Cleaning chaos at sporting events

Cleaning is one of those jobs where when it is done right, people might overlook it as the norm. But when it goes wrong, everyone notices.

In terms of complicated cleaning jobs, sporting stadiums can be particularly tricky, with experts referring to the job as essentially ‘cleaning up after a party attended by thousands’. From food stains and sticky floors, to changing rooms needing a good wash down, there’s certainly a lot to get done! But it’s vital that it gets done to a high standard, particularly in the sporting world where the state of the grounds reflects the team that calls it home. Newcastle United fans, for example, have recently expressed upset over the unkempt appearance of St James’ Park. It’s not a good look when unclean toilets and dirty walls are circulating your team’s hashtag on Twitter!

There’s no doubt then that cleaning staff take their jobs seriously at sporting events. But accidents and mishaps are a part of life, and sometimes, they happen during humble cleaning. Refuse sacks supplier Fulcare gathers up the best examples of cleaning mishaps in sport:

Turning green at Rio de Janeiro

Who could forget the Summer Olympic pools turning bright green back in 2016? For a while, theories ran rampant in looking for the cause of the water’s strange hue. Was it algae? Heat? Dirt? Reflecting something? Whatever it was, the water was deemed still safe to use, even with complaints from the water polo players about itchy eyes. Later, event organisers cited the incorrect use of hydrogen peroxide as the cause of the pool’s swampy tones. Hydrogen peroxide is indeed used to clean swimming pools, but it also neutralises chlorine. This in turn leads to algae appearing in the pool. It’s definitely a mishap when cleaning something makes it dirty!

The answer didn’t satisfy everyone though. Others speculated that copper sulphate caused not only the green coloured water but the unpleasant smell too.

The benefits of double-checking

Always, always read the label. Back in 2008, a groundsman in Sussex managed to single-handedly kill off all the grassy fairways at Haywards Heath Golf Club. The Telegraph reported on the mishap, stating that 11 holes were destroyed on the course during the incident.

How could such a wide-scale error happen? Well, when tidying up fairways, it’s common for groundsmen to use a light weed-killer to keep the short grass in top condition. But the groundsmen used Gallup 360, which is an industrial-strength herbicide. Oops.

The end result was a lot of dead grass where once lush green fields had been. It stands to reason that even professionals should pause to read the warning label!

Court-cleaning chaos

When working, one should always consider those around them. It seems the groundsmen at the French Open did not know this all-important pearl of wisdom. At the start of 2018, three groundsmen were snapped as they cleaned the clay court. The clay ground of the tennis court needs to be swept in order to keep it level. It also helps to prevent any clay building up around the fences.

The groundskeepers were doing a great job. Sadly, they were also creating quite a startling image in the clay. The unfortunate positioning of the three as they swept in grand arcs over the clay caused the resulting sweep-marks to take on the image of something a little phallic. It didn’t last long, and the unintentional work of art was removed before the games began. But not before it appeared all over the internet.

Impatience in cleaning

Again, it’s important to double-check your work. But, as a result of not putting the tarp down properly, staff at Citizens Bank Park needed a quick fix to dry out the field enough for play. The initial attempt saw heaters deployed. After that failed, the situation took the next, tentative step up — flamethrowers. Yes, groundsmen were photographed tending to the damp pitch with flamethrowers, much to the amusement of Twitter.

The ground was far too wet to catch fire, luckily. Unluckily, the ground was still wet after the fiery solution.

Let’s review the valuable lessons. Firstly, make sure you know how chemicals will react when combined. Secondly, always, always read the label on products. Thirdly, keep an eye on what is going on around you. And lastly…if you need to resort to a flamethrower to try to clean or maintain anything, it’s a lost cause.