6 Simple Steps for Dumbbell Maintenance

If you’ve come here from my previous post, you know that I find dropping dumbbells one of the most skin prickling irritants, however not looking after them in other ways is just silly. You wouldn’t buy a car and never get it serviced; gym kit is the same.

Look after it and it’ll last you for years. Dumbbell handles are touched by all those sweaty hands, covered in lifting chalk, and often only given a quick swipe over with a damp cloth every now and then. Dumbbell knurling should be cleaned monthly, and I mean THOROUGHLY cleaned.

  1. Spend a few pounds and buy your gym a soft knurling brush. Once a month give your knurling a thorough clean, get all the sweat and chalk build up out of the gaps in the handles.

  2. Spray a gentle cleaner (Nothing acidic or corrosive) onto a cloth and wipe the dumbbells over. Never spray anything directly onto your gym kit.

  3. Dry them properly with a microfibre cloth. Don’t leave your kit wet. That includes racks, barbells and anything else you might have in your gym unless of course you’re going for that eccentric rust effect.

  4. WD40 is a lifesaver for rubber dumbbells. Okay hear me out, rubber dumbbells can start looking a little iffy after a while. Spray a little WD40 onto a rag and rub it over the ends of your dumbbells. NOT the handles, that would be silly and don’t go crazy on the oil, a little bit goes a long way.

  5. Rubber conditioner is worth it. All rubber products degrade over time. It’s the nature of the material so once a year applying a little rubber conditioner to your dumbbells is a great way to keep them in tip top shape.

  6. If you notice your endcaps start coming loose speak to your supplier, they may be able to recommend the most suitable adhesive to get them back in place, please for the love of God do not use gorilla glue. And if your supplier can’t help you can always call us, we know how to fix that.

Reputable brands of dumbbells are meant to last between 3 and 5 years, minimum, in a commercial gym environment, but that relies on you taking good care of them. Spend a few minutes each week giving them the once over, ban anyone from your gym who dares drop them, put in a couple of hours each month giving them a good clean and you’ll find they’ll likely outlast your most committed gym user.