# Dirty old skanks at the gym **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 10, 2011, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509 "2011-07-10T15:16:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/141 "2011-07-12T02:54:11Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > It wouldn’t occur to me to wipe down equipment after I used it, except that I’d read on this very message board that other people expect one to do so. I’m not one who cares about touching other people’s sweat, but still, the basic social rule is to return shared property to a state at least as good, if not better, than what you found it in. Perhaps we were socialized differently, but that seems like common courtesy to me. Maybe not so common anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/142 "2011-07-12T03:20:24Z")
If I NOTICED that I’d left sweat on a machine, yes, I’d wipe it down. Just as if I NOTICED that someone else had left sweat on a machine that I wanted to use, I’d wipe it down. My doctor had limited me to water exercises only, and allowed me to use a sit down machine only after I’d improved my general health. And she was happy that I’d found a home machine. I rarely work up a sweat on the home machine, either, even though I use it for about half an hour five times a week. My main maintenance problems with it are the fact that my husband tried to use it as a hat and clothing rack, and one of the cats thinks that it’s a nifty scratching post. I solved the first problem by just dumping all clothes and hats right on the floor, and I had to resort to a squirt bottle for the second problem. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/143 "2011-07-12T12:01:35Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > You are complaining about moist handlebars and unobservable spots on a seat that you are afraid may be there even though you can’t see them. This is gym, not a place to get your pedicure. People sweat in gyms. Gyms are not flowery. If the staff wipes down the equipment once a shift it shouldn’t smell. And I hope they do that. Why should the onus be on them? If you make a mess, you clean it up. > [@](#): > > No, you ignorant doofus. You cannot catch Hepatitis from sweat. And yes I know about this. You are indeed exposed to germs in a gym … and at Starbucks, and touching the bathroom doorhandle, and you really don’t want to know the germs that live on that computer keyboard you are typing on. Much much worse than any gym I assure you. And if you think that wiping the sweat off with a towel is doing anything to reduce that exposure you are just wrong. [Oh really?](http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/03/01/us-hepatitis-b-idUSCOL17390520070301) As usual your stupidity is breathtaking. You must have at least a passing familiarity with germ theory, yes? [A gym is a high-traffic communal area](http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/gym-wipes-1217991.html) - your dank skank only adds to the risk. My keyboard isn’t a high-traffic communal area that strangers sweat all over, you fucking moron. Gyms provides antibacterial sprays to reduce exposure. I also forgot to mention those with sensitive skin, who pay for your inconsideration. > [@](#): > > Well if 80% of people don’t do it then maybe it is not local culture etiquette. Again, I do it when in a public gym … but if someone doesn’t know to do it, or forgets, would it kill you to be polite and assume that “the cow” just didn’t know that she _should_ do it? > Then the gym can educate people about it. Again, if 80% of people do not do it, then they must not really care either. It’s not, but it should be. You really are amazing. Do you walk up to strangers and cough in their face? How about shoving their heads into your armpits so they can get a good sniff of your B.O.? Maybe when you fart you invite people to bask in the stench with you - although your head is already so far up your arse I’d imagine you’re quite used to the aroma. If I had my way your repulsive ilk would be hounded out with pitchforks and torches like Frankenstein’s monster, where you find somewhere more your speed. Perhaps a gutter - you can have endless fun licking drain grates and playing with dog turds, wiping them on passers-by as befits your understanding of personal hygiene and social grace. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/144 "2011-07-12T13:50:59Z")
> [@Hyperelastic](#): > > I started or derailed a Pit thread with this very suggestion a couple of years ago and was harshly criticized. But it makes total sense. Unless it’s really busy you usually don’t see whether the person before you wiped, so if you’re a wiper you have to wipe anyway. Wiping after yourself is therefore usually a waste of time, unless you get your jollies by standing there diligently wiping down the machine while others gaze upon your hygienic superiority. Cleaning up right after you dirty something is more effective. If the last person who used the machine was a half hour ago, all the salt, dead skin and dirt has dried up and won’t come off as easily with a simple wipe. So while you are being sarcastic, their hygienic superiority is real. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/145 "2011-07-12T13:56:36Z")
> [@Mr.Kobayashi](#): > > Why should the onus be on them? Because they are the ones who want it to be sanitized. ---
**Author:** ![Trom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Trom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trom)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/146 "2011-07-12T15:00:14Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > Because they are the ones who want it to be sanitized. Oh, come on… Is littering in the park OK because there are park workers there to pick it up for you? ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/147 "2011-07-12T15:33:10Z")
> [@Trom](#): > > Oh, come on… > > Is littering in the park OK because there are park workers there to pick it up for you? You’re seriously equating sweating with littering? Personally, I get squicked out by door handles in bathrooms because I know that a good percentage of people don’t wash their hands after using the restroom. So I frequently use a paper towel to turn the knob, or push the door open with my shoulder. Now, I COULD get my panties in a twist and lecture people who don’t wash their hands, but it’s just not that big of a deal to me. I want a clean door handle, so I use a paper towel. ---
**Author:** ![Trom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Trom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trom)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/148 "2011-07-12T15:47:36Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > You’re seriously equating sweating with littering? > > Personally, I get squicked out by door handles in bathrooms because I know that a good percentage of people don’t wash their hands after using the restroom. So I frequently use a paper towel to turn the knob, or push the door open with my shoulder. Now, I COULD get my panties in a twist and lecture people who don’t wash their hands, but it’s just not that big of a deal to me. I want a clean door handle, so I use a paper towel. You seriously missed the point by that much? You said that the employees that work there should be responsible for cleaning up the sweat, as they are the ones that care about it. It’s their rule, right? Carry that attitude to other aspects of life and you’ll have one giant tragedy of the commons. IMHO, people going the extra nanometer and cleaning up after themselves is generally preferable to everyone adopting the stance that their mess is someone else’s problem. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/149 "2011-07-12T17:00:09Z")
> [@Trom](#): > > IMHO, people going the extra nanometer and cleaning up after themselves is generally preferable to everyone adopting the stance that their mess is someone else’s problem. Except some people don’t view their mild sweating as a “mess.” If you work up a sweat like Andy Roddick, with sweat literally dripping off the bill of your ball cap, then that’s one thing. Wipe up after yourself. But most people don’t sweat that profusely, maybe just a little under the pits or on their forehead. So it probably doesn’t dawn on them to wipe down the machine. BTW, I sweated walking between buildings at my work place yesterday. It was 98 degrees outside and a .3 mile walk (it’s a walking trail, so it’s marked). I got to the door and opened it with my mildly sweaty hand, and didn’t bother to wipe it off afterward. Do you think that that was rude? Seriously. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/150 "2011-07-12T17:01:29Z")
> [@Trom](#): > > You said that the employees that work there should be responsible for cleaning up the sweat, as they are the ones that care about it. It’s their rule, right? Actually, I never said that. I said that if you’re working out, and you to be sure that your machine is clean of sweat, then wipe it down. ---
**Author:** ![Trom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Trom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trom)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/151 "2011-07-12T17:11:13Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > Actually, I never said that. I said that if you’re working out, and you to be sure that your machine is clean of sweat, then wipe it down. Then this has me confused: > [@DSeid](#): > > You are complaining about moist handlebars and unobservable spots on a seat that you are afraid may be there even though you can’t see them. This is gym, not a place to get your pedicure. People sweat in gyms. Gyms are not flowery. If the staff wipes down the equipment once a shift it shouldn’t smell. And I hope they do that. > [@Mr. Kobayashi](#): > > Why should the onus be on them? If you make a mess, you clean it up. > [@PunditLisa](#): > > Because they are the ones who want it to be sanitized. ---
**Author:** ![Plumbkrazy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@Plumbkrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plumbkrazy)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/152 "2011-07-12T17:50:20Z")
Can’t we agree that sweaty fat people are gross, and skinny workout-aholics are narcissistic assholes? ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/153 "2011-07-12T19:04:44Z")
> [@Plumbkrazy](#): > > Can’t we agree that sweaty fat people are gross, and skinny workout-aholics are narcissistic assholes? That’s plumbkrazy. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/154 "2011-07-12T19:27:02Z")
Ah, another thread derailed by fat apologists and lazy self-entitled assholes who think it should be the job of every one else in the world to clean up their messes. I think it’s time MENSA started putting some common-sense questions on their entry tests, like, “Should you fucking put communal shit back where you found it when you’re done using it?” ---
**Author:** ![Trom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Trom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trom)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/155 "2011-07-12T19:37:03Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > Except some people don’t view their mild sweating as a “mess.” > > If you work up a sweat like Andy Roddick, with sweat literally dripping off the bill of your ball cap, then that’s one thing. Wipe up after yourself. But most people don’t sweat that profusely, maybe just a little under the pits or on their forehead. So it probably doesn’t dawn on them to wipe down the machine. > > BTW, I sweated walking between buildings at my work place yesterday. It was 98 degrees outside and a .3 mile walk (it’s a walking trail, so it’s marked). I got to the door and opened it with my mildly sweaty hand, and didn’t bother to wipe it off afterward. Do you think that that was rude? Seriously. I hope you’re just playing devil’s advocate. Do you really not understand the differing social expectations involved in leaving a little palm sweat on a door handle and leaving a slippery, sweaty workout bench? ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/156 "2011-07-12T20:24:45Z")
> [@Plumbkrazy](#): > > Can’t we agree that sweaty fat people are gross, and skinny workout-aholics are narcissistic assholes? Which is why I work out, but take special care to slack off, drink beer, and eat pizza often enough that I don’t get in really good shape. But not so frequently that I become a sweaty gross fat person, either. It’s actually a very difficult balancing act, and I deserve more credit than those lame-ass bodybuilders who just take the easy road by working out all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/157 "2011-07-12T20:26:33Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > Balls. > > You shouldnt need an orientation class to remind you about the horribly complex notion of cleaning the fuck up after yourself. > > Simple logic is allowed in gyms you know. > > “Oh, I left a big patch of sweat, and lots of people seem to be using these machines, what should I do now? Clean up you say? Well fuck off, the gym instructor never mentioned I had to clean up after myself.” If you’re 65 years old, first time at a gym, do you think you’re gong to work out enough to leave a machine sopping wet? She may notice that back is a bit damp, but surely it’s vinyl so it must be designed that way to dry off, right? And I never said she told anyone to fuck off just because the instructor didn’t tell her what to do. So don’t give me any of that bullshit. She simply had no clue what basic procedures were, and when she tried to ask other patrons, she got attitude like yours. She’s not a fucking idiot! Of course when she came across a spray bottle, she figured out what is was for. But she still wondered if you were supposed to do it every time anyone used a machine or if it was only for those big guys who practically left puddles around when they pumped iron? Does the towel lying next to the bottle belong to another patron or is it for anyone to use wipe the machines? Do you spray and wipe down the handles too or just the seat? Won’t that make the handles slippery? Do you spray free weights too? Does the treadmill get damaged if you spray the screen? If the towel is disgustingly saturated, where does it go and where can I get a new one? Any normal person can figure out “you should clean up after yourself”, but if you’re a total noob, it helps to actually get a little guidance, particularly when you’re in a really foreign environment. And it can be intimidating to ask assholes easy questions. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/158 "2011-07-12T20:36:54Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > I’ve joined a few gyms. Every one of them was happy to take my initiation fee. Not a damn one of them gave me any sort of initiation on what was expected of me, as a customer, other than that I was expected to allow them to take money out of my bank account every month. It wouldn’t occur to me to wipe down equipment after I used it, except that I’d read on this very message board that other people expect one to do so. I was also not given any instruction on how to use any of the machines…when I asked, I was told that the person who gives such instruction was not in right now. I asked several times. That person was never in. And there were not even any signs around the place, to let noobs know about doing stuff like wiping down machines, or re-racking weights. This is stuff that I picked up from the SDMB. > > Eventually I bought a home workout machine, which at least came with an instructional DVD. FWIW in general the YMCA is really good and taking their time with members, newbies and experienced alike. Between staff and volunteers, _someone_ will help you out with the general stuff, and if you need more expertise, they’ll find someone who can help you out. You might not be able to get an answer right away, if your question is an unusual one, but I’ve had staff call me at home to follow up when I left a message with an odd question. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/159 "2011-07-12T20:44:41Z")
Huh. I’ll have to see if there’s a Y within half an hour of me. I know that there are several commercial chains, but in the old house the Y wasn’t readily accessible. My home machine is good, but I do enjoy water exercises, and it would help get me out of the house. ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509/160 "2011-07-12T20:49:26Z")
> [@PlainJain](#): > > That’s plumbkrazy. No, that’s plumber’scrakrazy! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-old-skanks-at-the-gym/588509.md?page=9)