, is going to ensure the use of it, and also that you can prevent anything from happening before it happens. I also want to say, just remember those straps, those handles, those springs, they need your attention. They need to be rotated out. They need to be cleaned and used, because those are often, sometimes the first things that are going to go so definitely check that out and set reminders on your phone or in your calendar so that you never forget to do this because there’s a lot going on, and if you can have a consistent way of doing this, it does make it easier to keep up with all of it.
Thanks so much for watching. I love making these videos for you, and I hope that they’re very helpful. You can put any questions or comments below. I read all of them. We go live on Sundays at 9 am Pacific Time, answering your questions. So feel free to get specific in those comments. And if you would like to do Pilates with me, not just learn how to clean your equipment, join us at the OPC YouTube. Have an amazing day!