First off, I have to give a big kudos to all the workers at local gyms for keeping the place as tidy as they can, despite people not taking their snowy, wet, and mucky shoes and boots off. This is a problem every year and I’m not sure why?

The gym that I go to has numerous signs reminding people to take their dirty boots and shoes off to keep the gym and locker rooms as clean as possible. Do people listen? Some do, but many don’t and I don’t understand why. How would those people feel if we walked into their house with wet and mucky boots on and traipsed all over leaving mud and muck on floor and carpet. It probably wouldn’t go over well, so why do it in a place where there are numerous signs reminding folks to take their shoes and boots off!

When I walk into the gym, I can see that the staff do their best to keep the place as clean as possible but they can only do so much if customers refuse to take their footwear off. What’s even more frustrating is walking into the change room, opening a locker, and seeing dried mud and dirty snow left inside because somebody thought it was perfectly fine to put their outdoor shoes in there. I can’t think of one person who would love to put their gym bag and gym clothes in that mess.

Now, don’t get me wrong, there are A LOT of people who do pay attention and have respect for fellow customers and staff but it’s this small group of people who feel the guidelines are not for them. If you see a sign that asks you to remove your footwear, please do so because nobody likes stepping in dirty, cold, melted snow and mud. We wouldn’t allow it in our homes, so lets not allow it in places that want to remain as clean as possible.