What if your home gym, the thing you built to improve your health, is actually making you sick?
Mold, allergens, bacteria, pests, fumes, temperature, and humidity can all have a dramatic impact on our health and our performance. These risks are amplified by the simple fact that if you are working out with any degree of intensity, you are breathing very deeply. Combining air quality issues with heavier than normal breathing is a situation we should strive to steer clear of.
If we overlook air circulation, ventilation, and air quality in our garage and basement gyms, we risk more than just a musty smell or accumulated dust. We risk the very health we are trying to improve by being there in the first place!
This article will take a close look at the most common cause and solutions to air quality issues in your garage or basement gym. In the end, though, all gyms should have a high-quality air purifier running at all times.
There are a lot of air purifiers out there that do absolutely nothing. It’s important to get one that actually works. The one I use myself and believe 100% to be the best air purifier for a garage gym is the Blue Air 211+. Blue Air is hands down the best air purification company out there and their purifiers will go a long way to keeping you healthy in your home gym!
The Most Common Causes of Poor Air Quality in a Home Gym
There are a few common culprits when it comes to the air quality in your home gym. Knowing how to find them and fix them is critical to your health!
Mold
Many of us were forced to build our garage and basement gyms in the dark, dank, and unused areas of our homes. These areas are highly susceptible to mold.
Black mold has been linked to numerous ailments. Respiratory problems, allergies, headaches, fatigue, and a host of other issues can be directly linked to mold.
The first line of mold detection is your nose. If you notice a dank, musty smell in your workout area, you probably have mold somewhere. Sometimes it’s easy to spot. Sometimes it takes some investigation.
One big culprit can be carpet and the padding underneath. As I noted in my Complete Guide to Home Gym Flooring, carpet and its padding are ideal spots for hidden mold growth. If you smell mold but don’t see it, check under the carpet.
If you find mold in your garage or basement gym, it’s important to clean it and completely remove it. Depending on the size of the problem, this can be a do-it-yourself job, or it may mean you need to call a professional. This guide should get you started if you find yourself with a mold problem in your garage or basement gym.
Once the mold is gone, you’ll want to use a dehumidifier in the humid months. Keeping your humidity levels under 50% in your workout area will go a long way towards making it more comfortable and keeping mold and other problems at bay.
For more on the dangers of mold, see the CDC website here.
I sold dehumidifiers at my day job for almost 30 years. Most of them are cheap and break a lot so it pays to get a decent one. Always rated #1 in Consumer Reports, and consistently at the top in customer feedback, the best dehumidifier for a garage or basement gym is a Frigidaire.
Bugs and Rodents
Part of working out in a basement or garage is learning to coexist with bugs. Other vermin, like mice or rats, are also unfortunately common. Both bring in disease and eliminating them before they make a home for themselves is critical.
What does this have to do with air quality? A lot. Roaches can carry salmonella. Dust mites and cockroaches can both cause respiratory problems. Mice and rats carry disease and can bring in other pests. None of them are things you want in your gym!
There’s a variety of ways to rid yourself of these pests. The key is that you take action and do it, preferably sooner than later!
This is another reason it pays to get a dehumidifier. Bugs, in general, prefer a more humid environment (see the entire state of Florida for an example!). If you can keep the humidity level low in your gym, you’ll do a lot to discourage the little nuisances from going there in the first place.
VOCs
VOCs (aka volatile organic compounds) are the fumes that come from common household cleaners, paints, lacquers, and other similar fluids. You know, the things you store in your garage or basement!
They are also the reason for the horrible smell emitted from horse stall mats as flooring and from buying inexpensive bumper and rubber-coated plates. That smell is not only annoying, but it’s also bad for you. It’s one of the reasons I recommend never using horse stall mats in your gym.
When VOCs are emitted in an enclosed area, it tends to make them even worse. And those fumes can be very dangerous to people. Not only can they cause respiratory issues, but they can cause more serious health problems like long-term harm to your liver, kidney, and nervous system.