How To Store a Treadmill To Keep It In Good Condition

Maybe your treadmill doesn’t see much action anymore and it’s in the way. Or maybe you’re going away for a longer period of time. Either way, storing your treadmill the right way is important in order to keep it safe and in good condition for when it has to come out of retirement.

Here’s how you can properly store a treadmill so that it stays in good condition:

  1. Find a warm, dry place to store the treadmill.
  2. Wipe any dust off the machine.
  3. Check for any motor issues.
  4. Cover the treadmill with a fabric or plastic wrap. 

Keep reading to learn the following about storing a treadmill to keep it in good condition:

  • Why you should store your treadmill properly.
  • Where you should store your treadmill.
  • Why it’s important to lubricate your treadmill.
  • What to do if your treadmill won’t work.

Why You Should Store Your Treadmill Properly

Image of people running on a treadmill.

If you don’t know what to do about your treadmill after not using it much, you should keep it somewhere safe to ensure that it stays in good condition for a long time. Don’t just leave it at the corner of your house collecting dust. 

Even if you dust it off every day, it’s not ideal to have the treadmill around if you don’t have much space in the house.

You don’t necessarily have to store your treadmill each time you’re done using it, and it might be fine to leave the treadmill in the house so that you can hop onto it anytime you want to exercise. 

However, in reality, that’s not convenient for most people because of a few reasons:

  • Since the treadmill is big and bulky, it takes up too much space.
  • The treadmill doesn’t always go with one’s home decor.
  • Some people might find the machine too distracting.

All that said, you want to find a sweet spot to place or store your treadmill. 

Where you put or keep the treadmill is vital to its longevity. Home gym equipment like the treadmill is expensive, so you don’t want it to get damaged by elements like heat, humidity, or cold.

Another reason why you should store your treadmill correctly is to prevent injuries. 

If you have small children in the house, a treadmill can potentially be dangerous to them. Injuries from treadmills among children often happen at home, so parents must take precautions to prevent them from happening.

Suggested: 12 Tips for buying a second hand treadmill

How To Properly Store a Treadmill

Many people put their treadmills in the garage. Although it’s not always the best place, you can leave it in there safely if you store your machine properly. 

It’s essential to address the issues with storing a treadmill in the garage, such as temperatures, humidity, or dust, so that you’ll know how to tackle the issues. Follow the tips below to store your treadmill.

1. Find a Warm Place To Store the Treadmill

You’ll want to keep your treadmill somewhere safe, such as a warm room. 

Not everyone has the luxury of keeping a treadmill in the house due to lack of space, but there’s no need to worry about putting it in the garage if you have a dedicated room or space for it. 

Alternatively, you can keep your treadmill in the bedroom since it’s usually warmer than a typical garage. 

If you’re going to keep your treadmill in the garage, though, make sure that the area is well insulated, which means the garage should not be too humid, hot, or too cold. You can hire a professional to help you install insulation for your garage or do it yourself if you can.

Even if you’re not living in a snowy region, you must ensure that your garage is insulated correctly because cold temperatures can easily freeze your treadmill incline function or LCD screen, leading to cracking. 

Suggested: Can you keep an elliptical trainer in the garage?

Also, your treadmill conveyor belt must not be damp to prevent mold.

Another place you can store your treadmill is in the basement, provided you have one. Like the garage, the basement, too, can get very cold, so you want to keep it well-insulated even if it’s the least visited place at home. 

If you often use your treadmill, the basement can be an excellent workout place and where you store your treadmill.

To keep dust and dirt out, placing the treadmill on a rubber mat for workouts and storage is a good idea. Read here why treadmill mats are an essential accessory.

2. Wipe Any Dust Off the Machine

Once you’ve decided where you will store your treadmill, wipe any dust off the machine using a clean cloth. You want to make sure that there’s no dust on the treadmill and that the storage place for your treadmill is clean and free from dust. It’s a good idea to keep your treadmill as dust-free as possible all the time so it shouldn’t be very dirty.

Clean the treadmill conveyor belt. You can use an anti-static duster to eliminate dust from the conveyor belt and the area beneath it. 

Then, use a damp cloth to wipe the conveyor belt.

As you wipe, rotate the conveyor belt to ensure that you can tackle every area that needs wiping. Once finished, use a kitchen towel to dry the conveyor belt. As you dry the conveyor belt using the kitchen towel, rotate the conveyor belt.

3. Check for Any Motor Issues

Checking for any motor issues is essential before storing your treadmill, especially if you’re going to leave it for a long time. 

If you’re keeping your treadmill for a couple of months, it’ll likely still be in good condition provided that you keep it properly, such as in a well-insulated and clean space. However, if you’re leaving it for several years, then, over time, the roller bearings or motor bearings may deteriorate. 

You should periodically test the treadmill and check for any issues, if any. 

Suggested: How much does a treadmill motor replacement cost?

You also want to make sure that the treadmill Safety key is securely kept. If you found issues with your treadmill, like the machine making a loud squealing noise, you should call someone to repair the machine before tucking it away.

Or if you are willing to get out your tools, the belt adjustment and/or alignment is a common cause of weird treadmill noises. Click here to find out how to maintain your treadmill belt. Sometimes you just have to replace the belt though.

4. Cover the Treadmill With a Fabric or Plastic Wrap

After you’ve cleaned your treadmill and made sure it is in good condition, cover it with fabric (like a blanket) or plastic wrap big enough to protect it from dust or the cold. You can easily buy a treadmill cover online. Before you do that, make sure you place the treadmill onto a mat or a big piece of fabric to prevent dust from getting into the machine from underneath. 

You can also buy covers specifically made for treadmills. They aren’t too expensive so if you don’t have anything that works, this can be a good option.

Lubricate Your Treadmill the Next Time You Use It

Your treadmill conveyor belt might get a little stiff the next time you try to run it. That’s because the conveyor belt eventually loses its lubrication after a couple of months. 

Therefore, you want to lubricate your treadmill conveyor belt before using it to ensure smooth use.

When cared for properly, your treadmill conveyor belt can last for several years. You can buy a special oil to lubricate the conveyor belt, like the Spot-on Treadmill Lubricant from Amazon.com. Watch the video below to learn how to lubricate a treadmill:

What To Do if Your Treadmill Won’t Work

If your treadmill doesn’t work after being stored for a long time, then you need to troubleshoot it. You need to try to figure out the problems first to see if it’s possible to fix the issues yourself. Maybe your treadmill won’t start due to power source issues, or perhaps the motor controller is damaged. 

If your treadmill is still under warranty, it’s probably best not to attempt fixing it yourself as you risk voiding the protection. 

Contact the treadmill manufacturer instead. You can also refer to the owner’s manual provided by the treadmill manufacturer to get guidance on troubleshooting the machine.

Can You Keep Your Treadmill Outside?

While you can put a treadmill on your driveway, that’s not always a good idea. You don’t know when it’s going to rain, but if it does, how are you going to move the treadmill away to keep it safe from the elements? 

Besides, keeping your treadmill outside will only increase its risk to dust, pollen, critters, and the sun heat.

Image of a treadmill next to the ocean.
While it’s nice to be outside, it’s not great for your treadmill.

However, if you must place/store your treadmill outside, you can do it safely by making sure you put it out of direct sunlight, which can damage the machine’s electrical components. You also want to keep a vacuum or brush ready to keep your treadmill conveyor belt clean. 

Suggested: Can you keep an exercise bike outside?

You’re also going to need a waterproof cover to protect your treadmill from the elements.

Final Thoughts

If you’re not using your treadmill much, you can always store it for future use, but you must store it properly to keep it in good condition for a long time. You can keep your treadmill in the house, but if you lack space, you can store the machine in a garage instead. 

Make sure your garage is well-insulated.

Well-insulated storage spaces ensure that your treadmill won’t get damaged by heat, humidity, or the cold. Keep your treadmill clean and check for issues before tucking it away. 

Don’t forget to cover the treadmill to keep off dust. 

Favorite Cardio Accessories

Check out these accessories that improve a home cardio workout:

  • Equipment mat: All cardio equipment should be put on an equipment mat. The Rubber-Cal mat (Amazon) is an affordable yet very high-quality choice.
  • Tablet holder: Cardio can be boring. With this tablet holder (Amazon) you can follow along with on-demand workouts or just watch a movie on any cardio machine.
  • Heart rate monitor: Monitoring your heart rate is very important while doing cardio. The Polar H10 (Amazon) connects to almost anything you can imagine and is very accurate.

To find which cardio machines I recommend for home gyms, click here.

Sources

Matt

Hey, I'm Matt. Welcome to HomeGymResource.com. After working out in many different gyms for almost 20 years and helping people build their own home gyms, i've learned a few things i'd like to share with you.

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