Self-Cleaning Gym Gear Targets Bacteria, Sweat [Gear]

What in case your gym gear cleaned itself, destroying harmful bacteria inside the bargain? And what if that same magical gear came from Pittsburgh Steelers legend Franco Harris? The SilverSport line of towels and mats can, and does. Wired explains how .

Sanitization at the gym has moved beyond wiping down the bench or bike with a towel and disinfectant. It’s gravitating toward self-cleaning equipment that wipes sweat away and keeps people shielded from harmful bacteria.

A Pittsburgh-based company is making certain gym-goers have that variety of access to the equipment on which they could sweat probably the most. SilverSport, a brand derived from Eco Product Group, offers a workout towel, a Pilates roller and a yoga mat with what it calls its Silver Clean Zone . Each product represents a type of zones by means of Terra Silver to eliminate more than 650 forms of surface-borne, odor-causing bacteria.

Thomas Davis, president of Eco Product Group, told Wired.com that nanosilver particles – up to 20,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair – are to thank for the equipment’s odor-killing prowess.

” The cloth [inside the products] is silver,” Davis said. ” Silver happens to be a natural anti-microbial. It fights bacteria naturally.”

When activated by moisture – subsequently, sweat – the nanosilver particles bind to the outside to rid the fabricated from bacteria. That’s why however the towel doesn’t technically must be washed, its functionality is enhanced by running it throughout the washer. ” Hypothetically, you don’t ought to wash the towel” for it to eliminate bacteria, Davis said, before declaring that folk will understandably wish to wash it regularly to eliminate surface dirt.

In testing the products, we found the towel (which retails for $35) to be surprisingly thin yet effective. The non-graphic side is as soft as you’ll hope for in a towel, although the graphic portion – covered inside the SilverSport logo – is slightly rough against the outside. Unlike conventional towels, it didn’t stink after being thoroughly used during a drenching workout, and it held up quite well after a pair of washings.

The roller ($40) and the mat ($50) work well enough, although more experienced users of Pilates rollers and yoga mats can make a more educated comparison against similar products. The yoga mat is thick and has a reasonably sticky surface that promotes traction even when the user is sweating.

Davis noted the R&D process took three to four years before the products were released last year. ” We didn’t need to get into the marketplace with this sort of microbial until we were sure that it was something that might sustain it,” Davis said.

The towel’s material is woven within the US and sent to a dye house for color. The treated material is then submitted for testing, which ensures the nanosilver particles are engaged. Various kinds of bacteria are applied to confirm the Terra Silver works, and once approved, the cloth moves to the manufacturing department. Everything is approved and registered by the EPA.

Davis envisions the SilverSport brand expanding to products for use in NFL locker rooms and other sports, including tennis, baseball and gymnastics. But for now, weightlifters and yoga enthusiasts alike can sweat all they need.

Wired.com has been expanding the hive mind with technology, science and geek culture news since 1995.

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This post is tagged: cleaning equipment, functionality, graphic portion, harmful bacteria, pittsburgh steelers, width of a human hair