Whether your club is big, average or small, cleaning is bound to pose some challenges. However, how do those challenges differ, depending on your club’s square footage? We looked at clubs that vary in size to discover what challenges they face when it comes to cleaning, and how they overcame them, to keep their facilities in tip-top shape.
Chuck Hall, the executive director of Big Vanilla in Pasadena, Md., said that, if for some reason a member decides to leave his club, he hoped the reason they were leaving wasn’t because the club wasn’t clean enough. “Members are going to leave, but you don’t want them to leave because of lack of cleanliness,” he said. “Cleanliness is an underlying reason why people join your club. If your club isn’t clean — that would be a main reason not to join.”
To ensure his 90,000-square-foot clubs meet his members’ standards, Hall evoked a policy called “Club Eyes,” which means that staff members continually need to be on the look out for messes. “If you see it, you own it,” said Hall. “For example, if you notice the chairs in the food area are messed up, stop and straighten them. Keeping the club clean is everyone’s job.”
Big Vanilla closes at 11 p.m., and reopens at 5 a.m. According to Hall, the “Club Eyes” policy helps the club stay just as clean as it was after the cleaning crew left at 5 a.m. “The club starts getting used right away, right after we open at 5 a.m.,” explained Hall. “The person coming in at 9 a.m. wants the club to look just as fresh and clean as it did at 5 a.m. This requires all hands on deck — not just the cleaning crew.”
“Club Eyes” also encompasses looking at the club from a member’s perspective. “I ask, ‘what is it that a member would see?’” said Hall. “I have to think of the club like it’s my home. Everyone has different standards.”
Megan Sweitzer, the owner of Retro Fitness in East Norriton, Pa., implemented a policy similar to Big Vanilla’s “Club Eyes,” at her club. “Every hour, my staff has to walk through my gym and make sure everything is clean,” said Sweitzer. “I have them fill out a form when they’re done cleaning a designated ‘zone,’ which they sign with their initials.”
By tracking which zones are cleaned in her 18,000-square-foot club, and by whom, if something is done wrong, Sweitzer is able to go over the mistake with the right person. “I review the sheet everyday,” she said. “My manager also helps me make sure everyone has done their job.”
Sweitzer said the biggest challenge she faced in keeping her club in tip-top shape, was finding a good cleaning company. “I don’t mess around with cleaning companies,” said Sweitzer. “When it comes to my gym being clean, I’m pretty serious.”
According to Sweitzer, communication is key to being happy with the cleaning company you outsource. “You really have to stay on top of the cleaning companies,” she said. “I have my morning staff inspect the company’s work. If anything is not the way it should be, I communicate that, through phone, and a communication log. It is a lot of work.”
“I think you definitely want someone that’s going to put the time into it,” continued Sweitzer. “None of us can afford a company to come in all day and night. It’s important to have someone in the club that you can communicate with, and it’s important to be up front, and go over exactly what you want done daily, weekly and monthly.”
Because Colin Reilly’s 5,000-square-foot clubs are so compact, he relies heavily on his members and a small number of employees to keep his facility clean. “I only have one other employee besides myself,” said Reilly, the owner of Anytime Fitness franchises in Louisiana. “So my manager has a set list of things he has to do throughout the day, such as straightening the bathrooms, vacuuming. You have to stay on top of it.”
With few employees at his disposal to enact “Club Eyes,” Reilly supplemented the lack of manpower with member education, and a steady supply of anti-bacterial sanitizers and wipes. “There are a lot of things we go over with our members,” said Reilly. “Cleanliness, and how important it is, is a major topic.”
According to Hall, member education is a powerful tool club owners can utilize to keep their facilities at their cleanest. “If you have a club that’s unsanitary, I bet the members haven’t been taught how to clean up after themselves properly,” speculated Hall. “The members have to be taught to clean the equipment, just as well as the staff.”
Particularly in a smaller club, member-on-member accountability is an asset as well. “You’d be surprised at how many members watch to see who cleans off their equipment after each use,” said Hall. “And some members aren’t afraid to call you out for not wiping off a machine after you’ve used it.”
Which is why member education is so important. It doesn’t matter whether your club is 100,000 square feet, or 5,000. Members need to be made part of the cleaning process. Educate them on the dangers of MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), which according to Medical News Today, can survive for days on gym equipment. However, a simple act such as wiping off equipment after each use, could cut the chances of members contracting the illness substantially.
Additionally, stay on top of your daily, monthly and weekly action items. “Cleaning is just a constant thing,” said Reilly. “So don’t let it get behind.”
By Rachel Zabonick
