How to Disinfect a Locker Room

According to the Centers for Disease Control, over 100,000 people have been admitted to hospital emergency rooms for skin infections that turned out to be MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus), and at least one athlete has died. Even non-MRSA staph infections can be dangerous, so it is vital to thoroughly disinfect locker rooms. It's not hard to clean locker rooms, but disinfecting them is harder. Using EPA-approved MRSA-killing cleansers and disposable cleaning tools is a good way to start, and there are also things you can do to prevent staph infections from developing.

Things You'll Need

• Dust mask
• Rubber gloves
• Disinfectant spray cleanser
• Disposable, disinfectant wipes
• Toilet cleanser
• Toilet wand with disposable pads
• Glass cleaner
• Disposable shop cloths
• Disinfectant floor cleanser
• Bucket
• Hot water
• Sponge mop with replaceable sponge
• Trash can with disposable liner
• Laundry baskets with disposable liners

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Instructions

• 1

  Put on your mask and gloves. Staph infections can enter the skin through the smallest cut or scratch, so don't skimp on your protective gear.

• 2

  Clean all washable surfaces with a disinfectant spray cleanser and disposable, disinfectant wipes instead of a sponge. Concentrate on the surfaces where athletes sit, and the things they touch, like handles.

• 3

  Clean all sinks with spray disinfectant and wipes. Pay careful attention to handles, and make sure to clean the soap dispensers, too.

• 4

  Wipe down any vending machines, wall dispensers and wall-mounted hand dryers with disinfectant wipes. The rule to keep in mind is that if they touch it, you need to clean it.

• 5

  Clean the insides and outsides of all lockers with disinfectant spray cleanser and wipes. Put any unwashed clothing or athletic gear in hampers that have disposable liners.

• 6

  Clean showers thoroughly with disinfectant cleanser. Don't forget the shower handles and the showerhead. Take down plastic curtains, if any, and wash them in a machine using hot water.

• 7

  Squirt toilet cleanser into all toilets. Let it sit while you clean the outsides, bases, tanks and flush handles with disinfectant.

• 8

  Scrub the insides of the toilets with a toilet wand that has disposable pads. The more disposable cleaning tools you use, the less risk you have of spreading germs around the locker room.

• 9

  Spray glass cleaner onto all mirrors and use disposable shop cloths, which are lint free, sturdier and less expensive than paper towels.

• 10

  Squirt a very generous amount of EPA-approved disinfectant floor cleanser into a bucket of hot water. Mop the entire floor, including behind toilets, under sinks and in the showers. Rinse the mop often, and replace and cleanser as soon as the bucket starts to look murky.