
Rides, entertainment and fun family time - these are the first things to cross our minds when amusement parks are talked about. However, a lot more goes into their maintenance. Hundreds of people throng amusement parks everyday. The number further increases during the weekends and holiday seasons. An increase in footfall means more germs, waste and an ever increased need for cleaning.
As was proved by the 2015 outbreak of measles in Disneyland, you can never be TOO careful when it comes to amusement park cleaning. But, for cleaning companies, amusement parks are a big challenge. Cleaners battle with all kinds of germs and bacteria between restrooms, concession stands, and the countless touch points on rides and games. The challenge becomes even tougher during busy summer and holiday seasons. Here are some tips on effective amusement park cleaning.
Here are the major touch points that need cleaning in an amusement park:
• Restrooms
Restrooms in general, harbor a lot of germs and bacteria. Add to it the constant rush witnessed by an amusement park restroom, and the task becomes a major challenge for cleaning companies. To prevent bacteria from building up, the washroom hygiene team must clean touch points throughout the day. These include toilet seats, door handles, flush handles and a lot more. In addition, they must adhere to more stringent and extensive cleaning on a regular basis.
When deep cleaning, it is ideal to use a spray-and-vac system to remove sweat, dirt, and soil from restroom toilets, sinks, floors, and touch points. An added advantage of this system is that it will leave your floors clean and dry immediately, so you won’t have to worry about shutting the facility.
• Concession stands
Concession stands are a breeding ground for bacteria. Throughout the day, these areas are constantly stained and covered with crumbs, partially eaten food, and spilled liquids. All of these factors attract a lot of germs and to combat these, your cleaning team must clean up any spills immediately and take out the trash as often as possible. A squeegee cleaning system for counters, tables and other flat surfaces is a quick, easy and effective way to clean in one go. Concession stands must be cleaned several times a day because they involve food preparation and also attract most of the traffic. Portable cleaning products are particularly handy for these cleaning tasks because they give a cleaning attendant flexibility and allow them to cover plenty of ground during open hours.
Rides and touch points
Rides are great places to have fun. But, can you imagine all the germs they harbor? With their varied shapes and variety, these are perhaps the trickiest areas to clean in an amusement park. However, their major touch points need to be identified and cleaned in order to prevent the spread of germs and bacteria. This includes everything from ride handlebars to arcade game buttons. Cleaning rides during the hours of operation might not be feasible because of the volume of riders waiting to take their turns. But you should have your custodians address other touch points throughout the day to limit the spread of bacteria.
If your cleaning team is using microfiber towels to clean any of these touchpoints, make sure that they follow certain procedures to avoid cross-contamination. Your custodians should use new towels when moving from one area to another or use disposable wipes instead.
Best practices to follow
• Using disposable wipes
• Segregating waste
• Installation of trash bins after every few kilometers
• Using eco friendly and customized chemicals
• Installing hand washing stations and hand sanitizers
• Ensuring regular training for cleaning staff
• End-of-day sanitation procedures for restroom, kitchen and other facilities
• Frequent cleaning and ‘wash down’ of outdoor locations, including walkways and queues
To summarize, cleaning amusement parks is certainly not a piece of cake but with proper measures in place, it’s not impossible either.