[peterwwillis]

Staph isn't fun, but you should also be worried about HIV, hepatitis B, and other bloodborne pathogens.

Not all blood pathogens can be killed by traditional disinfectants, even bleach. You need to soak the affected article for 10 minutes with a caustic sterilizer such as Sporicidin or CaviCide (which unlike disinfectants will kill bacterial spores)

No training center I have ever seen cleans their mats this way. Roll at your own risk...

[scarmig]

There is absolutely 0% chance of contracting HIV through a mat at a martial arts studio, unless you eviscerate someone with a knife, stab yourself, and roll around in their blood thirty seconds after the evisceration.

[peterwwillis]

Alright, so HIV is a minor risk, but other blood pathogens are easier to transmit.

[Fomite]

I'd be surprised if there are any documented transmissions of those pathogens, especially given they need more complicated uptake.

The issue with Staph is that skin-to-skin contact, or the indirect version mediated by a mat, is more than enough for it go to "Yeah, I live here now..."

[peterwwillis]

According to doctors/nurses I've talked to, smooshing a mucous membrane or open sore onto material which came into contact with infected blood can be enough for transmission. Which is why competent BDSM dungeons clean their apparatus with cavicide before/after use, and why they recommend a barrier between a person and the apparatus.

[Fomite]

I'd absolutely suggest it for those environments, but that's because, to be blunt, there's a lot more exposure of mucous membranes in those environments than your average dojo.

The open sore is honestly a risk for both - S. aureus loves it some open wounds.