Disinfecting gyms when returning to work after a worldwide quarantine is unprecedented and challenging. This is especially true for gym operators who face unique challenges in keeping their staff safe during these times. While there are many aspects to gyms “opening up” the right way, one thing is certain: all operators need to maintain a consistently clean work environment.
With the New Year comes fitness resolutions and thousands of South Floridians will be flocking to gyms to get back in shape after a year in quarantine. In this environment, gym owners are expected to make their best effort to keep everyone safe and healthy.
At Dream Clean, here is how we would put our 20+ years of commercial cleaning experience to work in disinfecting gyms during a pandemic and keeping gym-goers and staff safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sanitizing Common Areas
Although the primary method of spread for COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses is through airborne droplets, the virus has been shown to live on many surfaces for up to several days. Regular surface disinfection of shared areas will, along with social distancing, reduce the risk of contagion in any gym environment.
Sanitizing Entry Points
Entrances and exit areas are high traffic locations where many people use their hands to push/pull open doorways or support themselves on railings. By keeping these areas clean at all times, a gym can significantly reduce the risk of the spread of COVID-19 and other disease-causing microbes.
Mop Hard Floors
Tests have repeatedly shown that hard floor surfaces can be hospitable environments for the
COVID-19 virus. To reduce the contamination risk to your work environment, be sure to mop all hard floors regularly. High traffic areas may need to be mopped several times per day.
“Regular surface disinfection of shared areas will, along with social distancing, reduce the risk of contagion in any gym environment.”
Vacuum All Carpeted Areas
Although the COVID-19 virus has not been shown to live for long on cloth and carpet surfaces, those viruses that settle there may still be viable enough to cause infection for up to several hours. Frequent vacuuming is recommended for all higher-traffic carpeted areas.
Sanitize Exercise Equipment After Each Usage
Exercise equipment pieces at a busy gym are undeniably high-touch services. Such high-touch surfaces can lead to the spread of COVID-19 and other communicable diseases, especially if gym-goers touch their faces, touch the equipment, and then touch their faces again. To minimize this risk, it is essential that all cardio machines and resistance racks and weights are wiped down with sanitizer chemicals after each and every usage. There is no skimping on this task: of all the ways to keep gym-goers safe in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, wiping down equipment after each use is by far the most effective.
Sanitize Staff Areas
Of course, like any other business during these times, keeping the staff safe and healthy is also important. This includes staff office space where individual desks, computers, and office fixtures are considerably lower-risk for contagion in nonshared office locations. However, the best practice is to ensure that workstations are thoroughly wiped down with disinfectant at least once per day during a pandemic. Shared or “hot desk” locations must be sanitized after each use just as gym equipment is wiped down with sanitizer after each use. To further minimize the chance of spread, trainers and other staff should be asked to bring their own laptops and tablets to access cloud-based gym software – rather than share workstations.
Clean with a Smile
At Dream Clean, we keep our staff happy. That’s why our clients always see us “cleaning with a smile”. This is even more important during a pandemic when our cleaners are present all day in our clients’ work environments. Do you run an exercise facility? Hire the happiest cleaners in Miami to sanitize your gym throughout your workday and watch us shine!
And Remember …
By following these steps, organizations can significantly reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread in the workplace. While no cleaning regimen can reduce the risk to zero, following CDC guidelines such as wearing a facemask at all times in public and maintaining a distance of six feet from others when indoors can further reduce the risk. Dream Clean staff and supervisors are available immediately for commercial cleaning assignments throughout South Florida.
