In order to help get ready for the grand reopening, we’re documenting all the necessary measures to ensure that your flooring is correctly disinfected and free from viruses and bacteria, based on hygiene recommendations from international health authorities.

Though the origin of this virus is not yet been confirmed, it is now known to spread from person to person. Standard recommendations to prevent infection include regular hand washing, covering the mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, and maintaining social distance.

However, these measures may not be enough to ensure your facility is totally free of COVID-19.

Therefore, we have prepared this list of disinfection strategies recommended to help control or prevent the spread of dangerous pathogens.

Before we start, there are a few important distinctions that need to be made clear:

• Not all disinfectants are effective, which means you have to take care when choosing which products you buy and use. Detergents weaken the virus, but must be followed by a disinfectant in order to ensure complete elimination of the virus.
• Bleach is effective but requires a minimum concentration (around 6%). This therefore means it can be damaging to certain products, so you should always check with the manufacturer before using it.

HOW TO ENSURE YOUR GYM IS PROPERLY SANITISED

1. If it hasn’t been done already, you’ll need to clean and disinfect the entire centre and all the materials that users and staff will be using. This cleaning process should be undertaken 2 or 3 days before the reopening, in order to make sure that cleaning teams have time to properly clean every space and material.
2. There won’t be much difference between this deep clean and the later daily cleaning in terms of protocol, but it’s an opportunity to ensure that every element is taken care of while also setting new routines and protocols.
3. Don’t forget to turn on the air conditioning/heating systems an hour or so before cleaning in order to remove any loose dust that may have accumulated during the closure.
4. Once that’s taken care of, you’ll need to create a cleaning plan in order to minimise the risk of contagion when users return.
5. When doing this you’ll need to bear in mind the length of time that COVID-19 can survive on different surfaces, in order to focus efforts on the most problematic areas. According to the information we have up to now, we know the following about how long the virus lasts on these common surfaces:
   • • • wood – 2 days
       • Glass, furniture, and counters – 2 to 4 days
       • Plastic – 7 days
       • Metals – More than 7 days

AREAS OF FOCUS FOR GYM CLEANING

In order to get ready for the reopening of your gym, there are certain areas that you’ll need to pay special attention to when cleaning and disinfecting.

• Fitness Studio/Machine room/Lockers. Start by dusting the machines and materials one by one, down to dumbbells, bars, and kettlebells. Next use a detergent disinfectant to eliminate any trace of bacteria or fungi.
• Showers/Sauna/Spa area. A detergent disinfectant is useful for this area, and it’s important to clean all areas, including floors, walls, and drains/gutters.
• Flooring. Floors should be attended to last, once all the other areas have been cleaned. You can find a guide to the best products to use and how to use them below, all of which are guaranteed not to damage our virgin rubber gym flooring.