Opening a jiu-jitsu gym: the hygiene checklist
You think about the lease, the mats, the sign-up software. You rarely think about the hygiene binder before the first ringworm case. Here it is.
By Mat Maintenance Agency · Published September 5, 2026
The hygiene checklist for a combat sports gym covers six areas: choosing and laying the mats, the staff’s daily and weekly routine, registered products and their dwell time, posted rules for members, the deep-clean calendar, and a written protocol for a skin case. All of it goes in place before opening, not after the first outbreak.
Before laying the mats
- Subfloor clean, dry, with no crack where water could sit
- Surface type chosen knowingly (puzzle tiles, tatami, rolls)
- Mat plan drawn and tiles numbered at installation, for future disassembly
- Manufacturer’s maintenance guide read and kept
- Shoe zone and barefoot zone clearly separated at the mat entrance
The staff routine
- Daily vacuum or dry mop, assigned to one person
- Surface disinfection after every class block, dwell time respected
- Neutral-soap wash twice a week
- Mops dedicated to the mat, rinsed and hung
- Simple log: date, time, who, what
The products
- Disinfectant with a Health Canada DIN, label targeting bacteria and fungi, compatible with vinyl
- Mild pH-neutral soap for washing
- Nothing else on the mat: no wax, no solvent, no powder
- Technical sheets kept, dilutions posted next to the bucket
The rules for members
- Shower after training
- Clean gi, rashguard and shorts every session
- Cuts and scrapes covered before rolling
- No shared towel, razor or mouthguard
- No untreated lesion on the mat, whatever the belt
- No shoes on the mat, no bare feet off the mat
- Rules posted at the mat entrance and repeated in the membership contract
The calendar and the emergency protocol
A gym with this binder before opening handles a ringworm case in 48 hours. A gym without it handles it in three weeks, with a few members fewer.
- Deep clean with disassembly at a fixed interval, 4 to 8 weeks depending on volume, twice a year at minimum
- Supplier identified before opening, not during an outbreak
- Written protocol for a skin case: isolate, inform, reset the mat, resume on medical clearance
- Message template for members ready in advance
- Info-Santé 811 and a reference doctor posted at the desk
What gym owners ask us
Is there a legal obligation in Quebec?
To our knowledge there is no standard specific to combat sports mats. Federations require skin checks at competitions and publish recommendations to clubs. The hygiene binder is the operator’s responsibility and reassures insurers and parents.
Do we need an outside supplier from day one?
Not necessarily. What you need is a deep-clean calendar and someone to keep it. Many gyms do the first year themselves, then delegate when volume grows.
Can we get this checklist as a PDF?
Yes, the button at the top of the page downloads it, ready to print and post at the desk. It is also part of the gym owner’s guide.
An outbreak costs more than a cleaning.
Tell us your square footage and the type of tiles you run. You get a written quote, with no mandatory site visit.
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