Editor’s Note: Health Clubs are big business and winter is boom time for health clubs as people try to shed holiday calories and cold-weather pounds. Cleaning health clubs can be an excellent opportunity for a cleaning service. If you desire more information, call us for our extensive report on this topic: Professional Cleaning Report #46 Health Clubs, How To Bid and Clean Them 206-682-9748
JW Armstrong, editor, CBM
David Cook, President of Norris Cleaning Corporation, Seattle, WA, sees the cleaning of health clubs and fitness centers as an extremely good opportunity for the small cleaning contractor. According to Cook, "Other contractors go after the big buildings, overlooking health clubs. I find them to be quite receptive and good accounts to have. Cleaning is a problem for fitness centers and they listen to my pitch once they find out I specialize in cleaning their type of facility.
"Owner-operated clubs, where the owner is involved on a daily basis, are the best prospects. They understand the importance of cleaning and the problems that can result if the work is not done properly. Managers without a personal interest in the club are more concerned with making a profit than providing a good service. It’s just a job to them. The owner can’t quit and go to work some place else. They are in it for the long haul and work to find solutions to problems.
"Recent studies indicate that the number one concern of people looking to join a health club is cleanliness. These people are trendy and picky; they want things to be neat, clean and odor free. So that’s what I sell. I use a non-pushy approach to sales, I run a few ads, send out a letter and then follow up with a phone call or walk-in visit.
"There are two types of club managers:
1. The Good Ones:
The managers and owners who know the value of keeping the club clean. They are supportive and willing to pay for the services they receive. Unfortunately, they are few and far between, but they are the ones you want to work for.
2. The Not So Good Ones:
The primary concern here is a low price. All they want you to do is provide a minimum level of service; usually they just want you to clean the shower and locker room. They have an expectation of more service than they are willing to pay for. Some of the poorer run clubs don’t even have a budget for cleaning, as if the need for professional service didn’t exist. These are not the clubs I market to or want as customers–they simply don’t understand the long term value of proper cleaning and its relationship to membership retention and maintenance costs.
"Cleaning health clubs is different and it’s difficult. It’s not fast work like cleaning an office building, it’s a lot more detail oriented, there is a lot of traffic, a lot of dust, a lot of moisture and it takes time to clean it up. You can have several thousand people go through the place in a matter of hours, each one sweating, showering and in a hurry to get in and out as fast as possible. This is a seven day a week operation that’s open from 5:00 am to at least 10:00 pm, with some clubs being open twenty-four hours a day. Personally, I avoid the twenty-four hour clubs as they are a pain to do. You never really get them clean. Before you leave the room, someone is already messing up what you just cleaned, and they are always looking over your shoulder. Regardless of the club’s hours, you only have a small window of time to get the cleaning done before the cycle starts all over again."
According to Cook, he finds the older worker to be more reliable, less of a problem, and easier to get along with. "Older workers are great They like to work in the club environment and they feel appreciated. Nobody bothers them, they can crank the music up late at night, work out when they finish and take a shower before going home in the morning. I hire through the AARP and other programs that place retired workers, and a lot of my staff comes through referrals from my existing employees.
"You have to pay a little more to get and keep good help. I usually start people at $7.00 an hour and pay up to $10.00 an hour for those who have been with me for a while."
Bidding Basics
Standard cost per foot and hourly production rates don’t really apply to this type of work. In each location, the specifications must be customized, depending on the needs of the facility. This includes: building design, condition, equipment layout, area types, and usage levels.
"To calculate the cost, I start by looking at what needs to be done in each area, and estimate a time to do the duties that are scheduled on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, twice yearly and on a once a year basis. What I’m trying to do is determine how many hours a day it will take to keep the customer and my employees happy. Once this is done, I add it all up and take it times the hourly burdened rate that I need to charge to cover my labor costs. Then I add in the cost of taxes and the profit percentage I want and this gives me the total cost I need to charge.
"I talk with my potential customers about what they have for a budget to get an idea how much I have to play with, in hopes I won’t leave too much on the table or price myself out of the market. I aim for a profit of 20 to 40% above my costs. I never go below 15% as I can’t make any money if I do. I don’t want jobs that I can’t make money on.
"Equipment I include in my profit and overhead costs. As for chemicals, I tell them what to order or I add on a 10% profit to cover my costs of getting and delivering the supplies. The foam cleaner I use is from Franklin Chemical and it costs about $14.00 a gallon, so these costs can add up quickly if you don’t pass them on to the customer.
"Floor and carpet cleaning, complete window and mirror washing, wood floor refinishing, and other specialized services are billed separately at a rate of $25.00 to $30.00 per hour."
Average times
Here are some of the average times gathered in talking to different in-house managers and cleaning contractors who service health clubs and fitness centers.
· It takes 3 to 4 minutes to clean an average piece of exercise equipment such as a tread mill or a rowing machine.
· A weight machine can take 5 to 7 minutes to clean.
· One person should be able to clean a 7000 sq. ft. club in four hours.
· One person should be able to clean a 10,000 sq. ft. club in six hours.
·Two people should be able to clean a 35,000 sq. ft. club, without a pool or hot tub in about 14 hours.
· It normally takes about one hour to foam, scrub and rinse a shower room, including the floor mats.
· To disk sand and reapply two coats of gym finish to a 4000 sq. ft. sports court you can expect to pay about $1000.
· For a 7000 sq. ft. club you might expect to pay $1400 per month.
· For a 10,000 sq. ft. club you might expect to pay $1600 per month.
· For a 35,000 sq. ft. club you might expect to pay $4000 per month.
An average cost for cleaning a health club, without a pool or hot tub, might be in the 10 to 12 cents per sq. ft. per month range
Disclaimer
As with any average figures or industry standards, there are many variables that can impact the actual costs. Use these figures for comparison only and bid at your own risk.
Filed under: Bidding and Estimating by William Griffin
Originally Published: CBM July 1997
