Back-to-School Cleaning Checklist

Summer always seems to fly by, doesn’t it? As fall quickly approaches, that means it’s back-to-school time for students and teachers across Indiana and the Midwest.

But is your educational facility ready for the arrival of hundreds or thousands of students and teachers? Schools, colleges and universities have an important responsibility of ensuring their facility is clean from top to bottom to provide the safest and healthiest learning environment possible. School cleanliness is even more critical today as COVID-19 remains a threat across the country.

In our most recent blog, the professionals at A.G. Maas explain the benefits of keeping schools clean and offer up some tips on how to properly do so. A.G. Maas, one of the country’s oldest and most trusted suppliers of cleaning supplies, is available to provide your school with the highest-quality and most effective cleaning supplies to ensure you’re always stocked with the products you need.

The Benefits of Keeping Schools Cleaned

Imagine the countless number of fingertips and hands that touch surfaces around schools on a daily basis, including doorknobs, desks, tables and water fountains. All of those germs can quickly add up and lead to conditions that spread viruses. In this section, A.G. Maas explains some of the benefits of keeping schools regularly cleaned.

A better learning environment

Students and staff can easily become distracted in dirty, chaotic environments. So it’s no secret that a clean and organized school building leads to a better learning environment for students. This creates an atmosphere where students can perform at their best.

Fewer absences and sick days

According to the ISSA, a leading trade association for the cleaning industry, clean schools can significantly reduce the number of sick days students and teachers take each year. Almost 22 million school days are lost annually by students and teachers to the common cold, while another 38 million days are lost each year due to influenza. Ensuring schools are properly cleaned each day can significantly cut down on the number of sick days.

Reduced allergy and asthma symptoms

We all understand that cold and flu viruses can be a big problem inside schools. But so can allergy, asthma and other respiratory illnesses if schools aren’t properly cleaned and disinfected. These symptoms can make it extremely difficult for students to concentrate and learn. Unclean environments can promote the presence of mold, dust and pollen – all of which can exacerbate asthma and allergy symptoms. Keeping a consistent cleaning schedule can eliminate mold growth, as well as other harmful contaminants such as dust, dander and pollen.

More productive teachers

When teachers are distracted by dirty classrooms and find themselves cleaning throughout the day, they are far less productive. A cleaner environment is a more productive environment for teachers, who can spend more time on lesson plans, teaching and grading.

A better learning experience

Studies have shown that students who attend cleaner schools score higher on test scores, have higher graduation rates and outperform their peers who attend unclean schools. For the best learning experience, create a clean atmosphere for students.

Back-to-School Cleaning Tips for a Successful Year

It’s important for a school’s janitorial staff to have a regular cleaning schedule. Here are some back-to-school cleaning tips to follow:

Clean high-touch surfaces

Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces, such as tables, water fountains, door handles, computer keyboards, desks, chairs, light switches, etc., at least once per day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Follow product labels and contact times

Follow product labels to ensure you’re using the right amount of cleaning solution. Too little won’t effectively clean the surface, while using too much can lead to health issues due to the chemicals. Contact time, meanwhile, refers to how long a disinfectant needs to stay wet on the surface to be effective.

Keep hygiene products stocked

Make sure hygiene products such as hand sanitizer are placed throughout the building, and check the supply daily to ensure you’re not running low. Also, be sure soap dispensers in bathrooms are filled often, and check them daily so they don’t run out.

Develop a cleaning schedule

Ensure your custodial staff has a daily, weekly and monthly task list and a plan to keep the school clean year-round. They should have a list of cleaning tasks that should be completed on a daily, bi-weekly and weekly basis. Cleaning bathrooms, for example, should be a task that is performed at least once a day, if not twice, at schools.

Maintain cleaning equipment

Because cleaning equipment comes in contact with all types of debris, bacteria, dirt and odors, it’s important to keep them clean. Establish a routine for cleaning equipment such as mops, brooms and brushes. Avoiding this task can reintroduce bacteria and dirt back into the school environment.

Revitalize floor surfaces

Revitalizing the school’s flooring is a great way to ensure they’re clean and shiny for the start of the school year. While you should sweep and mop floors on a regular basis, consider completely revitalizing floors with a revitalizer before the start of the school year and again during winter break.

The Benefits of a Facilities Audit

When you partner with A.G. Maas for janitorial supplies, we can perform a facility audit to determine where your biggest problem areas are, and find the appropriate products to keep your space clean. Our expertise in our products will ensure that we’ll find the perfect supplies to satisfy your school’s individual needs to get the job done right.

We can help your business by reviewing your purchasing history and making buying recommendations to ensure you never run out of the supplies you need. We can also develop an individualized plan to stock the products your company uses the most.

Contact A.G. Maas for Cleaning Products

Keeping schools clean and safe for students and staff is of the utmost importance, and A.G. Maas can help! Contact the professionals at A.G. Maas for information about becoming a customer and maintaining your school cleaning checklist. We’re ready to partner with your business to provide a wide variety of professional cleaning services and products. We can help your business with safety equipment, facility supplies, furnishing needs, and so much more!