Don’t miss these tips for cleaning classrooms and providing a healthy environment for students.

Children are more susceptible to environmental conditions than adults. They may be more impacted by dust, mold, and other cleanliness factors. That’s why properly cleaning classrooms is so important. 

Of course, it’s essential for teens and adults, too. But with less mature immune systems and sometimes questionable choices when it comes to hygiene, children may need a little extra when it comes to a clean space to learn. 

To make matters more challenging, many schools, especially in older parts of the country, have unique issues just from the age of the buildings. Some buildings are sparkling and new, yes. Likewise, there are buildings that have leaks, HVAC systems that are hanging on by a thread, and some rooms with noticeable wear and tear. The point is that when it comes to cleaning classrooms and providing a healthy space for students, you could be in for some heavy lifting. These tips can help.


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Cleaning Classrooms

5 tips for better results when cleaning classrooms

1. Ventilation. Generally speaking, fresh air and sunshine are some of the best disinfectants around. So while you can’t make physical changes to a building, you can potentially still get some fresh air into a space by opening windows. 

It’s important to note that this is highly dependent upon where you are. For example, for safety reasons, you can’t leave first-floor windows open. However, it may be acceptable to open them while you’re in the room or to open second or third-floor windows. Check with your school regarding their safety protocols, and be sure to close and lock the windows as you finish cleaning classrooms. 

2. Adjust your cleaning checklist. It’s always helpful to start with a general school cleaning checklist. It’s also beneficial to add to it as you do your original walkthrough, and then even as your team is cleaning classrooms. That ensures your work is detailed and covers the various situations that may be present in a given classroom.

For instance, a kindergarten classroom will be much different than a high school biology lab. Just be cautious here of scope creep. If you’re finding there are a lot of touchpoints or areas that need cleaning that aren’t on your original contract, you may need to renegotiate that contract. As long as you are clear on the what and why, it will be hard to argue against your case. 

3. Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter. Vacuums with HEPA filters aren’t just a marketing gimmick. Numerous studies show that HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters can capture over 99% of airborne contaminants, from dust and smoke to mold spores and pollen. A clean HEPA filter can also significantly reduce germs and viruses circulating in a classroom. Just ensure that cleaning or replacing your filters is on your equipment maintenance list. 

4. Pay attention to dwell time. Although it’s always a good practice to be aware of dwell times for disinfectants, that’s especially true when it comes to cleaning classrooms. The dwell time for products ranges, with some as short as 30 seconds, while other products require up to 10 minutes of dwell time in order to be fully effective. 

Whatever cleaning product you are using, be sure to look at the dwell time so you can ensure the students in your classrooms are healthy and safe. From a managerial standpoint, make it clear to your team that dwell time is nonnegotiable. Similarly, don’t expect them to get through each task at an expedited speed. 

5. Switch to microfiber. When it comes to working efficiently, you can’t beat microfiber cloths. Microfiber cloths can absorb up to 7 times their weight in water, use up to 95% less water than cotton, and they have as much surface area as a cotton cloth four times bigger. They also dry more quickly than cotton, making them less susceptible to mold and mildew growth. And it’s easy to find microfiber cloths in a variety of colors, making it easier than ever to adopt color-coded cleaning routines. 

Put that all together, and you can start cleaning classrooms with smaller amounts of cleaning solutions while attaining excellent results. 

The importance of properly cleaning classrooms cannot be overstated. And while you want to offer high-quality work to all of your clients, those in schools are more vulnerable to environmental pollutants. Certainly, there’s some pressure there to do your best work, but the reward is also huge!


If you’re ready to increase the professionalism of your cleaning operation through better organization, easy access to important data, unparalleled tracking, and more, schedule a call with JM today!