Schools are expected to be safe and child-friendly, from people and from the possible germs that lurk in the equipment. While it is indeed taught that sharing is caring, it can also be a way of getting sick for the students in the classroom. It should always be a safe environment in the classroom and the students shouldn’t be afraid to touch that item since it looks ‘icky’. Germs and bacteria should also be expelled from the school, not only bullies and troublemakers!

While it really can’t be helped that there will be surfaces that is always touched and passed around, it can be cleaned to make the germ levels safe for handling. Dust can be dangerous as well – especially if you have allergies, but it contains irritants and might even weaken your respiratory system. Effective cleaning schedules and procedure is important to make sure the students and staff are safe. While deep cleaning is necessary for the welfare of the people in the school, it’s not feasible to always call up professional cleaners to deep clean the building.

Here’s how you can maintain the school’s cleanliness:

• Safe chemicals. Since most students are young kids to teenagers, their immune system is still weak or possibly still fragile. It can range from skin irritation to respiratory problems, it is important to check the label and see if there are any harmful chemicals. It also pays to apply the chemicals according to the label at the back and make sure it doesn’t harm anyone.
• Always get rid of the dust. Vacuuming might take so much electricity, but it keeps the surfaces and the floors dust-free for the students. There are a lot of dangerous particles in dust that could make students sick and trigger allergies as well. It helps to vacuum the carpets, curtains, corners, and even the walls – dust gathers in these areas more since they either stepped on or barely touched.
• Proper waste disposal. It should also be common sense to throw garbage daily, or once it is full. But it should also be a habit to segregate the biodegradable to non-biodegradable to make it easier for the cleaning staff to dispose of the garbage. It will also be a plus to students to teach them a good habit to separate their trash.
• Sanitise the red zones. These are the surfaces and the items commonly touched by everyone – doorknobs, faucets, keyboards, telephones, handles, toilets, and tables. These are the dirtiest areas in the school since they are shared and are commonly interacted by both the staff and the students. Use safe antibacterial sprays and make sure get the unscented ones. Wipe it thoroughly afterwards to make the surfaces dry and spotless.
• Clean up glass surfaces. It’s important to make sure that there are no smudges on the glass – may it be on windows or on glass doors, but it should always be cleaned. Some of these smudges are from oily skin, dirty hands, and sweat – it’s even disgusting to think that it dried up there and even collected dust. Always clean these surfaces to make the school look presentable and as well as making sure that the glass is safe to touch.
• Mop the floors. This should be done after school hours when there are no students or staff around to make sure that the entire area is covered. It should be dried and polished to make it look brand new. It might even make the students be cautious of it and try hard to not dirty the floors!