It’s almost back-to-school season! It’s time to prepare the classrooms to make sure everything is clean and tidy for the new school year. Schools and classrooms are where young minds are shaped, and where students learn more than just their numbers. School is where children turn to the generation of tomorrow, and focus is essential to students’ learning capabilities.
While students are focused on learning, the classroom fills up with dirt, dust, and grime that may harbour harmful bacteria that can make someone sick. Classrooms can get particularly dirty over the summer, and they continue to build up filth even when in use during the day. School cleaning is essential in keeping young minds bright and energetic.
The Importance of Cleaning the Classroom and the Classroom Cleaning Checklist
As anyone who has ever had to deal with kids knows, children tend to get messy while doing any activity. Eating, drawing, and playing are all activities where kids can make a mess, through spilling food and drink, drawing on walls, and rough-housing in the playground dirt.
But kids also have weakened immune systems. Children can easily get sick by sharing study materials with their classmates, interacting with germ-filled classroom facilities, or inhaling allergens through dust particles in the air. As a general rule, anything that children interact with frequently should be sanitized as often as possible.
Whether you’ve been given the task of cleaning the kindergarten classrooms, or high school classrooms, knowing proper school cleaning is vital in preventing the spread of disease among the student body population. Keep kids healthy, and keep them in school by following our classroom cleaning checklist for making sure your classroom is as clean as it can be.
Daily Classroom Cleaning Checklist
- Pick Up Debris
Pick up any large debris like crumpled papers and discarded pens, and dispose of them in the proper trash receptacle.
- Clean Scattered Materials
Clear away scattered study materials and stationery, and store them in the proper place. Place personal items left behind in a secure location where the owner may find them tomorrow.
- Unplug All Unused Outlets
Before you start cleaning, unplug any unused outlets that you can see to conserve energy and to prevent electrical fires. Students and teachers may sometimes forget to unplug the projector, fans, and other devices.
- Wipe Down Tables and Chairs
Wiping down surfaces is essential in your classroom cleaning checklist. Wipe down tables and chairs used by both the students and the teachers with a clean, damp cloth. Tables and chairs have the most contact with people throughout the day, so sanitizing these areas is a necessity.
- Sweep, Vacuum, and Mop floors
Use a broom or vacuum cleaner, and a sanitizing spray to thoroughly clean the floors by the end of the school day. Dust and dirt from external sources can get into classrooms, making the floors look filthy. A steam mop helps to remove deep-seated dirt, as well as sanitize surfaces with hot water vapour.
- Disinfect All Surfaces
Particularly with the younger students, kids don’t have the consciousness to keep surfaces clean. Children have reputations for touching different surfaces, spreading germs from one area to another. Touching surfaces also spreads viruses to other students. Sanitize all surfaces daily, especially those that are frequently used, like tables and chairs.
- Disinfect Doorknobs and Light Switches
All common touch points should be disinfected at least once a day; better if disinfection can be done periodically throughout the day. Common touch points, like doorknobs, light switches, and cabinet handles harbour large colonies of germs due to constant handling by different people. Keep a disinfectant spray handy to sanitize these surfaces daily.
- Dispose of Trash in the Proper Receptacle
Observing is learning! While taking out the trash may seem like a straightforward job, it is important to instill the importance of recycling to the students. Ensure your classroom keeps their garbage and recycling separate with a recycling program. Make sure not to forget listing the recycling in your classroom cleaning checklist!
Weekly Classroom Cleaning Checklist
- Disinfect Surfaces, Including Low-Touch Surfaces
A steam mop with several attachments works wonders in lifting grime off every surface while sanitizing the area with steam. Besides tables and chairs, which need to be sanitized daily, take time at least once a week to disinfect areas that are not regularly used or in contact with people.
- Clean Electronic Devices
Clean off any dust and grime from electronic devices using a dry microfiber cloth. Sanitize these devices with disinfectant wipes, or rubbing alcohol sprayed onto a microfiber cloth. Do not spray alcohol or sanitizer directly on electronic devices as liquid may cause them to malfunction.
- Dust Shelves and Cabinets
Take time once a week to inspect shelves, and dust off any dirt that has accumulated over the week. Arrange the books back neatly. Cabinet handles should be sanitized, especially when in frequent use by students. Cubby holes should be cleaned and sanitized with a disinfecting spray, and wiped dry before using.
- Clean the Chalkboard and Whiteboard
The chalkboard and whiteboard are used daily, so chalk and ink can smudge on the surface and create a layer that would make the boards look dull. Dirty chalkboards are also difficult to write on and read off of. Erasers can only do so much in removing chalk and ink, so a weekly cleaning of the chalkboard and whiteboard is a must to keep them in good condition.
Leave it to the Professionals
When you’re busy providing your students with the best possible education they can get, call on the professionals to keep your classrooms at optimum cleanliness.
We here at Luce Office can do maintenance and sanitation of your classrooms and school grounds. Our commercial cleaning experts in Singapore have the right tools and cleaning solutions to tackle even the messiest grime, so you can be assured your students would be stepping into a classroom that’s pristine from top to bottom.
Give us a call today and let’s schedule an appointment that works for you!
