Do you work out daily or several days a week at your gym, school, or other sports facility? How often do you use the shower, locker room, or changing areas? Did you know that locker rooms, just like other sports surfaces, provide excellent conditions for microorganisms like the ones that cause MRSA and Staph to live and reproduce? Research from the Center for Disease Control speaks very diligently about controlling the spread of these very serious infections. According to their information, MRSA and Staph are transmitted through bodily fluids and spread easily when the 5 C’s are present.
The 5 C’s Of MRSA Transmission
- Contact (skin to skin)
- Compromised skin (even minor cuts and scrapes)
- Contaminated items and surfaces (towels, band aids, tissues)
- Lack of Cleanliness
In places like locker rooms, the 5 C’s are hard to control, and MRSA and Staph can even be spread in a perfectly clean locker room. But let’s face it, most of us would not claim our locker rooms are the picture of perfection when it comes to cleanliness. Towels and sweaty clothes are strewn everywhere, potentially leaving behind microorganisms on all the surfaces they come in contact with. Locker rooms are an ideal living environment for bacteria. Warm, humid, and moist environments encourage their growth and reproduction. Add in community showers, band aids, and water bottles, and you have a recipe for disaster.
What The Gym Can Do To Prevent MRSA and Staph Infections from Locker Rooms
Currently, there are two ways to kill bacteria lurking on surfaces that can cause MRSA and Staph. Harsh and toxic chemicals can be used, but will need to be used at least once a day with particular attention to sanitizing every locker room surface. A simpler and less toxic solution is ultra violet light technology (also called germicidal UVC). UVC is a special wavelength of light not visible to the human eye that penetrates the cell walls of microorganisms and destroys their ability to reproduce. Applying this light to your locker room surfaces is made easy with the miniZapr, made by Greensgroomer Worldwide. The miniZapr offers everything you need to eliminate harmful bacteria in locker rooms, on gym equipment, or community mats and other sports items. The miniZapr can be used just like a vacuum cleaner on floors or comes with a pull away germicidal UVC wand to sanitize tough to reach surfaces and small spaces. It is powered by either a small generator or you can plug it right into a wall outlet. Anyone can use the miniZapr, and it poses no health risk, unlike toxic chemicals, to patrons or staff.
Sports Turf NW Provides Knowledge and Germicidal UVC Equipment
Sports Turf NW was born from a personal case of Staph spread through playing sports. With personal attention to educating athletes, gyms, and trainers, Sports Turf NW is happy to supply the latest in UVC technology, with both the GreenZapr and miniZapr. For further reading on the risks of MRSA and Staph to athletes, read these recent articles:
Concerned your locker room is a potential health risk? We can help. Call us today to learn more.