Cleaning in schools: The big summer clean

Cleaning in schools: The big summer clean

Letting the sun shine through the windows will fill the school with beautiful, natural light. As the children leave for summer holidays and the school becomes a little quieter. It’s time for a big summer clean!

Everyone is responsible of keeping up with cleaning in your school not just your cleaning staff. Cleaning and general hygiene have always been an important part of a school's routine and upkeep, but in the age of pandemics, it has taken on even greater significance.

Keeping a daily cleaning schedule and thoroughly cleaning using a checklist is a great way to help prevent the spread of viruses and keep everyone in school happier and safer.

Read our blog and download our free cleaning daily checklist to ensure that your school cleans in an efficient way.

Cleaning tips

• Hygiene: With so many people walking through your school each day, there is only so much the cleaning team can do. Encouraging best practices from everyone can be a huge help too. Simple things like cleaning up after yourself and washing your hands after using the bathroom can make a significant difference.
• Sanitisation stations: You can make it easier for your staff and pupils to follow best hygiene practices by installing cleaning stations around the school. Canteens, corridors, and classrooms are ideal locations for a cleaning station filled with hand towels and sanitiser.
• Safety and reminders: Make use of signs and posters in key areas. Quick reminders to wash our hands or take our rubbish away with us makes a clean and tidy environment for us all.
• Daily focus areas: Focus on cleaning the areas that people touch lots of times each day. Areas such as handles and doors, desks, chairs, light switches, and stationery.

Keeping the classroom clean

Children and teachers spend a lot of time together in classrooms. Indoor spaces can be a breeding ground for the transmission of germs. Giving them a good daily clean should be high on your priority list. Using a good antibacterial product such as Dettol Anti Bac Surface Cleaner, will make sure surfaces and supplies are kept clean.

• Clean all doors and door handles
• Wipe down desks and chairs
• Clean and vacuum the floor (mopped if a hard floor)
• Empty bins and replace bin bags. Bleach bin periodically
• Clean any shared supplies (like stationery or art supplies)
• Clean light switches and any other plug sockets
• Clean skirting boards
• Clean windows and windowsills

Staff room and other offices

Hopefully, your staff rooms and offices shouldn’t need too much regular attention as staff members should be on top of all the school’s rules to stay clean and hygienic. However, these areas will need a once over. Using antibacterial wipes are a quick and easy way to keep things clean.

• Doors, door handles and cabinets cleaned
• Light switch, plugs, kettle and microwave cleaned
• Computers, keyboards and mouse wiped down
• Tables and chairs cleaned
• Sink and kitchen top cleaned
• Windows and windowsills cleaned
• Mugs, cutlery and other food and drink utensils are washed, hopefully, staff do this themselves!
• Floor cleaned and vacuumed (mopped if hard floor)

Toilets

Toilets and bathrooms are a hotspot for germs to spread and transfer from one person to another. A strict cleaning process is necessary in these areas of every school.

• Bleach and clean all toilets and urinals. Use a thick bleach solution.
• Ensure toilet holders are well stocked
• Fill up hand towel and soap dispensers
• Clean tiles and mirrors
• Clean and wipe sinks
• Wipe doors, door handles, hand dryer buttons and cubicle locks
• Mop floor
• Empty bins and replace bin bags. Bleach bin periodically

Other key areas
Wherever food and beverages are being handled, germs can easily spread. Don’t forget to clean other areas such as the kitchen and canteen, hallways, entrances, and the hall/gym. Many visitors coming from outside the school add to the crowds in these areas. Remember to keep them all clean!

How often should I clean the school?

Schools should be kept clean every day, but we understand how tough it is to find the time. So, concentrate on the critical areas we discussed above, minimising the spread of germs each day. There’s no better time to clean the school than during quiet times, so why not join GLS with our big summer clean.

Don’t forget essential cleaning items such as:

Aprons
Pine disinfectant
Toilet tissue
Hand towels
Hand sanitiser
Gloves
Refuse sacks

Download our free school cleaning checklist

To help you and the cleaning staff maintain a clean and safe school, download our free deep clean checklist and fill it in as you go.