I have what feels like a tonne of Watson Gym eco plates. They’re the non-stainless steel plates that they offer. They come with animal dumbbells, or can be bought on their own. I’ve been lucky to get a few sets, though I really have too many for my needs now. That means they don’t get used as often, and that means they don’t cleaned or looked after that often either.
So here’s what I do to keep them in good functioning condition, but accepting that they’ll never look as good as when they arrived. I also don’t want to spend too much time on this problem either.
3-in-1 oil and wire wool
It’s not rocket science, thankfully. Just get yourself some fine wire wool, some 3-in-1 oil, and a lot of paper towels (I use nitrile gloves too because I’m worth it), and then start scrubbing. Small spots of oil around the plate, get the wire wool involved, and then after 30-seconds wipe clean. Repeat if you can still see a lot of surface rust. Then a final dab of oil with a cloth, and you’re set.
You can also get dedicated rust remover, but again I want low-effort maintenance. And 3-in-1 is then good to clean and protect them. So it’s easier.
It takes me a good 90 minutes to get through all of my plates in one go. But, I only need to do it once a year.
Here are before and after pics. The one on the left has just been cleaned, but you can see it’s far from a perfect finish. The one on the right took 90 seconds to clean.
For any plates you’re not likely to use, before you store them just give them an extra spot of oil on each side and rub it in. That’ll help reduce the creation of rust.
If like me your home gym is in the garage, where it gets cold and damp through the colder months, then you may want to wipe the top of the weights every so often (some of mine are stored horizontally). Rust will be more prevalent on the top as water moisture will land on top more often and in greater quantities. And it’s the same approach as above. Wire wool, a spot of oil, and a quick scrub.
Simply Seanie 