The foul odors in arena locker rooms usually stem from participants not cleaning their sports bags. However, housekeeping staff have no control over this, as they are not responsible for cleaning the players' clothing and bags. So, what can be done?
Sources of foul odor problems in arena locker rooms
Arena players' room - The sports bag: the player must wash it, as well as its contents.
- A new group of participants arrives at the arenas every hour, from 6 or 7 a.m. until 11 p.m.
- The housekeeping team must therefore be present for all those hours, 7 days a week. The budget must therefore reflect this.
- This sector is often unionized. Thus, the person operating the ice resurfacer is not allowed to help with housekeeping once their work is finished.
- In the summer, the arena is closed. The employees therefore go to work in other buildings, or take care of the major cleaning of the building (which does not take the whole summer, of course).
Chemical solutions for foul odors
When it comes to household cleaning products, the best solution is those containing enzymes and bacteria. The enzymes neutralize odors, and the bacteria «eat» the harmful bacteria for 24 hours after application. These are truly the only products I know that are genuinely effective for this type of problem.
Here are some products available on the market
- Nu Odor by Innu Science
- Wood Wyant Green 2 Go Bio Odor Controller
- Ino bio 15 from Ino Solutions
- SPORT CAP concentrated odor elimination capsule from EnbiotechPlus
- There are several other products that you can also find in specialist sports stores.
Recommended use
As with many other products, it is important to respect the recommended dilution by the manufacturer. So, after diluting, you just have to spray the product on the items that have a foul odor. You can wash them in a washing machine 24 hours later, but let the odor controller work first.
Where to apply the product?
On any sporting item, whether it be equipment, an accessory or clothing.
Recommended cleaning supplies for locker rooms
One of my favorite items for the locker room sector is the hose or spray gun wash. I'll give you the pressure sprayer that I prefer. We also wrote an article about the shower washing. Since the changing rooms are very busy, washing must be done very quickly. This washing will probably not be possible between all groups, but it should be done. at least once a day.
Recommended cleaning equipment for locker rooms
Not only do changing rooms need to be cleaned very often throughout the day, but the rubber surface also makes regular mopping difficult. We recommend using a scrubber instead. See this article about types of scrubbers as well as this one on the mini self-scrubbers. This article about the specific maintenance of this type of equipment.
Frequencies, working methods, training
Arenas present numerous housekeeping challenges. Yet, very few housekeeping staff have received adequate training. It must be said that cleaning a shower or toilet at home is far from the same as cleaning an arena locker room. Indeed, every hour, a new group of players enters to prepare.
Recommended training
There housekeeping and sanitation training is complete for this type of space. Since there are also entrances, platforms, changing rooms, corridors, and staircases to maintain.
Maintenance frequency
Every arena is different. That's why maintenance frequency must be part of a work time study. This study takes into account the types of spaces in the building, flooring and furniture, as well as the volume of use. The number of players' rooms and their layout are also important. Furthermore, the evaluation includes recommended products, accessories, and equipment. In this regard, we suggest you contact us to obtain a work route per employee.
