I teach a handful of cycling classes every week, and after each one, I grab a spray bottle of cleaner and a paper towel from the back of the studio and give my spin bike a wipe down. It only makes sense: The whole point of being on it is to get all sweaty and gross, and it's inevitable some of that sweat will wind up on the bike and the screen.
I have no idea what's in the bottle of cleaner, as I trust the gym to provide me with the right tools to keep the equipment in good shape. But when it comes to my Peloton at home, I am the cleaning team, which means I have to be much more on top of things. Here's what I've learned about how to clean every part of the machine after three years of ownership. Bmx Bike
First, keep a microfiber cloth or roll of Clorox wipes nearby so as soon as you dismount, you can wipe down your seat and handlebars. There isn't a ton of space on the bike itself to hang a cloth, and it's my duty as a spin teacher to gently suggest you not hang it off your handlebar when you ride, lest you go to grab the bar, accidentally yank the towel off, and lose your grip. (I don't let people in my classes cover their handlebars with sweat towels for this reason.)
If you own a Peloton, you're probably already tired of spending extra money to buy accessories for it, but consider picking up a hook for a nearby wall or even a shoe hanger designed to dangle off the bike itself and stashing your microfiber cloth there for easy post-ride access.
Personally, I use Clorox wipes after my rides, and keep the little container on the shelf near my bike. Either way, as long as you're wiping it down after each session, you're doing enough to keep it from getting too grimy between more serious cleanings.
About once a month. I dampen a rag and use a dot of dish soap and wipe down the whole bike, minus any of the electrical components, including the outlet cord powering the bike and the wires connected to the screen (those I just wipe down with a dry microfiber cloth). Scrub the base, wheels, various adjuster handles, and everything else, then go back over it with a dry cloth. Peloton's website suggests using baby wipes for this, but a damp towel works just as well.
To clean the screen, Peloton recommends first holding down the red button on top until it powers down, then using an ammonia-free cleaner designed for use on LCD, plasma, or other flatscreen, and wiping with a microfiber cloth. Windex is a suitable option, and that's what I use once a month, or when the screen is visibly covered in dried sweat. When powered off, the screen is incredibly reflective and difficult to photograph, so forgive me, but in the photo below you can see the improvement made with just one pass of Windex.
If you're feeling uneasy about using your existing cleaning products on the bike, consider investing in some designed for use on workout equipment.
Wipex comes recommended by users on Reddit and is an affordable option that can ease your worries about what you're slopping all over your $1,500 device.
During your monthly-or-so deeper clean, don't forget about the mat you have probably placed under the machine—wipe that down with a damp rag and a dab of dish soap or the Wipex cloths too.
Lindsey Ellefson is Lifehacker’s Features Editor. She currently covers study and productivity hacks, as well as household and digital decluttering, and oversees the freelancers on the sex and relationships beat. She spent most of her pre-Lifehacker career covering media and politics for outlets like Us Weekly, CNN, The Daily Dot, Mashable, Glamour, and InStyle. In recent years, her freelancing has focused on drug use and the overdose crisis, with pieces appearing in Vanity Fair, WIRED, The New Republic, The Daily Beast, and more. Her story for BuzzFeed News won the 2022 American Journalism Online award for Best Debunking of Fake News.
In addition to her journalism, Lindsey is a student at the NYU School of Global Public Health, where she is working toward her Master of Public Health and conducting research on media bias in reporting on substance use with the Opioid Policy Institute’s Reporting on Addiction initiative. She is also a Schwinn-certified spin class teacher. She won a 2023 Dunkin’ Donuts contest that earned her a year of free coffee. Lindsey lives in New York, NY.
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