You may not think that we would do any work with projects such as changing rooms, however, as part of our ventilation services, this is something we have done, and will continue to do. In this blog, we will talk about why it is so important to have adequate ventilation in a changing room and why it can also help your business if you have these areas.

Changing rooms are such an important part of the leisure industry and if not ventilated properly they can cause loss of business – so read on and find out how EJM can help you.

What type of changing rooms can be affected?

We are not talking the type of changing room that you find inside a clothes shop – although these are usually ventilated by the whole shop system, they don’t normally have their own ventilation as such. The type of changing rooms we are talking about are the ones found in leisure centres (or even private homes that are large).

Changing room such as those found in gymnasiums or swimming pool areas – these need really good ventilation to maintain excellent hygienic standards that people come to expect.

Why are these sort of changing rooms at risk, if not ventilated?

It may be a cliché but changing rooms found in swimming pools and gyms have all the elements of a perfect storm! They have everything that ventilation is needed for – heat, steam and damp.

They have heat, of course, to keep the area warm. Often these places have steam in them from shower areas or even steam escaping from nearby sauna areas. And by the very nature of these type of changing rooms they also have damp areas, from water that may have been walked through from the swimming pool, and also the steam droplets themselves. All in all, a place where ventilation is definitely required!

What could become a problem?

With all of these factors, there will be a lot of moisture in the air and just like any other area in the home or business, poor ventilation and moisture can lead to mildew. Mildew itself is very unsightly and can be a great indicator of a problem in an area where ventilation is required. Another sign is black mould – this in itself can be a health hazard, especially where vulnerable people may be using the service, such as young children or elderly.

If you own a business that has a footfall of the general public, then the last thing they want to see is mould and mildew at the facility, not only is it a health issue but also bad for business!

So how does ventilation help?

Really good ventilation can help by removing the excess humidity in the air, which causes the build-up of bacteria little leads to mould and mildew forming. The sort of ventilation used is extraction – where fans get rid of the steam and help remove all the moisture from the air.

It is worth remembering though, that even with these fans and extraction system in place, they will still need full maintenance to work efficiently. Proper maintenance and industrial cleaning of this type of ventilation system keep it running at its full potential, and that is something we can schedule in as part of a maintenance plan.

Do you really need that much maintenance?

Because the system such as this extraction ventilation is constantly working to remove moisture from the air, it will need looking after. Any ventilation system will become inefficient if left long enough – vents that become clogged can make a fan start to sound noisy (something else which can annoy customers!) There can even be a build-up of harmful bacteria inside the ventilation ducts, and this is something that we can help service and clean.

Poorly maintained ventilation equipment in areas such as changing rooms can leave the air feeling oppressive or muggy, you may have even experienced this yourself in public swimming pools.

So what next?

Not only can we install these ventilation extraction systems to changing rooms, as an independent company we choose the very best systems to suit your budget and are not tied to any single type. We can discuss your project and fit new or renew existing systems to make sure that sure changing rooms keep to a high standard of hygiene, cleanliness and are mould free. If you do have an existing installation, we can set up a service plan with you to ensure that it is maintained fully and that your customers will have expected hygiene standards at your premises.

Like any premises that have this sort of system, there are strict health and safety guidelines to maintain, so for peace of mind, and an initial assessment, please get in touch with us and we can ensure that your changing rooms are a safe place and your customers will enjoy your facilities.