Commercial gym cleaning is an often overlooked aspect of commercial cleaning. With the mix between having to clean off machines and also clean out gym showers and bathrooms, these commercial cleaning jobs can bring in a substantial amount of money. Although most large, high-end gyms can be kept relatively clean with regular commercial cleaning, sometimes smaller gyms suffer in the cleanliness department. This of course does not mean that every small gym is dirty or worse than a larger gym, it just means that this may be one thing that they struggle with. In this article, we’ll talk about one of the biggest culprits of uncleanliness in a smaller gym: a shower curtain.
While most large gyms forgo the dreaded shower curtain and instead opt for shower stalls, some smaller gyms still utilize more personal looking bathrooms. These more personal bathrooms often have to have shower curtains in order to keep the clients feeling comfortable while showering after the gym. After all, showering is a must, most people get extremely sweaty after working out for a long period of time. What most people don’t know, however, is that shower curtains can be extremely dirty. Commercial cleaners will also often not fully sanitize them in their weekly cleaning of the gym, as doing so fully would require a washing machine at the location of the cleaning.
Some of the most common things researchers found in shower curtains were bacteria and mold. In regards to bacteria, one of the researchers stated that “One [strain] typically only causes infection in very rare cases and, even then, it tends to be in people admitted to the hospital with a compromised immune system,” he said. “For example, those being treated for things like cancer, autoimmune diseases, or HIV. The other bacteria is the one responsible for body odor. Although it may not be desirable, it’s certainly not harmful. [However,] there were small amounts of E. coli, which causes diarrhea.” So, it seems like bacteria may not be a huge problem for most people in regards to shower curtains. Mold, however, is a much bigger concern for the researchers.
While researchers were not very concerned about the bacteria build-up on shower curtains, this is what they had to say about mold. “Mold seems to be a major problem. I think most of the risk is from mold allergies and sharing the shower.”
To stay safe at a gym, make sure that you are not showering in a shower with a curtain. If your gym does utilize a shower curtain, try to wait until you return home to shower.