How clean is your dojo?

[Aikikitty]

I recall threads talking about hygiene in the dojo before but how clean is your dojo normally? Is it always spick and span or are your feet consistently black from the dirt on the floor?

Our dojo gets quite messy at times and I think that's probably because we don't have regular people cleaning/sweeping it--it's probably mostly personal volunteering. And it's hard to find time to do it for most people as everybody has jobs and a family or drives a long distance just to come to class.

My Aikido club is just a rented room with other businesses in other rooms in the building. It's not just us either but a BJJ club and a Ju-jutsu (sp?) club and they often don't clean up after themselves (or it's hard to tell if they do). In all fairness, we don't have time to clean up after our class as the BJJ guys are already piling in and warming up. Also, our dojo not long ago had a cleaning day where all the mats were re-arranged and the ceiling rafters and walls were shaved of their dust--that helped! But we often have to sweep the mats before our class as there are always other peoples hairs and dust bunnies that fell from the dirty air conditioner all over it. (Yuck!) I've made a special point to vacuum the small area of carpets by the door and surrounding the mats several times but it's get bad again quickly and I'm not able to bring the vacuum regularly so we always get lints and stuff stuck to our feet and tracked on the mat (even if we stop and try to brush it off first). I do know that somebody does often spray disinfectant spray over the mats and that helps--'course there is that spot of dried blood on the mat that just won't come up.

In the changing closet, several people from one of the other clubs regularly leaves there gi's hanging in there. That's normally fine but occasionally, they'll get so stinky that it hits you like a wave when you open the door and you have to hold your breath while you change. :erg: After weeks of that, they finally got washed and everyone rejoiced!

Over all, it's not as dusty/dirty as it could be (that's for sure) but there's room for improvement!

Robyn

 

[kenpo tiger]

Our dojo is just ours, so it's kept relatively clean. There are times that some of the men bring their little ones with them (yes, you heard correctly!) and that's when things get messier. We all pitch in and help straighten up when they are leaving. The mat is vaccuumed regularly and the mirrors cleaned; however, dusting is seriously neglected. The rest room is clean, although the seat is usually left up... hmmm. No one leaves articles of clothing or uniforms in the changing rooms purposely and, if they do, they are handed in to the master.

We regularly find kids' jackets, sneakers, karate shoes, hats, you name it.

Also - no shoes on the mat unless they're karate shoes. Of course, there's the problem of old shoes which are falling apart...

As to the odor, it only emanates from the guys who don't lift a finger to do laundry. Ever tried doing a close-in tech on someone who hasn't washed his uniform in a month?

 

[shesulsa]

Well, our dojang is a converted barn. Actually, the barn was divided into three sections - one still a barn, the center part was previously a feed store (concrete slab floor) and the other end is a mechanical shop (fixing cars). We cleaned up the middle, which has a loft, painted, put plastic over the exposed insulation and put several layers of carpeting over the concrete, then gymnastics mats on top of that.

Only the older, more traditional students sweep the mat, vaccuum, dust, take the garbage out, clean the bathroom...the others are college-age kids whose mommies are still doing everything for them.

As far as I'm concerned, the lower belts should be doing these things, but...well, I digress.

Ultimately, one of us higher ranks will clean up right in front of the under belts and the teacher will ask, hasn't anybody else been doing this? No, sir. You know, everyone should contribute to keeping the dojang clean. Yes, sir. But they still leave their partially-filled water bottles, dinner trash, protein bar wrappers on the floor...and no one leave their uniforms there. If someone's not clean upon arrival, they don't work out with anyone else.

FWIW

 

[terryl965]

Well we clean are's thre times a week, we vacumm every other day and carpet clean the carpet once a month and with all of that we still have dirty feet at the end of the day!!!!. God Bless America

 

[MichiganTKD]

We use a City-owned building for class, and to a certain extent must deal with other groups' messes. However, we make sure all tables and chairs are out of the way as much as possible and that the floor is swept and mopped. A clean floor is a safer floor. When we leave, the things we can put back we do-U.S. flag re-hung, sandbag taken down, class flags removed etc. We do not want a reputation as the Tae Kwon Do class that won't clean up after themselves.

 

[theletch1]

Ours stays very clean. It's dusted, swept and vacuumed before every class. The students (and parents of the kids in the kids class as well) are good about making sure everything is kept clean and we have one adult student who has an almost zen like obsession for dusting. Aikido techniques are almost all close in techs so getting gis washed is a priority for every one.

 

[Spud]

Our dojo is fairly clean, but the puzzle mat doesn’t seem to get swept or vacuumed that often. Otherwise we students do a good job of cleaning up after ourselves.

The big problem is the bathroom/shower room. We share that with a dive school. Have problems with people not flushing toilets and I haven’t walked into the shower/locker room and smelled fresh cleaning solutions in 6-months. It’s not bad, but I don’t like going barefoot in there.

 

[tshadowchaser]

Mine is in a converted storage room. The dust from the streets comes through the roof and blows in through some of the boarded up windows. The floor is a patch work of concret and verry uneven.
We try to sweep it befor every class but you can clean it 5 times and still get more dust and dirt. I call it a dungon for a good reason thats because its cold in the winter and way to hot in the summer.
The cealing is non exsistant (its only a roof) and cleaning it is not an easy task because of the wires, sprinklers, etc.
If I where rich I'd most likely find a cleanr better looking place.

 

[dubljay]

Our dojo is usually quite clean. There are a few of us that show up early on Saturday mornings and clean up. Though as of late I have been the only one doing the cleaning.Oh well, such is life.

- Josh -

 

[Cryozombie]

We train in my Instructor's basement. His wife keeps the place pretty clean.

 

[WLMantisKid]

Our school is like a second home to us. We always clean up after ourselves and make efforts to keep things in working shape and order. It just makes it more pleasant for us. The Feng Shui is great.

 

[mj-hi-yah]

I

Love your new smileys!!! Our school looks great on the surface and the mats and bathroom are always clean...just don't look in the corners...

 

[TigerWoman]

Gosh, you all have made me feel guilty. I think I will organize a clean-up committee. We have a really nice exercise room. Wood floor, thick carpeting and puzzle mats. Upper floor, air conditioning and heat. Compared to our previous drafty one, too small, previous location.

Spud: you have showers? I always go by the old Walmart building and dream of a TKD center. Compete with shower rooms, jacuzzi, weight gym room, locker rooms with enough space to stow stuff, lounge/coffee/juice area, equipment store and separate exercise areas for kids and adults. Our noon class is more than half kids now, little ones. and the other half are BB's. Its summer. Then the mom's come with their little ones and they run around. I'm afraid I'll hit them so its real distracting. Think I'll go to kids class because there's probably not many there.

I used to do the cleaning, mop the mats with disinfectant, clean the bathroom, bring my steam cleaner and clean carpets for a long time. I really don't think the men noticed and after the kids class it was back to square one. Everyone complained the mats were too slippery. I didn't use much soap. More grip when they are dirty But we have to touch our chin on those mats doing pushups!! I used to have a class of overweight people but it got down to one person who would come sporadically, drove me crazy. The master didn't advertise the class. I found out that the student was the one cleaning the dojang and my class was her pay. I would have spent less time just doing the cleaning because she wasn't getting anywhere in my class at the rate she was going.

Well, I think I will organize something. My instructor, I believe, is doing the cleaning and not such a great job. But I'm not going back to doing it all.TW

 

[XkempoX]

In my old dojo, whoever is in the last class gets their knees on the ground with a rug in their hands, a bucket of pine-sol with water and hand wipe the mats syncronized in rows. This is done every single night, how about that for additional work-out.

 

[karatekid1975]

Our Dojang is clean. The ones who work there clean the place daily (trash, bathrooms, ect), but once a week the senior belts (red and up) are REQUIRED to come in on saturday to do the dusting, scrubbing of mats, windows, ect. It's usually about 5 people each saturday. There is a schedule for who comes in what saturday. Some of them that work saturdays come in during the week to pitch in.

But some of the adults (lower ranks) help out for the heck of it (like sweeping up after class, and picking up after people).

 

[OC Kid]

I teach outside at my home so I hose it off every now and then..:>).

 

[Spud]

One question for students who clean their dojo. Are you in a contract with your school or in month-to-month payments? My initial thought would be that schools with 6-12 month contracts wouldn’t have students cleaning. Not trying to be flippant, just inquiring. BTW – I am in a 6-month contract and would still help clean the dojo if asked.

Yeah Tigerwoman, we have showers – fringe benefit of sharing bathrooms with the scuba diving center next door (they have a training pool). But they are lacking in cleanliness.

 

[TigerWoman]

I got to thinking about the students who would clean - sign up on my list.
The owner, donated the place, has his own business, teaches when he can doesn't have much time. Other black belts help teach kids, women's classes, evening classes and don't have much time.. It mostly leaves the lower belts. They haven't developed any loyalty or appreciation yet and if they pay month to month-that is a high rate. Doubt they would do that in addition. Besides they have uniform, equipment, testings, tournament costs too. If they signed a 6-12 month contract that's a longer spread out obligation but for alot who are barely getting by it seems all they should do. Still some people have a extra hour and combined would make a TEAM effort. I would see green 1 yr. people, on up doing it.

Not to supplant Spuds, PREVIOUS POST. He has a question to students who are now cleaning... I wasn't in that category, but wanted to comment again. Sorry...us women just can't be quiet (speaking for myself). :uhyeah:

 

[OC Kid]

My instructor never turned anyone away. If the student couldnt afford to pay then he would have them clean the dojo or something. But the paying students no they didnt have to. Only if they wanteed to. In some cases he would reduce the amount of the dues if they helped out got there early and fired the heater up in the winter ect (remember I got my b/b in washington state)

 

[sifu nick]

At the beginning of classes it's quite clean. We vacuum, clean bathrooms, mirrors, dust daily. Of course by the end of the night you'd never know it.