Back to School: Best Practices for a Successful School Year

By SC Johnson Professional

Summer break has ended, and students, faculty and staff have returned to educational facilities. Given heightened cleanliness expectations in recent years, having the right products and following proper cleaning protocols is important. SC Johnson Professional offers a variety of trusted products to help teachers and cleaning professionals maintain a clean school environment.

Consider the following tips to promote a successful, clean and organized school:

• Disinfect high-touch surfaces: High-touch surfaces such as desks, light switches, door handles, writing utensils and chairs should receive extra cleaning care. SC Johnson Professional offers Windex® Multi-Surface Disinfectant Sanitizer Cleaner and Scrubbing Bubbles® Multi-Purpose Disinfectant for all hard, non-porous surface disinfecting needs in classrooms, lunchrooms and restrooms.
• Reiterate the importance of hand hygiene: Promoting hand hygiene within schools is critical as hand hygiene is an effective way to remove germs from hands and help prevent the spread of germs.[1] Consider products like Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day® hand soaps or Refresh™ FOAM hand soaps that clean and soften hands. Stocking these items can promote good hand-washing habits and help reduce the spread of germs.

In the classroom, teachers may want to have hand sanitizer that is at least 60% alcohol based on hand. The InstantFOAM™ Complete PURE hand sanitizer provides broad spectrum activity and can kill up to 99.999% of many common germs in as little as 15 seconds when used as directed.

• Follow label instructions and contact times: Following product labels including safety and application instructions helps disinfect surfaces properly. This is important as some products have specific contact times that need to be followed to be effective. Contact times are the length of time a surface should remain wet with the product before wiping it away. If the product is wiped away before the total contact time is reached, the product’s effectiveness decreases. For easy application, look for color-coded products that enable quick application, like the TruShot 2.0® Mobile Dispensing System. It can help school custodians increase productivity so they can tackle other tasks more quickly.

• Don’t forget about the floor: Schools should also prioritize good indoor air quality (IAQ). Maintaining clean floors can help with IAQ by minimizing asthma triggers, such as mold and dust mites. Look for a third-party certified, sustainable neutral floor cleaner, such as SC Johnson Professional’s® Heavy Duty Neutral Floor Cleaner.

• Implement organization and storage hacks: Storing food items and supplies is key for keeping schools clean. For example, SC Johnson Professional® Ziploc® Brand Storage & Sandwich Bags with Grip ‘n Seal™ technology has a double zipper that blocks out air and is ideal for helping keep food fresh. Schools can avoid wasting foods and have an easier way to store it without dirtying school refrigerator surfaces. Additionally, products like Ziploc® Containers with easy-to-use, leakproof Smart Snap technology lids help with storing bulky items and food. They’re BPA free, which means they’re safe to be used in the microwave, dishwasher, freezer and fridge.

Now more than ever, it’s important to follow cleaning protocols and stock trusted, well-known brands in schools. The last few years led to an increased expectation of cleanliness, especially in schools. It’s important to use the right products at the correct times to help promote a clean school environment.