North East School Cleaning Checklist

As the school year begins to wrap up, our facility hygienist experts have noticed that schools in CT, MA, and NY are meeting with their janitorial provider to discuss updated cleaning practices and reviewing the scope of work going into 2021.

The absolute first thing to go over is the distinction between cleaning and sanitizing. The CDC brings up that "cleaning doesn't eliminate germs, however by eliminating them, it brings down their numbers and the danger of spreading disease. In the event that a surface may have gotten the infection on it from an individual with or suspected to have COVID-19, the surface ought to be cleaned and sanitized. Cleaning eliminates germs on surfaces."

So directly from the beginning, you ought to have a two-section cleaning procedure. The other piece to examine is the genuine item your group uses to clean and sanitize. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offers a rundown of items that are viable against another human Covid like SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) or infections that are more difficult to kill than SARS-CoV-2.

This next part is particularly significant.

The viability of a sanitizer is exceptionally reliant on your janitorial group following the chemical direction. Custodians can't simply spray a surface then wipe it down right away. A considerable lot of these items require contact seasons of one to ten minutes to be viable.

For instance, Clorox Clean-Up Cleaner + Bleach requires one moment of contact time, while Clorox Disinfecting Spray needs ten minutes of contact time to work effectively, and the contact time on Lysol Brand All-Purpose Cleaner is two minutes.

Your refreshed school cleaning agenda

So since you have the data you need and an arrangement to continue, here is your school cleaning agenda, including many ignored spots. The CDC suggests cleaning and sanitizing these surfaces every day at the very least. High-contact surfaces will require more successive cleaning. For instance, the CDC suggests cleaning and sanitizing items such as computers, between each use. And remember, unless otherwise noted, this list assumes both cleaning and disinfecting.

Outdoor areas:

1. Playground equipment (routine cleaning only – the CDC currently recommends against disinfecting these surfaces.)

2. Tables

3. Benches and chairs

4. Doorbells, buzzers, and intercom buttons

5. Door handles

6. Railings

Throughout the school:

1. Light switches and switch plates

2. HVAC vents

3. HVAC filters, if applicable, otherwise replace them regularly, and switch to filters with a higher MERV rating if possible. (Higher MERV ratings equate to more particle filtration.)

In the halls:

1. Door handles

2. Handrails

3. Water fountains

4. Carpets

5. Elevator buttons

In the classroom and offices:

1. Desktops and in-desk storage

2. Seats

3. Classroom books

4. Class equipment (microscopes, globes, pencil sharpeners, etc.)

5. Administrative equipment (copier buttons, fax machines, etc.)

6. Storage spaces (cubes, coat racks, etc.)

7. Floors

8. Door, closet, and cupboard handles

9. Telephones

10. Touchscreens

11. Keyboards (These are difficult to clean. Ideally, use a keyboard cover that is easy to remove and disinfect.)

12. Waste and recycling bins

13. Public Address systems

14. Shared binders (late sign in, sign out, etc.)

Cafeteria:

1. Tables

2. Chairs

3. Handrails

4. Countertops

5. Touchscreens

6. Napkin dispensers

7. Vending machine buttons

8. Microwave handles and buttons

9. Refrigerator and freezer door handles

10. Waste and recycling bins

Restrooms:

1. Doorknobs and handles

2. Faucet handles

3. Paper towel dispenser handles

4. Hand dryer buttons

5. Soap dispenser buttons

6. Toilet paper dispensers

7. Sanitary napkin dispensers

8. Toilet flush handles

9. Toilet doors, door handles, and locks

Athletic facilities:

1. Locker rooms

   • Locker handles

   • Benches

   • Door handles

2. Wrestling mats

3. Shared sports equipment (balls, shotputs, etc.)

4. Pool equipment (flotation devices)

Auditoriums and Gyms:

1. Seats

2. Benches

3. Scoreboard buttons

4. PA equipment

Investigate this school cleaning agenda with your janitorial provider. You may discover a few parts that may not be applicable to you, or you might need to add things. This should, at any rate, give you a careful beginning stage. There are a couple of notes to add here.

Assuming there is any chance of this happening, permit fresh, outside air into the school. Proper ventilation weakens the number of microbes in the classrooms, and more air circulation can disturb the centralization of germs in a single spot.

There is likewise a basic proviso from the EPA: “Disinfectants should not typically be applied on items used by children, especially any items that children might put in their mouths. Many disinfectants are toxic when swallowed.”