How can you keep your physical fitness business clean? Whether you own a gym, martial arts school, dance studio, or any other business that caters to active people of all ages, take a look at what you need to know about health, hygiene, odors, and your cleaning options at a fitness center.
Why Is Cleanliness Important for Your Business?
Cleanliness is important for any business — whether it focuses on physical fitness activities or not. A clean business looks professional and makes potential clients or customers feel at ease, especially in a physical fitness business.
Not only do you want to show customers that you are professional, but you also want them to know that you can and will provide a safe, healthy, hygienic environment. Unlike other businesses, customers use your interior areas in ways that could easily spread disease. Workouts may require the use of communal equipment, surfaces, or spaces.
Common microorganisms that may live on gym equipment and other fitness-related surfaces include Staphylococcus, a variety of fungi, and viruses such as the human papillomavirus (HPV) and herpes.
Along with surface microorganisms, a physical fitness center/studio may also circulate and recirculate airborne viruses that can cause COVID-19, the flu, or the common cold as patrons breathe through strenuous workouts. The potential risk for contamination and the spread of disease means that physical fitness business owners need to go a step above simple surface cleaning.
While dusting and removing obvious dirt, grime, or debris can increase the aesthetics of your interior and create a professional, welcoming atmosphere, you will also need to sanitize surfaces. This helps to reduce or eliminate the germs that pass from customer to customer.
How Can You Keep Your Physical Fitness Business Clean?
Again, you will need to concentrate on two primary areas — cleaning for aesthetic reasons and sanitizing for health and hygiene. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cleaning and disinfection are different processes. But this does not mean you will not need both to keep your gym, martial arts school, dance studio, or other activity-oriented business attractive and safe.
The first step in the disinfection process is a clean surface — especially if dirt or debris gets in the way of disinfecting the area. You will need to remove visible and barely visible debris from the equipment, floors, walls, or any other surface in your business. This means you may need to use chemical cleaners, paper products (such as paper towels), wet vacuum/mops, and carpet cleaners.
After you remove debris, you can move on to disinfection. This process can destroy most (but not all) of the microorganisms, according to the CDC. To eliminate all bacterial, fungal, and viral organisms, you need to sterilize the surfaces.
Which Types of Cleaning and Disinfection Products Do You Need?
Before you invest in chemical cleaners and disinfection equipment, you will need to decide which purchases make the most sense for your business. You may need to select a few different levels or types of products.
These could include items for constant or daily use (such as disinfecting sprays and cloths to wipe the equipment clean), floor cleaners, machinery (such as a wet vac) to clean the floors, and products for deep disinfection purposes.
Is There A Way to Clean or Disinfect a Fitness Business Quickly and Effectively?
You may need to think about the differences between cleaning and disinfecting. You can quickly clean surfaces with the right cloths or dusters. But this will not eliminate (or even reduce) the microorganisms that could make your customers sick. To decrease the presence of fungi on the floor, staph on the equipment surfaces, or viral particles, you will need the right cleaners and equipment.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains lists of registered antimicrobial products that disinfect and sterilize surfaces based on the type of organism. A janitorial or cleaning product supplier can help you to choose the products (and understand the list categories) that match your physical fitness center’s needs.
Spray and dry products that will not require water or wiping are typically the easiest and fastest ways to reduce germs in a fitness facility. These products may also contain fragrances that mask sweat and workout-related odors.
Before you choose a product (or a few), talk to a professional about the effectiveness, dry times, and ventilation needs. Some of these products are not for use during classes or at similar times.
An electrostatic sprayer is a popular option that may help you to disinfect multiple surfaces in less time than traditional cleaning products would take. These sprayers use positively charmed atomized particles that electromagnetically stick to equipment, floors, walls, and other gum spaces.
Do you want to learn more about electrostatic sprayers or your other cleaning options? Contact Ben’s Cleaner Sales for more information.