So wipe down, ladies, unless you want to hang around the gym with boner-guy.
Yes it can problem be for me. That is one of the reasons i prefer solo biking over fit factories. 
BTW: You have no fetish?
This is one of those things I don’t really understand. People in a gym get sweaty, it’s part of the environment. Even if everything is wiped down, usually the fluid probably isn’t the best anti-septic and it’s probably over-watered down anyway. And even if you wipe down the machine, people are still putting their hands all over all the weights and equipment. If you’re a germophobe, you probably shouldn’t be going to the gym and should stick to something else.
That said, yes, sweat is gross. If you leave a pool of sweat, wipe it up or put a towel down first so you don’t even get sweat on it in the first place. But really, I don’t particularly care if someone uses equipment right before me and doesn’t wipe, as long as there’s not a pool of sweat. And, in general, unless I sweat on it, I don’t bother either. The reason being, if someone else is a germophobe, they’ll wipe it down regardless of whether I do or not, and if they’re not, then there’s not really anything to wipe down anyway. As it is, the only parts of me that touch equipment are either clothed, even in shorts and a tank, or a few spots like part of my arm or leg, or my hands, which are going to be gross regardless so I don’t touch my face or whatever until I’ve washed them.
Then again, I go to Gold’s, which is more of an old school bodybuilder’s gym, and mine is more that than most, so maybe that sort of culture is uncommon at other gyms.
Tracey has a gym?
Which gym is this? I want to sign up. I wish my gym went overboard with cleaning up sweat–or got onboard at least. I don’t understand how anyone can be arguing against cleaning up the sweat.
I think it’s icky to find sweat on a machine. I don’t care how sterile it is, it’s icky to have to sit on a clammy, wet machine.
Even if it was sterile to begin with, germs multiply in a warm, moist environment. The longer the machine is warm and moist, the more germs there will be on it. By wiping off the sweat, germs won’t be able to multiply as much.
I believe people HAVE gotten rashes from exercise equipment that wasn’t wiped down, haven’t they?