Effective Stadium Cleaning

Daniel Took, Head of Professional Product Marketing at Kärcher UK discusses best practice for ensuring stadium cleanliness.

As fans begin to return to football stadiums across the country, it is vital that stadium managers ensure they are effectively cleaned. With heightened hygiene and cleaning concerns following the coronavirus pandemic, it is more important than ever that each required stadium cleaning task is completed correctly, using the right equipment, to the highest standards.

The Stands

As fans vacate the stands after a sporting event, rubbish including tissues, empty chip trays, paper cups, flyers and more are left behind. Loose dirt and waste can be cleaned away by teams of staff sweeping the stands between the seats, or more efficiently with the use of a leaf blower in addition to a broom. The leaf blower can effortlessly move the rubbish along the aisles between the seats and onto a wider gangway where it can be collected manually or using a sweeper.

Spilt drinks and food particles often leave seats needing to be cleaned before the next event to improve the spectator experience. For cleaning the seats, cold and hot water high‑pressure cleaners are most effective for tackling even coarse dirt in record time. When selecting a device, it is important to remember that you will need access to water to make use of the pressure washer. Hose extensions enable users to reach their nearest water connection and may also enable users to clean larger sections in one go.

The final, troublesome subject on many cleaning lists is chewing gum which can often be found on or under seats as well as on stadium railings. Chewing gum can be removed effectively using hot water high‑pressure cleaners. Mobile steam cleaners, such as the SGG 1, are specially designed to remove chewing gum making them ideal when water sources are not available. Their innovative battery technology enables uninterrupted cleaning for several hours, whilst the use of steam alongside a degradable detergent ensures that you leave no residue behind.

Playing Surfaces

Ensuring the playing surface is in the best condition is key for sports stadiums in any sport. Cylinder lawnmowers are well suited for grass playing surfaces, as their high area performance and adjustable cutting height ensure that ground staff can keep the playing surface in the best condition. Several different versions of this device are available: front mowers are manoeuvrable and provide a good view of the cutting deck, which is accessible and can be fitted quickly. Central mowers feature consistent driving characteristics with a fitted deck, which make straight mowing lines easier to achieve. Lawn sweepers help to ensure a clean playing surface, as they remove the cut grass from the ground using a roller and throw it backwards into a container. Grass suction devices can be connected to mowers extracting the cut grass via a vacuum fan that deposit into a waste hopper.

If the playing field is covered in artificial turf, significantly less effort is required to clean it: sweepers can be equipped with a suitable attachment to allow a regular cleaning schedule.

Changing Rooms

These high traffic areas by multiple sets of users require that changing rooms and washrooms undergo intensive cleaning. It is important to note that effective cleaning is essential prior to disinfection. Acidic and alkaline detergents allow you to remove mineral‑based and organic dirt – the basis of life for these unwelcome guests. Surfaces should be rinsed before the application of detergents and rinsed again afterwards to remove the agents from the surface. Once the surfaces have been effectively cleaned, disinfection using misting spraying machines can be done to ensure an intensive clean ready for use by the next team.

Stadium maintenance is paramount to the safety of fans and players, as well as shaping a key role in their gameday experience. Ensuring that surfaces are left tidy, clean, and hygienic goes a long way to creating an appealing and safe environment.