Keeping Your Fitness Center Clean During the New Year Rush

Ah, January… the month in which all mankind bolt to their local gym with the hope of a healthy start to the new year. With that mass of people enclosing in on your health club, having it clean and sanitary is more important than ever.

This winter has been one of the worst flu seasons in memory. According to the Center for Disease Control, the flu has officially reached epidemic levels in the United States. Of course, the spread of bacterial and viral contamination isn’t news to anyone who runs a health club. Gyms can be unforgiving incubators of communicable disease, especially on surfaces that are frequently touched like cardio machine keyboards. Another issue is fungal infections like athlete’s foot, which can collect on exercise mats and microfiber floors.

 A sick gym member is an absent member, and if a club can’t be consistently sanitary, that member will eventually look to cleaner pastures for their exercise needs. Why invest thousands of dollars in new cardio machines if they keep making your members ill? Cleanliness must be a priority.

It’s important for a gym owner to invest in a professional cleaning service, because members rate facility hygiene as a high priority. In the meantime, here are a few tips to keep in mind for your gym’s day-to-day upkeep:

• Offer club members equipment wipes. If you can afford it, pre-saturated disposable wipes makes for quick and efficient cleaning.
• Set up hand sanitizer dispensers in key areas.
• Encourage cleanliness with attractive and maybe humorous signage, reminding members to wipe down equipment after use. It sends a message that you are taking their health and hygiene seriously.
• Remember the locker room! Don’t let this important area get dark, grimy and smelly. This is an area where people want to feel safe and comfortable; you don’t want your members to be put off by an unsanitary locker room. You also want to make sure toilets are checked several times a day for cleanliness and odor.
• Address complaints immediately. Don’t assume it will be handled – assign the task to someone specific and have them report back when it is sorted.
• Have employees monitor areas of the club regularly. You don’t want staff using harsh cleaners while members are working out, but periodically disinfecting equipment and mats when possible can make a huge difference in keeping your members healthy.

Cleanliness doesn’t just help ensure the health part of a health club promise. It also helps with client retention. According to an IHRSA report, 90% of members surveyed said they were more likely to renew their membership if their facility was clean. In fact, the report directly states “a club’s cleanliness is a vital part of its operational, social and financial success.”