In early October, many students observed a change in the wipes used to clean exercise equipment at the Student Recreation and Wellness Center. According to senior Recreation Aide Coleman Dickey, who has received many questions about the wipes, common complaints among students include that the wipes are dry, do not separate easily, have a strong odor and do not effectively clean the equipment.
“It definitely seems like they’re bought on a budget,” said senior Joseph Claire, who attends the SRWC every day. “They smell horrible. And I think they create a bigger mess than they actually clean up, because you tear them off and can’t find the perforated edges and you just keep tearing. So it’s a little bit annoying.”
The reason that the new wipes are being used dates back to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Beth Rutt, the Director of Student Activities and Student Recreation and Wellness, the wipes that the SRWC usually purchases, from the brand A-1 American, were unavailable due to supply shortages during the pandemic. So, the SRWC office purchased wipes from a different brand, called Terraboost, that used the same ingredients as the A-1 wipes and were more cost-effective.
“We used them [Terraboost wipes] for about two weeks, and people were like, ‘We don’t like them.’ And they were leaving a film and different things,” said Rutt.
So, the Terraboost wipes were removed from circulation and kept in a supply closet, where, according to Rutt, they remained sealed and fresh. Last month, Rutt and the SRWC staff decided to bring them back out.
“Probably about a month ago, we ran out of the product that we had [A-1 wipes], which we knew we were low on. And so I said, ‘We need to just filter these [Terraboost wipes] out,” said Rutt.
According to Alice Jarmon, Student Activities and Student Recreation and Wellness Accountant, 30 boxes of Terraboost wipes were ordered during the pandemic, which cost a total of $4,788, a price that was unusually high due to the pandemic. At time of press, there are now ten boxes of Terraboost wipes left, which are worth $1,596.
According to Rutt, a new supply of the A-1 wipes that are usually used by the SRWC will arrive in roughly two weeks at time of press. Upon their arrival, the Terraboost wipes will be removed from the SRWC weightlifting and cardio rooms. Instead of being used for cleaning exercise equipment, the Terraboost wipes will be used for cleaning other things, such as roller skates and the InBody scanner foot plates.
“I hate the idea of the product not being used and the financial part of it…. I refuse to just send them to the landfill. I can’t do that. My soul will not allow it,” said Rutt.
