WAXIE Blog

Messed Around and Got a Triple Double – All-Star Gym Floor Care

Written by Trent Fitzgerald | Jan 12, 2012 5:52:00 PM
The Busy Life of a Gym Floor

What starts off the week with a student assembly, then moves on to PE class, volleyball practice, a wrestling meet, a basketball game, and then finishes off the week with a school dance?

Think we are talking about the busy schedule of your high school student?

Try the busy schedule of your local high school’s gym floor!



A Game Plan for Gym Floor Care
With all this activity, it is little wonder that proper gym floor maintenance becomes critical to keep the floors looking good, and to extend the life of the gym floor surface.

Just like the school’s basketball team needs to have a good game plan to win their game against their rival opponents, it is important for the custodial crew to have a good gym floor care maintenance game plan to win their battle against their rivals: dirt, grit and grime.

Daily Maintenance
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure as the saying goes, and gym floor care maintenance is no exception.  It is important to have an effective daily maintenance routine.  

As the busy schedule described above demonstrates, most gym floors are used all day long, and often they are abused by street shoes, equipment, tables and chairs.  

The dirt and grit that is tracked onto the gym floor surface is very abrasive, and if not picked up daily, the gym floor will become dull and slippery.

Each gym schedule is unique, but a good rule of thumb is to dry mop the floor after each activity.  Keeping the dirt and grit off the floor will help to maintain gloss and traction.

At the end of each day, wet mop the floor to remove the sweat, soils, and spills that dry mopping can’t get to.  Wet mopping the gym floor to remove the daily grime will help to maintain the traction required to play basketball, volleyball and other sports.

Preventative Maintenance
To augment your daily cleaning procedures, here are some other preventative maintenance tips:

  • 
Place appropriate sized entryway matting in doorways to keep out dirt, grit and moisture (a good rule of thumb is to have 10’ feet of matting in the primary direction of travel)
  • 
Avoid excess moisture from leaks or overly wet mopping
  • 
Install felt pad protectors on tables and chairs to be used on gym floors (and/or utilize protective covering over gym floor for non-athletic events)

  • Replace HVAC filters often

Next: Periodic Maintenance and Product Application
Watch this space in the future for more information on gym floor care maintenance – including periodic maintenance and product application.



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