How often do you wash your gym kit?
A study conducted by Sweatband.com revealed that the majority of Brits only wash their gym kits after 3 visits to the gym.
The UK’s leading online sports and fitness equipment retailers discovered that women are the worse culprits of hitting the gym without washing their kit first, with a fifth of women admitting they only wash their kit every 3 visits.
Matt Darvish, CEO of Sweatband.com said: “Our survey has revealed some less than savoury results. If someone is exercising hard then it's a fair bet that they'll have worked up a considerable sweat. And as we all know, sweat doesn't smell particularly nice once it gets stale.”
The survey, which asked 1,456 British men and women, “How often do you wash your fitness gear?” came back with shocking results with 31% of men and a whopping 35% of women confessing to only washing their kits every 3 visits. And it was even revealed that 19% of men and 19% of women wash their gym kits less than every 3 uses! Men proved to be the most hygienic with 27% of men washing their kit every time they use it, with only 21% of women doing the same.
However, Sweatband.com pushed the respondents and then went on to ask those claiming to wash their kit every time it has been used, if that was actually the case. 31% of respondents admitted to only washing their top every time but often leaving their shorts/leggings a little bit longer and surprisingly 25% of respondents admitted to wearing the same socks for three visits or more but washing everything else. Yes, you read that right. Socks!
And with 62% of respondents admitting to having been near someone at the guy who smelt unpleasant, it seems strange that Brits are going so long without washing their gym kit.
Matt Darvish, said: “If you're in the confines of a gym, you definitely need to respect the sensitivities of other gym users. I'm sure many of us have found ourselves next to somebody on the treadmill who doesn't exactly smell of roses. It's not a pleasant experience. Try not to be that person!”
By Claire Lancaster
Tagged in Gym Workout fitness tips Gym