hardwood gym floor cleaner

Hardwood Gym Floor Cleaner for Covid-19: What to Use and How Often

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A gym floor is the central point for every school or sports facility.  Due to the coronavirus outbreak, people are focused on the safest way to disinfect their gym floors. We’re an experienced company that provides top quality services to some of the biggest businesses in the New Jersey area. We find it necessary to share with you  on how to prevent the virus from spreading in your gym. In this post, we’ll cover some of the best gym floor maintenance measures against the coronavirus. We’ll also share with you some additional tips on how you can properly maintain your gym floor year-round with the right hardwood gym floor cleaner.

COVID-19 and Gym Floors: What are the Risks?

The Covid-19 crisis is still in the early stages of the pandemic. So, we currently don’t know that much about the virus or how to protect against it. It’s critical to know the correct information on how to contain the spread of the virus.

We know that sweat cannot transmit the coronavirus. But high-contact surfaces can potentially be a problem.  With indoor ball sports or any other close-contact activities, the virus can spread quickly. The germs can also remain on surfaces for several days.

How to Disinfect Gym Floors Against Coronavirus

Most schools, gyms, and sports arenas in the US have shut down over the past couple of weeks. Or are planning to shut down soon.  While this will slow the outbreak, it’s crucial to implement specific measures, ensuring virus doesn’t spread when things go back to normal. Regular hardwood cleaning should be done with mild cleaners that can’t damage the finish or the wood.

When it comes to the frequency of disinfecting activities, it all depends on how much foot traffic your gym floor sees. If you’ve a high-traffic surface, you should consider cleaning your floor once, or twice a day. It’s important to pick the right cleaning solution to avoid further damage.  We’ll discuss this next.

Bona Recommended Wooden Gym Floor Maintenance March 2020

When cleaning any type of ball or gym equipment, don’t just use any type of cleaner you find.  Never use household cleaning products on your gym floor. These products can harm the floor finish and may make it slippery, which is a tripping hazard.

Only a few disinfectants have been proven to eliminate the Novel Coronavirus.  Make sure to use an EPA-approved disinfectant and apply it appropriately.  After cleaning your hardwood with an EPA-approved disinfectants, rinse the surface and clean it with a pH-neutral cleaner.  You should do this immediately after cleaning your hardwood floor. Disinfectants can eat away at the gloss level if left on for too long.  We recommend you use the Bona SuperCourt Hardwood Gym Floor Cleaner or the Bona Deep Clean Solution.  

Both of these can be used with an auto scrubber and a clean, white polishing pad, or a microfiber cleaning pad.  We recommend you use an auto scrubber, as it will remove any residue and cleaning solution from the floor.  Keep in mind, these two recommended products are not disinfectants. Instead, they’re used to clean the gym floor from any residue without affecting the gloss level or coefficient of friction.

Additional Tips for Proper Maintenance

Aside from the current focus on how to most efficiently maintain your gym floor to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, there are many other day-to-day activities you should do to give your gym floor the best care possible.  As we previously mentioned, correctly applying the appropriate solution will make your floor clean, durable, and safe for facility users. Although scratches and scuffs can’t be avoided, having a proper care regimen will keep your gym floor safe and looking good.  Below are two additional things to keep in mind for proper gym floor care. 

Ventilation

The ventilation, or air conditioning systems in your gym, must be working properly and maintain a relative air humidity between 35% and 50%.  Also, in light of the current situation, make sure that you don’t leave the ventilation off for a prolonged period of time. Good air circulation and proper ventilation will not only improve the quality of the air but can also help prevent the potential spread of germs by maintaining healthy indoor air quality.

Regular Floor Upkeep

Due to being very porous, wood can absorb as well as release a lot of moisture.  That’s why it’s crucial to keep water off the floor surface, particularly around high-traffic areas such as exterior doorways. If any liquid spills on the floor, make sure to immediately remove any traces of it before it seeps into the wood.  Aside from this, you should sweep the floor daily with a properly treated dust mop. This will keep the floor clean from any abrasive particles, dirt, or dust. While the time will come to recoat your gym floor, with regular care and maintenance, you can delay how long your floor can go between screening and recoating.

Give Your Gym Floor the Best Treatment

Installing new gym floors, or sanding and refinishing your current floor can be a big investment, especially if you’re working on a tight budget.  Proper gym floor maintenance will not only help you prevent the spread of viruses like COVID-19 on your property, but it can also significantly extend the life expectancy of your hardwood floor.  If you have any questions regarding gym floor maintenance or wish to schedule a consultation for your gym floor project, feel free to reach out to us by filling out our quick contact form directly on our site.