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Fitness Center Cleaning | There is a classic saying that one can become the world champion without doing anything. Yes, to succeed, you must keep healthy first. The gym industry has had a tough year, with the COVID-19 forcing centers to close for several months. Recently, the Hong Kong Island fitness center cluster has made the industry and the public fear that the gyms would be closed again. From the point of view of cleaning and disinfecting, the fitness center does have some risks. However, as long as the work of cleaning and disinfecting is done, it can continue to be open to allow citizens to maintain physical and mental health.
Health Risks of Fitness Facilities Should be Paid Attention to
There was a study that looked at the percentage of bacteria in 27 items of equipment commonly used in gyms. Each device contained more than a million bacteria per 2.5 square centimeters! Bike bikes are extremely germy, while self-weight equipment such as barbells and dumbbells have 362 times more bacteria than toilet boards.
More importantly, the bacteria in the gym are different from diseases. The warm and humid environment in the changing room, or the insufficient disinfection procedures, it will become a hotbed of bacteria. Some virus such as human papillomavirus (HPV), herpes simplex virus (HSV) and other that are very common, easy to cause foot verruca, herpes and other diseases have the opportunity to induce outbreak.
Medical journal ‘’Applied and Environmental Microbiology’’ has stated with a study in 2004 published that a layer of “biological membrane (biofilm) will be formed from long-used plastic shower curtains. The film is the potential source of pathogens, immune system deficiencies (such as a wound on the body, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy) are particularly vulnerable to infection.
Risk Under COVID-19
Fitness rooms have often been the site of outbreaks of COVID-19, which originally had a close relationship with equipment and ventilation.
The National Institutes of Health, The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a team of researchers at The University of California, Los Angeles and Princeton University has published a new study on March 17, 2020, in “The New England Journal of Medicine”. It indicated that the COVID-19 virus can survive in plastic and stainless steel on The surface for up to 72 hours, survive for up to 24 hours on board, and 4 hours on the copper. So, when a patient comes into contact with the equipment in the gym, there is an opportunity for transmission through the equipment.
Another concern will be the ventilation problem. Britain’s Daily Telegraph reported that, University of Lisbon and Delft University of Technology point out that most of the sports venues have poor ventilation system. There are air pollutants and toxic gases, such as carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs include formaldehyde released from the carpet, detergents and fitness equipment.
“The study is not about discouraging people from going to the gym,” Ramos said. “It’s about recognizing the importance of exercising in a tight environment, which can be harmful to your health.” He also urged the fitness industry to face up to the problem and update ventilation systems regularly.
Besides Daily Cleaning
In addition to the daily disinfection of cleaning equipment, many guests recently pay special attention to periodic deep cleaning.
General cleaning companies will deal with additional categories: reception, fitness equipment cleaning and disinfection. Glass doors and windows and another different indoor interval cleaning. Also include light pipes, lighting signs, air conditioning, air vent cleaning. And the most important is undergoing a sterilization coating of deep cleaning treatment for the changing rooms and showers. We hope that both novel coronavirus and viruses that cause damage to our bodies, in general, can be eliminated in time.
There is only one world champion, but you and I must have a healthy body!
