The ABCs of Cleaning Schools

7/30/2023 (Permalink)

Image of school hallway

As the new school year approaches, educational institutions, from preschools to colleges, are bustling with anticipation and excitement. However, before students and staff return, schools must thoroughly clean and sanitize to ensure a safe and healthy environment. Weeks and months of closed-up buildings and inactivity contribute to accumulating dirt, mold, and stale air. Every surface, from ceilings to floors and everything in between, must be scrubbed, and every room and area must be aired out.  

Commercial cleaning services play a crucial role in this process, implementing best practices to maintain cleanliness, promote hygiene, and reduce the spread of illnesses. In this blog, let's explore the best practices that commercial cleaning services like SERVPRO meticulously follow when preparing schools for a new school year. 

Developing a Comprehensive Cleaning Plan 

Professional commercial cleaning services collaborate closely with school administrators or other staff to develop a detailed, comprehensive cleaning plan. This plan should identify high-traffic areas, high-touch areas, establish cleaning frequency schedules, and outline specific tasks and responsibilities. Commercial cleaning services can efficiently allocate staff and resources to ensure consistent and thorough cleaning throughout the premises by customizing the plan to the school's unique needs.  

The SERVPRO team will begin a school cleaning project with a strategy. First, we walk through the school to assess needs and create a detailed cleaning plan. We then note areas of heavy grime buildup, such as entranceways, hallways, bathrooms, gyms, breakrooms, and the cafeteria, check for mold or mildew issues in locker rooms and around sinks and toilets, create a checklist ranking cleaning tasks from high to low priority, and schedule sufficient time to complete the work. 

SERVPRO will address the following items: 

Thoroughly Clean and Disinfect All Surfaces: A new school year demands a deep and comprehensive cleaning process. Cleaners focus on disinfecting high-touch surfaces such as doorknobs, handrails, desks, chairs, light switches, and shared equipment like keyboards, mouses, remotes, and headphones. Surfaces must be cleaned thoroughly with appropriate cleaning agents and disinfectants to eliminate germs, bacteria, and viruses.  

Pay Special Attention to Restrooms, Locker Rooms, and Other Germ Hotspots: Restrooms, mirrors, lockers, locker rooms, gyms and workout rooms, teachers’ lounges and breakrooms, and nurses’ offices are prime breeding grounds for bacteria and viruses. General cleaning services should give special attention to restrooms, ensuring they are cleaned and disinfected multiple times a day. Adequate supplies of soap, hand sanitizers, and paper towels should be stocked, and regular maintenance checks should be conducted to ensure the proper functioning of fixtures, plumbing, and ventilation systems. It is also important to remember that nurses' offices, gyms, or sports areas may harbor biohazards like blood, so it is wise to employ commercial cleaning services with expertise and equipment for dealing with such substances.    

Cafeteria Cleaning: Food prep areas require detailed cleaning and must follow public health protocols. Commercial cleaning services clean and sanitize preparation tables, serving counters, food storage areas, and kitchen appliances. SERVPRO also empties and cleans refrigerators and freezers, cleans and de-greases ovens, stoves, and hood vents, sweeps and mops floors with a disinfectant cleaner, and removes trash and wipes down bins. 

Deep Clean Floors, Carpets, and Windows: Floors, carpets, mats, and windows often bear the brunt of heavy foot traffic and accumulate dust, dirt, stains, and allergens. Professional floor cleaning services use appropriate cleaning methods such as using HEPA vacuuming, mopping, or steam cleaning to remove embedded dirt and stains. Cleaning tall windows can improve natural light and enhance the overall ambiance of classrooms and common areas, thus making them more conducive to an exceptional learning environment.  

Proper Waste Management: Efficient waste management is vital to maintaining cleanliness and preventing the spread of germs. Cleaning services should ensure that waste bins are strategically placed throughout the school, regularly emptied, and properly sanitized. The school should provide separate bins for recyclable materials to encourage responsible waste disposal and commitment to sustainability. 

Focus on Indoor Air Quality: Clean indoor air is essential for a healthy learning environment. Professional HVAC cleaning services pay attention to air vents, HVAC systems, and air filters, cleaning or replacing them regularly. Effective ventilation systems help reduce the concentration of airborne contaminants, ensuring students and staff breathe in fresh, clean air. 

Preparing schools for a new academic year requires professional commercial cleaning services to implement best practices that promote cleanliness, hygiene, and safety. By developing a comprehensive cleaning plan, paying attention to high-touch surfaces, and focusing on air quality, cleaning services can effectively contribute to a healthy learning environment. The collaboration between commercial cleaning services and school administrators is key to ensuring that all necessary measures are taken, providing students and staff with a safe and clean educational space for the upcoming year. 

Bring in the Experienced Commercial Cleaning Services Professionals  

For extensive deep cleaning, hire the experts at SERVPRO, who have extensive experience cleaning schools and institutional facilities. They have highly trained and skilled staff, the latest equipment, and cleaning products to efficiently clean an entire school building.  

Call the commercial cleaning services at SERVPRO today! Students, teachers, staff, and parents will appreciate the extra effort to provide clean, sanitary learning facilities so everyone can have an incredible school year.