After a workout at the gym, there will be a lot of things left on the skin, from sweat, dust, and bacteria to dead skin cells. If a gym is not maintained clean, the customer satisfaction rate will drop and the retention rate will also drop.
Good ventilation is also essential to reduce humidity and dampness.
The gym is a humid environment and is prone to unpleasant odours. Sweating creates germs, bacteria and mould, The key to this maintenance requirement is the cleanliness of the gym. A clean gym is a healthy gym and helps people stay healthy.
Keeping the gym clean always requires a lot of practice from the gym owner and the practitioner’s awareness.
Shocking Numbers about Germs in the Gym
- Gym equipment is always full of sweat making them the home of many Bacteria, Viruses, Molds, and pathogens.
- Sweat left on exercise equipment can lead to diseases like cellulitis. Cellulitis is a type of acute bacterial infection that often occurs through bacteria on gym equipment.
- Just having a habit of wiping sweat on the buttons or handles of exercise equipment with a towel can reduce the chance of getting infected with bacteria.
- Bacteria and fungi, mostly, live everywhere. They both like damp places, and since everyone gets sweaty at the gym, bacteria and fungi make it the perfect environment.
- Fungi can get on your wet body as well as on the machines in the gym, leading to a variety of skin ailments.
There is also the possibility of “folliculitis”, in which the hair follicle at the root of the hair becomes inflamed. Folliculitis looks like acne, but it’s caused by a different type of bacteria that likes to burrow into and plug hair follicles. It seems that sweat helps the invasion of these bacteria.
If you have pimples on your hands, feet, or stomach, you probably suspect folliculitis, not acne. Besides being unsightly, folliculitis can be associated with staphylococci and other inflammations
There have been a number of studies done on gym hygiene in recent years and their findings also reinforce the improvement of the training environment for the trainees, improving the gym atmosphere and consciousness in keeping the hygiene of the gym owners.
Benefits of a Clean Gym
Here are the undeniable benefits for gym owners and managers that Gym Association has collected through surveys:
- 56 per cent of those who exercised at the gym said that they were very concerned about the hygiene of the gym and wanted the gym to be germ-free.
- Gyms that spend 4 per cent of their budget on cleaning and maintaining cleanliness will generate higher profits and customer retention than gyms that spend only 3 per cent.
- If the gym is not clean, the customer satisfaction rate will decrease from 83% to 43% and the retention rate from 90% to 52%.
Always maintain the cleanliness of your gym to keep your customer satisfied and healthy. You can also get help from a professional gym cleaning services provider.
Useful Tips for Gym Practitioners to Maintain General Hygiene
While participating in a gym is important for general health and shouldn’t be discouraged in any way, exercise members can take certain steps to reduce their risk. During exercise, the body will give off a lot of heat, the skin will sweat a lot, and the skin may be scratched. This is a very favourable condition for bacteria to grow and penetrate the scratches.
This condition is also prone to acne. That’s because the skin’s natural oils and sweat combine to clog pores. Athletes can eliminate the risk of inflammation and skin breakouts by simply showering early after a workout
The following tips are especially important and useful for those who exercise regularly
- Explore any new gym before you join – make sure it’s an industry association-registered gym, and carefully review their hygiene standards before you sign up.
- Cover any cuts or abrasions thoroughly – cover them with a bandage before you go to the gym.
- Bring your own towel – this will help reduce perspiration and create a barrier between your body and the device. You should always wash your towels between workouts.
- Wipe down equipment – use the wipes and surface cleaners provided by most gyms to wipe down the equipment before you use it and then as a courtesy to the next user.
- Wear slippers when showering – this will help protect you from infections like tinea pedis that are common in shared bathing areas
- Shave at home – don’t shave at the gym or right before you go there, as this puts your face at risk of infection.
- Clean your mat – A quick wipe between uses is fine, with a more thorough cleaning recommended at least once a week.
- Wash your hands –Therefore, washing hands after exercise is an extremely necessary habit. When washing hands, everyone should be careful to rub the soap evenly for at least 20 seconds. Wash your hands thoroughly after you go to the gym, especially before eating or preparing food.
- Keep dirty clothes separate – keep your dirty gym clothes and sneakers in separate gym bag compartments or in a plastic bag.
- Stay away when you’re sick – don’t go to the gym if you have a cold, flu, stomach, or any other contagious illness to avoid spreading it to other gym patrons.
- Clean your bottle – No matter what material the water bottle you drink every time you go to the gym is made of, it must be cleaned thoroughly. Otherwise, the humid environment inside the bottle will be the perfect environment for pathogens to grow. Therefore, after each use, people need to wash the bottle and dry it.
Gym Cleaning Checklist
There are a lot of gyms out there looking to claim the same clientele, so gym owners need to promote their facilities in the most positive way possible and ideally differentiate themselves from the competition.
One way to do this is to promote the high standards of cleanliness that your gym demands. As we’ve seen, good hygiene is directly related to customer satisfaction and retention, so making your gym the cleanest and, by definition, the healthiest, and potentially profitable.
And there are other good reasons to maintain a clean gym environment. Keeping your exercise equipment clean and well-maintained will prolong its overall operating life while keeping surfaces clean and impervious to sweat can only prevent slips or falls. This may have public liability consequences for your business.
Educate your staff: (and especially your cleaning staff) about the importance of being super clean.
Educate your customers: Know that your gym is a clean and healthy facility and post signs asking customers to use hand sanitiser and use the provided wipes to wipe down equipment after use.
Checklist to Cleaning the Gym Every Day
Things to do on daily basis to make sure the gym is clean and tidy
- Clean and disinfect any surfaces that come in contact with skin (weights, exercise equipment, eating areas, carpets, etc.)
- Check equipment for corrosion, or damage
- Dump the trash
- Clean and disinfect changing rooms, bathrooms, and toilets
- Make sure the device is returned to its original position and condition after use
- Make sure you have enough hand sanitise
Checklist for Weekly Gym Cleaning
Here are the weekly cleaning jobs for the gym
- Whole floor cleaning
- Clean and disinfect tables, chairs, and furniture.
- Mirror cleaning
- Window cleaning
- Clean equipment and add grease to exercise equipment
Checklist to Clean the Gym When Necessary
These are the jobs that need to be cleaned as soon as the need arises.
- Instantly clean up slippery tendon hazards
- Wall cleaning
- Cleaning lockers
- Change the light bulb
- Get rid of damaged, unusable equipment
- Check the humidity of the gym
- Check the air filter system, air conditioner
- Clean dust from exercise equipment
Final Thoughts:
With the information shared above, I hope that you have had the most basic and useful knowledge about the importance of how to clean the Gym to avoid the appearance of germs, bacteria, and viruses.
OZAP Cleaning Services knows the importance of good hygiene in the sports and fitness industry and our range of hygiene solutions will ensure a positive image and a great customer experience.
We offer a wide range of sanitary equipment specially designed for gyms and fitness facilities including personal gyms. We also service most brands of cleaning equipment, have a wide range of preventive maintenance options, and provide training and advice.
To learn more about how we can help your gym shine, contact us.