Basketball Court Cleaner: Everything You Need to Know (But Didn’t Think to Ask)
A hardwood gym floor is a significant investment and a focal point of any sports facility. With this in mind, you should do whatever you can to keep it in top condition for as long as possible. But, if you’re not working with a commercial cleaning company, creating a continual cleaning plan for your basketball court can be tough. In this post, we’ll cover everything you need to know about cleaning your hardwood basketball court.
Finding the Right Balance
Dust and debris tend to settle overnight. So, you don’t want to forget to clean your court in the evening. Athletes who arrive in the morning to use the gym will be rubbing settled debris into the hardwood as they jump and run throughout the court.
Keep your hardwood gym floor safe from scratches and wear. Clean every morning before you open the facility. If you operate a high-traffic facility, consider mopping twice a day, once before you open the doors and again in the evening.
More importantly, cleaning your court every day will create a safer environment for your athletes. Regular cleaning will reduce the occurrence of dust-induced allergies and respiratory problems in athletes.
People make a common mistake when cleaning because they use the same mop to clean the hallway and the gym floor. You should avoid doing so, as it can result in cross-contamination and often lead to even faster deterioration of the hardwood floor. Mopping the gym floor with the same water you used to clean other rooms in your facility is a bad idea.
The chemicals used to clean other surfaces are often too strong for hardwood. On top of this, cleaning this way will leave the gym floor looking cloudy and damaged because you’ll leave a lot of dirt and residue behind.
Water and Hardwood Basketball Floors: A Good Combination?
Water and hardwood floors generally don’t mix. But when it comes to cleaning, sometimes you have to use water to get rid of more persistent residues. So, don’t be afraid to wet the floor. Sometimes, this is the only way to remove all of the bacteria from the court’s surface.
Daily scrubbing and sweeping go a long way in minimizing dirt and debris that can scratch the floor. But occasionally, you’ll also have to use water or a cleaning solution to give the floor a more thorough cleaning.
Basketball court cleaner Tools to Use
Using the two quintessential janitorial tools — the mop and bucket — isn’t the best way to go about cleaning a hardwood basketball court floor. You can cause water damage and make it unusable and unsafe.
Changes in the hardwood’s moisture content can lead to much bigger problems with your floor, such as buckling and cupping, and require costly repairs or even a complete replacement.
Instead of cleaning the court with a mop and bucket, consider using an automatic scrubber. It’s a much more efficient tool for cleaning the gym, as you can wash and dry the entire court within 15 minutes.
Disinfecting Against Coronavirus
When the pandemic started at the beginning of this year, we published a detailed guide on disinfecting your hardwood floor against the Coronavirus. Although the global situation has changed since the outbreak and the public now knows much more about the virus than when we published the guide, the cleaning and disinfecting practices we shared still apply today.
Keeping high-traffic areas in your gym clean and disinfected is a must. The most important thing you need to do is use an EPA-approved disinfectant, proven effective in eliminating Covid-19 particles from surfaces.
Be careful when choosing the cleaning solution. Make sure to pick a mild cleaner that won’t damage your hardwood sports floor.
What’s the Best Floor Cleaner for a Basketball Court?
Choosing the best floor cleaner for your court shouldn’t be an overwhelming task. You don’t need a massive warehouse filled with cleaning solutions just for your hardwood gym floor. If you’re properly informed, cleaning your sports floor is relatively simple. It’s so simple that any pH-neutral cleaner can do this task. Just keep in mind that proper maintenance isn’t only about keeping your floor clean and looking good.
A well-maintained floor will last longer and do a better job of keeping your athletes safe and free from any injuries. Hopefully, the tips we shared with you on this page have helped you develop a more efficient hardwood floor maintenance routine and choose the best basketball court cleaning solution for your facility.
Additional Hardwood Basketball Court Care
Even with regular and proper maintenance, your floor won’t be immune to scratches and scuffs. You should employ other maintenance practices such as sanding and refinishing and screening and recoating as per the instructions of your flooring expert.
If you have any questions or wish to schedule a consultation with our experienced flooring professionals, reach out to us today. Call (973) 801-7219 or fill out our online form, and we’ll get back to you without delay.
