School’s Cleaning Program

Don’t Let Your School’s Cleaning Program 
Take a Slide

While breaks are an ideal time to complete deep cleaning projects, it’s important to maintain the same high level of cleaning stamina while school is in session. As we dive deeper into the school year, now is the perfect time to evaluate your cleaning program. Has your custodial team remained focused on helping to keep students and staff safe and your building looking its best? Below are tips for running a school cleaning program that establishes an optimal learning environment.

Review and Modify Your Cleaning Program

Cleaning needs can vary throughout the year due to factors like weather and the season of the year, so it’s critical to always stay in tune with the building’s needs. Inspect all areas of the school and shadow custodians occasionally to ensure all tasks are being performed correctly and at the required frequency. Make modifications to the schedule if certain areas of the school such as restrooms, cafeterias or floors need additional attention. Check supply closets to ensure that they are tidy with detailed cleaning checklists, clearly labeled products, visible Safety Data Sheets (SDS), necessary personal protective equipment (PPE), cleaning tools and properly maintained equipment.
 

Prioritize Floors

School floors should be maintained meticulously to prolong their life and help the facility look its best. Since floors endure a tremendous amount of wear and tear from high foot traffic, outdoor elements, scuff marks and miscellaneous nuisances such as chewing gum, they should be cleaned often using a quality floor cleaner. For routine maintenance, consider using SC Johnson Professional® Heavy Duty Neutral pH Floor & Surface Cleaner along with the EZ Care Heavy-Duty Scrub Pad. It is a specially formulated cleaning concentrate designed for daily maintenance and deep scrubbing for high-traffic areas and is compatible with a variety of floor surfaces such as VCT and concrete.

In addition, consider finishing floors while school is in session. Often thought of as a time-consuming, labor-intensive task that needs to be performed during breaks, there is now technology that enables schools to easily achieve freshly finished floors without all that labor. The EZ CARE Floor Care System by SC Johnson Professional® is an integrated system that requires no more than four coats to achieve a durable, high-gloss shine on a variety of substrates. Once the system is installed, school floors do not need to be manually stripped again because the floor coating can be removed using the floor coating remover and an auto scrubber. This easy-to-use system enables school custodians to finish floors routinely with minimum disruption throughout the school year to always keep them looking their best.

Target Germs with an Effective Surface Cleaner

There is no denying that schools can be a breeding ground for germs, so cleaning common touch points must be prioritized to help stop germs in their tracks. Consider increasing cleaning frequency during cold and flu season. Target areas such as door handles, light switches, desks, tables, remote controls, computers, restroom surfaces and drinking fountains. For a quick, yet effective surface cleaning system, consider implementing the TruShot 2.0® Mobile Dispensing System by 
SC Johnson Professional®. This patented spray-and-wipe cleaning system provides optimised dilution delivery. The portable system is easy-to-use and requires no mixing, measuring, or stopping, enabling custodians to complete tasks with ease while eliminating unnecessary trips to the supply closet.
 

Encourage Proper Hand Hygiene

Custodians, students and faculty can team up to help keep the school as clean and hygienic as possible throughout the year, so it is important to promote proper hand hygiene to reduce the spread of germs. Installing SC Johnson Professional® soap and hand sanitizer dispensers encourages a culture of good hand hygiene for students and faculty. For effective soap op􀆟ons, consider the Refresh™ product line by SC Johnson Professional. These foam soaps remove more than 99% of germs when used as directed and contain added skin conditioners to leave the skin feeling smooth. For an effective hand sanitizer op􀆟on, consider InstantFOAM™ Non-Alcohol by SC Johnson Professional. It is a highly effective, lightly perfumed foaming hand sanitizer solution that contains skin conditioner to help prevent dryness.

K-12 school buildings can be tough environments to keep clean and require continuous care. It is important to closely monitor K-12 programs throughout the year to ensure cleaning efforts are properly allocated to provide an exceptional educational setting. With a proactive plan along with the right products and tools in place, end users can successfully accomplish cleaning goals thoroughly while school is in session. SC Johnson Professional® and our experts are here to help end users on this journey.