Your Ultimate Gym Cleaning Checklist

By: Hayden Bodiford
December 17, 2022

Running a gym is challenging work. With your responsibilities, including everything from maintaining schedules to organizing promotions, it’s easy to see why formulating a consistent cleaning schedule can feel burdensome. Fortunately, you are in the right place. This checklist will teach you everything you need to know about cleaning your facility so you can leave your gym spotless and bacteria-free in no time.

Or, if you’re tired of doing all the heavy lifting alone, our team at 360clean is here to help. As leaders in the commercial cleaning industry, our specialized approach to cleaning protects your employees and clients from dangerous germs while also protecting your business’ bottom line. To learn more about our commercial cleaning services for gyms, contact us today for a free quote.

The Benefits of a Checklist

Before getting started, find a pen and a piece of paper—or pull up Microsoft Word—so you can translate this information into a checklist. Or, simply print off this page. This list will help you visualize what you have cleaned and what still needs to be done so you can delegate tasks accordingly. A checklist is also an excellent means to ensure you don’t get overwhelmed throughout the process.

This article discusses the importance of cleaning the following areas:

  • Entrances
  • Workout areas
  • Equipment
  • Gym mats
  • All floors
  • Showers
  • Bathrooms
  • Locker rooms
  • Office spaces
  • High-touch areas

Your order of operations might be slightly different than what is on this list. That’s perfectly fine as long as the order makes sense to you and helps you work toward a cleaner, germ-free space in your gym.

Cleaning the Entrances

The entrance of your facility is where you get the chance to make an impression on the following:

  • Current customers
  • Employees
  • Vendors
  • Prospective customers
  • Walk-by leads (Anyone who even passes your entrance. After all, we all need to workout)

As such, you should always take the necessary steps to ensure the entrances to your facility look immaculate and present the image you want your guests to carry in their minds. You want them to look forward to working out, and a clean entrance creates a more welcoming experience.

These steps involve:

  • Dust all furniture and fixtures
  • Vacuuming all floor mats—ensuring they are free of debris
  • Mop the floor
  • Clean the windows
  • Shine and polish the doors and high-touch surfaces
  • Clean any fixtures adorning the area.
  • Sanitize your pens and ensure they are ready to go if a new member needs to sign a contract. Labeling your sanitized pens is also smart, so members feel safer using them.

You should complete this cleaning at least once daily or even twice at closing and throughout the day as needed. It’s always wise to take advantage of slow hours during the day with a checklist like this. The entrance should always be a priority.

Cleaning Workout Areas

Workout areas are vital spaces in any gym. Ensuring they are clean and ready for guests to use is essential to creating a rewarding workout experience. When cleaning a workout area, Remember to:

  • Clean the mirrors
  • Vacuum and mop the floor
  • Disinfect any mats and free weights.

Insider tip: Not all disinfectant spray for gym equipment is made equally. You want a disinfectant that is safe for your staff to use and your members also! One example of a spray that can extend the longevity of your equipment and kill 99.9% of bacteria—but is also gentle enough for members to use in between sets—is Balanced Body Clean™. It’s also all-natural and biodegradable (Not sponsored)

Lastly, show off your hard work. Ensure the area is well-lit and boasts an inviting atmosphere. After all, this is a prime area where your customers will get into the groove.

Cleaning Workout Equipment

The workout equipment throughout your facility should be considered in the same regard as other high-touch surfaces. Each contact point on every piece of equipment should be cleaned and sanitized several times throughout the day.

Importantly, do not rely on your customers to keep the equipment clean. You will want to have sanitation wipes and spray nearby, but do not rely solely on guests to keep your facility free of viruses and bacteria. Having sanitation wipes on hand is ultimately necessary but not sufficient.

Where workout equipment is concerned, it is always a good idea to keep a separate checklist specifically for the equipment to ensure it is cleaned and inspected as frequently as it needs to be.

Cleaning Gym Mats

Gym mats are a convenient means of preventing injuries. Odds are you have them placed throughout your facility to prevent guests from slipping. Unfortunately, they are also notorious receptacles for dirt, viruses, and bacteria. To keep the area clean, change the mats frequently, sanitize when necessary, and vacuum the floor. When cleaning the mat, use a neutral pH product alongside a disinfectant.

Cleaning Gym Floors

When cleaning the floors in your facility, it is best to wait until the end of the day or when there are few customers. Cleaning during slower hours minimizes tripping hazards and other issues that could arise from cramped walkways.

If your gym has a combination of hardwood floors and carpets, you will need to approach each with a different methodology. The carpets will need to be vacuumed and shampooed, while the hardwood floors will need to be swept, mopped, and sanitized.

To keep your facility looking nice, you should be prepared for regular cleaning once daily and deep cleaning once weekly.

Cleaning Showers

To ensure your showering areas are clean, you will want to focus on the following areas:

  • Shower floors
  • Shower walls
  • Shower curtains
  • Shower doors
  • Any interior fixtures

Each of these spaces will become damp, which promotes mold growth, especially in the grout areas between the floor tiles. If these areas are a consistent problem, you can always consider having them sealed to make cleaning easier.

It is essential to clean your showers several times throughout the day to ensure they are fresh for your customers. Regular cleaning also prevents more critical problems, such as mold.

Cleaning Bathrooms

Bathroom inspections should be completed several times throughout the day. Easy access to disinfectant soap is essential for every gym. If possible, having an hourly schedule will ensure they remain in optimal condition. Your guests will be pleased to encounter a fresh, clean bathroom after a strenuous workout.

When cleaning the bathrooms, you should follow many of the same procedures outlined with your showering facilities. Make sure to check behind the toilets and faucets for signs of mold. Again, regular cleaning is your best friend in preventing a mold outbreak.

Aside from cleaning the porcelain and tile floors, remember to empty the trash regularly and fill the soap, hand sanitizer, and paper towel dispensers. You should also polish and disinfect all lockers.

Cleaning Locker Rooms

Locker rooms are one of the highest-traffic areas in your entire facility. Consequently, they will require a lot of attention throughout the day. To keep them clean, you will want to sweep the floor regularly and polish the mirrors. A locker room full of dirty mirrors is guaranteed to leave a negative impression on your guests. After all, who wants to take Instagram photos and admire their hard work in a dirty mirror?

If you have trash cans in your locker rooms, empty them. You can keep them on the same schedule as your bathrooms and other areas that house trash cans. Failure to do so could leave you with overflowing trash cans and a nasty smell. Additionally, remember to regularly clean and sanitize all touchpoints throughout the locker room. High-traffic touchpoints include any of the following:

  • Benches
  • Lockers
  • Handles
  • Faucets
  • Any specialized area that guests frequently interact with

It would be best to clean these spaces several times throughout the day to ensure your locker rooms are consistently in the best condition.

Cleaning Office Spaces

If your gym has administrative spaces, you want to keep areas especially clean and professional. A well-maintained office will show prospective customers that you adhere to the highest standards of professionalism. It will also keep your employees happier.

Regular cleaning of an office area involves vacuuming, sweeping, and dusting all surfaces. Additionally, you should polish any fixtures that need extra care and ensure that all the windows are clean. It may seem like a lot, but your customers and employees will certainly appreciate it.

Cleaning High-Touch Areas

High-touch areas are spaces where guests and employees frequently visit and touch things throughout the day. These spaces see the highest volume of people each day. As such, a high-touch area is different for every facility. Fortunately, cleaning high-touch areas is relatively easy and merely requires consistency.

High-touch areas include any of the following:

  • Equipment controls
  • Screens
  • Tablets
  • Drinking fountains
  • Keyboards
  • Tables and desks that guests tend to lean on or touch

The above are just general examples. The high-touch areas in your facility may be slightly different. To identify them, pay attention to where your customers and employees congregate.

Don’t Do the Heavy Lifting Alone

If you are feeling overwhelmed at the thought of cleaning your facility, 360clean is here to help. Our team of trained professionals knows just what to do. Here, we proudly offer the JaniMed® Cleaning System. The system consists of specialized training, hospital-grade disinfectants, touch surface disinfection, and state-of-the-art equipment, including micro-fiber technology & Hepa Vacuums with four levels of filtration.

The best part is that we can often implement our JaniMed® system at the same price or even less than your current commercial cleaning service. If you don’t want to keep up with daily cleaning, contact us today to request a free quote!

Hayden Bodiford

Social Media and PR Manager for 360clean. Based in Charleston, SC

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