With Spring right around the corner, there couldn’t be a better time to review some spring cleaning tips for bowling centers and entertainment centers across the world! Global Entertainment has comprised a list of cleaning methods to make your center look as good as new!
Are you looking to replace a water stained or damaged ceiling tile but don’t want to change out every single tile? Don’t switch the new tile in with the damaged tiles spot. As time passes, white ceiling tiles change slightly in color, but you may not notice this because all of your tiles change color collectively. However, if you place a new tile next to your existing tiles it will stick out it like a sore thumb. Instead, take a tile from behind your masking units and move that to the front, and place the new tile behind the masking units where guests can’t see it. This clever family center trick will keep your center looking uniform!
Everyone knows that cleaning and maintaining the restrooms is one of the most demanding and time-consuming aspects of spring cleaning. Global Entertainment has tips to solve a few menacing problems that every entertainment center has encountered. If restrooms are not maintained correctly, you will begin to notice small and possibly large amounts of lime scale and calcium build up around faucets and toilet. An easy way to solve this unflattering problem, simply use one of the many cleaners on the market which are designed to tackle that unwanted build up. Two of the most popular are Lime-A-Way and ZEP Professional Calcium/Lime Remover. Because lime scale deposits dissolve easily in mild acids, some lemon juice or vinegar you have laying around your center may do the trick. Lemon juice does a better job and smells much better than vinegar. Whether you use a brand name cleaner or home remedy make sure you let it soak for a few minutes and use a bristle brush to help break up the deposits. Make sure your faucets and toilet handles look clean and sparkle! Have you noticed your restrooms walls and stalls have been collecting dirt and splatters and may not look as clean as they should be? Try wiping down the walls and stall doors with a multipurpose cleaner to make your restrooms sparkly clean. If you’re getting streaks try using a window cleaner after your disinfectant cleaner. Be sure not to mix bleach and ammonia based cleaners as they can release toxins into air. Make sure your cleaner is a disinfectant, especially since you’re working with bathrooms. Don’t forget to clean the tops of stalls and dividers. This simple yet effective cleaning technique sure can go a long way. Another simple and very effective method to present a clean and safe restroom is to replace broken mirrors. This seems obvious but you will be surprised at how this incremental change will make your center look both elegant and well put together. This long term, cost effective change will definitely leave an impact on your center for the better. When removing graffiti, there are various methods that can be used. You can use chemicals such as paint thinner, WD40, lacquer, and acetone. There are many products on the market specifically created to remove graffiti. It’s important when using any chemical to first test on a small inconspicuous area to make sure it won’t damage the surface. If the graffiti doesn’t come off try rubbing in cleaner with an abrasive, bristle brush, steel, bronze, or wool brush. Light sandpaper would also help remove graffiti; just be careful not to damage the original surface. For more extreme cases, you can try using a pressure washer, or even crazier a water cannon (yes this is a real thing). Make sure you have read all safety information as pressure washers and water cannons can cause bodily harm. If graffiti is carved into stalls, toilet seats, or mirrors, unfortunately you may have to replace them.
One of the easiest places that can gather the most clutter employees often forget to clean is the snack bar. The snack bar can become overwhelmingly disgusting before you know it, so it’s better to tackle the snacks now! The very first step in creating a clean snack bar is to first throw out old food. Old food can cause the creation of unnecessary clutter and has the potential to smell horrific. Have employees check the best by dates at least once I week to ensure old food is thrown out before the clutter gets out of hand. The next step is degreasing oily surfaces. This is essential for the main purposes of health and safety. Not only is this a safety hazard, but slippery oil surfaces are a definite eye sore as well. The solution is buying a degreasing product that will lift the stains no problem. Guests will now be unhesitant into going to the snack bar and buying nachos without being afraid of slipping and falling or seeing an unpleasant grease stain. The last step in creating a clean and enjoyable snack bar is always updating and rotating snacks and candy. Picture this as a spring cleaning strictly for the snack bar. Clean out the snack bar by getting rid of candy and snacks that are not successful and instead bring in products that have the potential to work. This small change will show customers that you are always innovative and care about the needs of your guests. Some of the most popular Pre-Cooked Foods are soft pretzels, popcorn, roasted nuts, pre-made sandwiches, brownies, and cookies. If you’re trying to think of foods to cook to order, some of the most popular are hot dogs, burgers, corn dogs, loaded nachos, funnel cakes, grilled cheese sandwiches, brisket sandwiches, cotton candy, French fries, chicken tenders, chicken wings, and pizza. Don’t forget to stock up on candy bars, sour candy, and lollipops for your guest with a sweet tooth.
The bar is one of the most important places to make sure is clean and well kept. Having a clean bar will guarantee customer satisfaction and return! Simply wiping up messes, always cleaning, and restocking napkins and straws will show your guests that your employees care about their experience. Nobody wants to go to a dirty bar with a very minimal amount of supplies. Make sure your bar is not that notoriously dirty bar by always checking for messes. Be sure no tables are sticky and wipe down napkin holders, menus, and anything else that is left at the bar or bar tables. Another simple step in creating a clean bar that guests will want to return to is always have the labels of alcohol turned towards the bar top. This will show order and that chaos does not exist in your bar. Customers will never have to ask what kind of alcohol you have available and will make your bar look neat and tidy. One of the last steps in creating a clutter free bar is to clean all floor mats and constantly check expiration dates on syrups and mixers. Floor mats can become one of the dirtiest and stickiest places at the bar, and even though guests don’t necessarily look at the bartender’s feet, they can hear the stickiness from the bartender’s shoes. Clean the mats with a pressure washer and soap solution or an all-purpose cleaner to ensure the stickiness is eliminated.
Having clean air vents and ceiling fans may not seem like a huge factor, but you would be surprised at the impact it has on customers all over the world. The ideal and almost obvious thing to do is to thoroughly remove dust from air intake covers as they can collect a lot of dust when bringing in air for your a/c units. Removing the dust will not only make your center a safer environment to breathe, but doing this will also make your center look brand spanking new. The vents capture a lot of dust and having a grey dusty vent on your ceiling can be an eye-sore. Capitalize on this opportunity to also clean and possibly swap out the air filters as well! The next step is to thoroughly clean your ceiling fans for dust and to possibly switch out broken fan blades for new ones. By cleaning your ceiling fans and the blades, you will never have to worry about turning on your fans and watching dust rain down on your entertainment centers floor.
The next area to sanitize and deep clean are two places that are both so obvious many forget to clean them thoroughly, your walls and doors. Even though cleaning these places should take you a small amount of time, your guests will greatly appreciate it! When cleaning, make sure you wipe down the walls and doors with a special cleaner. You should not use strictly water. Try using a multi surface cleaner to ensure the lifting of spots, stains and finger prints. When cleaning the walls, it is very important to use a cleaner that will not stain your walls. Make sure the cleaner you use is made to clean the surface of your wall. For example, when cleaning wooden walls or paneling, you do not want to use a glass cleaner since that has the potential to stain the wall itself. When cleaning the doors, make sure you clean the door handles with a disinfectant and a cleaner. Many employees forget to clean the handle and strictly focus on the bulk of the door. The handle is one of, if not, the dirtiest place on the door so make sure employees clean it a few times over.
An area that may be a little tougher to clean is the seating/furniture area. This may seem difficult only because it means the removal of sofas, couches, tables and chairs. You only have to do this once a year so better do it now than when your center becomes busy during the summer! Rearrange furniture to ensure you clean the hard to reach spots. If you have sofas or couches with removable cushions, take the cushions out and clean. You will be shocked at what you will find in between cushions and underneath furniture! When cleaning, feel free to use warm water on a clean cloth towel. Using a cleaning solution with various chemicals will heighten the probability of creating stains on the fabric of the furniture. There are several cleaners on the market to help remove small stains and remove the stickiness from close to any furniture surface! Be sure the cleaner you use is meant for your type of seating. First test on a small inconspicuous area to ensure it won’t damage your seating. Having to replace it all will not only defeat the purpose of doing a spring cleaning but it will cost a lot to replace it. If you have tables in your seating area be sure to wipe them down and remove any sticky residue. Also remove any graffiti from your tables. Lastly, wipe down your scoring consoles! The scoring keypad is constantly being touched every time people start a game. Disinfect your keypad and use a cleaner to remove any grime and dirt build up.
To maintain and guarantee your bowling system is working flawlessly, take this time when cleaning your center to also clean the bowling lanes themselves. One of the first places to clean is going to be the bumper and gutters. Make sure the bumpers are not warped and the pivot arms are fully operational and working. When checking the gutters, make sure they are not cracked in any way and in general good shape. After reviewing the system, simply take a wash cloth with warm water or mop and clean the gutters out. The next place to make sure is fully operational and clean is the lighted capping. Make sure the capping is not cracked or showing any exposed wires from the LED strips. Check the LED strips and guarantee that there are no lights out on the capping as well. Once you finish checking the capping for errors or cracks, wipe away any ball scuff marks if possible. An often-overlooked piece of bowling equipment are the foul units. This area is prone to gather dusts which prevents units from properly sensing bowlers cross the foul line. To clean the foul units simply remove the foul cover and blow the foul unit with a canned air duster. If necessary, use a dry rag to brush away grime and dirt. Since this is an electrical component, we do not recommend using any moisture or cleaning chemicals. Lastly, check the lighting in the pit area, lane lighting, and pin decks for any lights that may have gone out. Whenever working in the pit area, it’s extremely important that you shut off the pinsetters for the pair of lanes you are working on. If pit lights have gone out, give Global Entertainment a call and we will solve the problem right then and there. Also check to make sure all of the ceiling lights match in color and hue. Keep them all a consistent white or yellow hue for your house lighting fixtures. After you clean your center with the tips from above, you will be shocked at the difference in your customers and employees! We hope these tips helped and are excited to provide you with further help as the year goes on.
In order to maintain a bowling balls longevity, you must take precautionary steps in the handling and cleaning of the balls. If you have a pro shop or access to a ball spinner, use it to clean your house balls. If you don’t have access to one, try cleaning them with a spray bottle filled with a solution of 70% rubbing alcohol and wipe them down thoroughly with a rag. The rubbing alcohol solutions will eat up any oil from lane surface and dirt and grim from your bowlers. Rubbing alcohol will also evaporate quickly and leave a clean streak free finish!
When cleaning your entertainment center, make sure you remember to check your bowling shoes for scuffs and tears. Always check shoes for the replacement of old dirty laces and snapped Velcro straps. Clean the soles of the bowling shoes with a fine grid sand paper to establish a sleek grip when bowling. If shoes are beyond repair, don’t be afraid to throw out destroyed shoes. It’s better to have fewer clean shoes than have an abundance of dirty, nasty shoes. Step up your shoe game with these helpful and simple tips!