Maintaining a clean environment is just as important as keeping up with the newest fitness equipment and latest, trending classes. If members don’t feel comfortable with how clean your club is, they might not stay members for long.
Club Solutions spoke with Melissa Sowell, the chief administration officer at Chuze Fitness, about the importance of cleanliness in a health club, particularly in areas with children. Chuze Fitness has a very popular daycare area called Kids Club, and in that environment, sanitation is of the utmost importance.
CS: How do you keep Chuze Fitness clubs clean?
MS: We have integrated “clean” into our 3 C’s: culture, cleanliness and customer service. Every single employee understands that having a clean facility is paramount to members and making their children feeling comfortable, welcome and safe. Cleaning is such a bedrock of our business that we’ve had numerous employees tell us they will be at other businesses, see something on the floor and automatically pick it up.
CS: Why is it so important for these areas to be clean?
MS: Cleanliness in Kids Club, and in general, is very important from an aesthetic standpoint, and equally important from a health and safety standpoint. We want members and their children to feel comfortable and have confidence that while they are working and playing they are safe.
CS: How does Chuze Fitness ward off infection and spreading of sickness?
MS: Chuze has stringent cleaning policies and procedures along with a zero-tolerance policy regarding children who have a cold or another apparent illness. They are not allowed in Kids Club — the staff uses their discretion and have the authority to ask a parent to take their child home. We have found most parents are understanding of the policy and we have a had very few issues.
CS: What is Chuze Fitness’ cleaning schedule on a daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly basis?
MS: Daily: Kids Club is cleaned after every shift (morning sessions are 8:30 to 12:30 and evening sessions are 4:30 to 9:00) with a child-safe solution that is sprayed on all areas including toys. The Kids Club main floor, restrooms and all surfaces (knobs, handles and gaming consoles, etc.) are cleaned after each shift.
Weekly: Every club has two to three items daily that are deep cleaned on a weekly basis. Examples include playhouses, play cars (deep cleaned with Q-tips), walls and baseboards, etc.
Monthly: Air vents and grates, etc.
Quarterly: If the club has carpet, it is deep cleaned.
Procedures: We do not perform any cleaning (unless it’s an emergency) while children are present. Our standard operating procedure is for all children to leave, then we begin the cleaning process. We pay particular attention to items that hands touch frequently: toys, handles and knobs — this is where germ transference largely occurs.
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Bobby is the former assistant editor of Club Solutions Magazine.
