Judo, karate and dojo tatami
A dojo cares about its tatami. The protocol respects the surface, traditional or puzzle, and runs outside class hours so the first bow of the morning happens on a healthy mat.
Dojo tatami cleaning treats traditional vinyl-covered tatami and puzzle tiles alike: vacuuming, high-temperature dry steam on the surface and the underside, registered disinfection, drying and reassembly in the original layout. Judo shares the same skin risks as grappling; karate and taekwondo load the mat less, but bare feet and falls expose skin too.
Judo: the same risks as grappling
Ne-waza puts face, arms and legs in prolonged contact with the tatami. Ringworm and staph circulate in judo clubs just as in jiu-jitsu schools. Kids’ groups, numerous in judo, are the most exposed to impetigo.
Karate, taekwondo, aikido: bare feet and falls
Less prolonged contact, but everyone is barefoot, falls expose skin and the tatami often serve several classes a day. Plantar warts and athlete’s foot travel through the floor. A regular deep clean, at a wider interval than for judo, is enough in most dojos.
Traditional tatami and covers
A traditional dojo tatami is a foam or compressed-straw core under a vinyl cover. We never soak it: dry steam treats the cover without wetting the core, and the underside is vacuumed and treated like a tile. The tatami go back exactly in the original order, which matters for marked surfaces and drawn competition areas.
Respect for the place
We work in clean slippers reserved for the mat, we do not move what is fixed to the wall, and we leave the dojo as we found it. If your dojo has specific rules, tell us at the quote stage.
What gym owners ask us
Do you treat traditional straw-core tatami?
Straw-core tatami under a vinyl cover, yes: dry steam treats the cover without wetting the core. Bare Japanese igusa tatami with no cover are not steam-treated; we will tell you.
How often for a karate dojo?
Less often than a judo or jiu-jitsu club. Depending on class count, one deep clean per quarter is often enough, with daily disinfection between visits.
Do competition markings survive?
Yes. Dry steam and the disinfectant lift neither zone tape nor markings printed on the cover.
Can you come during the dojo’s holidays?
That is the best time. Many dojos schedule the reset during the year-end closure or before the September restart.
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.
Get a quote