Barbell Maintenance: Cleaning Your Barbell

Our Top Tips For Barbell Maintenance

For many of us, purchasing a quality barbell is a financial investment and barbell maintenance is something a lot of people tend to overlook. This results in having to replace the bars more frequently. Regardless of your business model, barbells are definitely one of the most used pieces of equipment on the gym floor.

Weekly Barbell maintenance

Do you wipe or brush down your bars after use? Ideally, cleaning the chalk out of the knurling would be done on a daily basis or after every use of your barbell. The 360° Barbell Brush is a must have for any barbell owner and is available with either nylon or stainless steel bristles to suit all barbell finishes. Be sure to use the right style of brush or you may damage your barbell by removing some of the coating. When chalk is left in the knurling of the barbell, you are opening yourself open to rust. This is because chalk is used for absorbing the moisture from your hands. When left on the bar, the chalk is absorbing any humidity and holding it on the steel, which results, you guessed it; rust. You can also brush down the sleeves of your barbell to remove any dirt.

Monthly Barbell Maintenance

On a monthly basis, we would advise using a lubricant like W-D40 or 3 in 1 oil on your barbell. Spray the oil onto a rag and evenly coat the shaft, sleeves and collars of the bar. Let the bar soak up the oil for a few hours (or overnight if it is very dirty) and then go back in with your barbell brush, and then wipe down with a dry towel. Regular use and environmental factors will determine how frequently you need to lubricate your bar. In a home gym environment that's not exposed to the elements, application once or twice a month should be enough. In more humid or open-air environments, and when bars are used more frequently, a weekly maintenance routine is advised.

Yearly barbell maintenance

We would recommend a more thorough and more deep clean of your barbell once every 6 months or yearly, particularly if the bearings are starting to stick. For this step, you will need to remove the sleeves of your barbell using pliers to remove the clip rings, end caps and spacers- be sure to remember the order these were removed so you can reassemble correctly. Once you have removed the sleeves, you can use your barbell brush and lubricant to clean the shaft and bushings of the barbell. The spacers, end caps and clips can also be wiped down to ensure they are free of excess dirt and chalk before reassembling your barbell.

Check out our video below explaining how to keep your barbell in pristine condition.

Barbell Storage

Proper storage will protect your barbell and extend its useful life. We recommend you do not store bars when it is still loaded with weight. Bars are not meant to hold weight for extended periods of time as it can result in the barbell being permanently bent. Bars can be stored horizontally or vertically. BLK BOX offers great storage options such as the 9 Bar Holder, Gun Rack & Wall mounted hangers or Rig mounted barbell holders. Climate controlled gyms are ideal for barbells as there is less moisture in the air, resulting in less rust developing on the barbells. If a gym is continually exposed to humidity, this will increase the rate of oxidation dramatically.

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