The last thing anyone thinks of before visiting an indoor water park is getting sick from the environment. Recreational water illnesses (RWIs) include skin, ear, and respiratory infections, but the most common are diarrheal, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Poor water park maintenance can result in these ailments, as well as injuries caused by slippery surfaces. No public area is 100 percent free from germs and bacteria, but thorough cleaning will reduce the amount of health problems created in your indoor water park.
Slides and Ladders
These pool entrance tools get hard usage through the entire day, as guests climb out and slide back into the pool again and again. Bacteria can be deposited from shed skin cells, then lie in wait to spread disease to the first person to touch the surface the next day. The key to cleaning these surfaces is not to redeposit germs once you clean them. Use a spray bottle with the appropriate cleaning solutions and disposable wipes to clean each surface and handle. Using regular rags allows germs to be spread back onto the slides; disposable wipes trap the germs and bacteria on the wipe and transfers them into the garbage.
Splash Area
Most splash areas are in need of intense and frequent water park maintenance, mostly because of the guests who frequent them. These shallow pools are meant for the youngest guests, including toddlers who wear diapers or are not well toilet-trained. E. coli is a constant danger in these pools, and your cleaning methods should always take this into account. Test the pool chemical strength at least once every two hours, and adjust the chlorine makeup as needed. Use a commercial squeegee on a pole to quickly remove dirty water from surfaces around the pool, leaving the floor tiles clean and dry to the touch.
Floor Surfaces
The tile floors around and between pools get the majority of the foot traffic in indoor water parks. Guests often run around barefoot, and many of them shed bacteria from a variety of skin diseases and foot ailments such as plantar warts. Thorough cleaning every day is crucial to keeping the area as safe as possible. Use an autovac to spread commercial cleaning solutions, scrub the surfaces and vacuum the floor simultaneously to remove dirt, germs, and moisture. Machines with a battery power pack allow you to move among the pool areas without cords tangling behind. The result is a clean and dry floor that's safe for your guests to use the next day.
For more information on floor cleaning and floor safety, click here.
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