Cleaning and disinfection are part of a comprehensive approach to preventing infectious diseases at school. To help slow the spread of dangerous viruses the first line of defense is to get vaccinated. Measures include:
- Staying home when you are sick
- Covering your mouth when coughing and sneezing
- Washing your hands frequently
There is a school health and safety issue we must all be aware of because, for one thing, viruses such as flu can be spread in schools and because bacteria such as staph infections can not only compromise human health but also seriously harm buildings and facilities.
School administrators are people who oversee the day-to-day operations of schools in grades K-12 and may include positions such as superintendents of school districts, principals, and vice-principals. If you hire school disinfection services for your school, they will
- Make plan
- Implement plan
- Maintain and review plan
This article has five important considerations to clean and disinfectant schools to protect students’ health, safety, and well-being, teachers, other school staff, families, and communities, and how to prepare to educate students this fall. Have a look!
How to reduce the spread of germs in schools?
Cleaning high-touch surfaces and shared objects once a day is generally sufficient to remove any viruses that may be on the surfaces unless a person with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 has been present at your school.
School disinfection services providers clean more frequently or wipe and disinfect surfaces and objects if certain conditions are met
- High transmission of COVID-19 in your community
- Few people who use a mask, or incorrect use of masks
- Uncommon hand hygiene
- The space is occupied by people at higher risk of becoming seriously ill from COVID-19
When someone is sick
If there is a COVID-19 patient in your school or if a person with COVID-19 was present in your school in the last 24 hours, clean and disinfect your establishment.
Safe use of disinfectants
Always read and follow the instructions on how to use and store cleaning and sanitizing products. Children should not use or be near disinfection products. Ventilate the space when using these disinfecting products, to prevent children from inhaling toxic fumes.
Consider upgrading or upgrading ventilation systems and taking other steps to help increase fresh air circulation and dilute potential contaminants within the building.
Always follow standard practices and adhere to the minimum cleaning and disinfection standards that govern your school.
Cleaning Icon
The cleaning physically removes germs, dirt and impurities from the surfaces or objects using antibacterial soap (or detergent) and water.
This process does not necessarily kill viruses and germs, but removing them decreases the disease’s number and risk.
The disinfection kills germs on surfaces or objects. Disinfection works by using chemicals to kill germs on surfaces or objects.
Note: It is important to clean surfaces and objects indoors with soap and water (or detergent). However, not all surfaces need to be disinfected every time you clean them. Prioritize school disinfection services that have been touched by sick people and those that students routinely touch or share.
Integrate Cleaning into The Daily Plan
Staff & schedules
- Make plans with staff and teachers. Talk about the obstacles to routine cleaning and how to overcome them.
- Create a schedule for routine cleaning tasks.
High contact surfaces & objects
- Clean high-contact surfaces and objects
- Such as
- Door handles
- Faucet faucets,
- Drinking fountains (inside the school or on school transportation (such as buses) at least once a day or as often as necessary (for example, if they are visibly dirty).
Limit sharing high contact objects that are difficult to clean regularly (such as electronic devices, pens, pencils, books, games, art supplies, laboratory equipment).
- If certain conditions are met (such as infrequent use of masks or high levels of transmission in the community), do not use hard-to-clean shared items for 82 hours.
- If items need to be reused within 8 hours, they must be disinfected.
- Staff should wash their hands after removing gloves or after handling items or other objects used near non-mask-wearing students.
- Clean surfaces regularly (at least once a day or as often as necessary) with soap or detergent.
- If you choose to disinfect, ensure the correct and safe use and storage of cleaning supplies, including keeping products out of the reach of children.
- Wear gloves to remove garbage bags or handle the waste.
- Wash your hands when removing gloves.
Dirty Surfaces
- Immediately clean surfaces, objects that are visibly dirty.
- Use antibacterial soap or detergent to clean these surfaces or objects.
- If you choose to sanitize, dirty surfaces must first be cleaned and then sanitized.
- If surfaces or objects have body fluids or blood, use gloves and other standard precautions to avoid contact with the fluid.
- Contain and remove the liquid, and then clean and disinfect the surface.
Hand Hygiene: Promote Handwashing in School
The effective way to prevent COVID-19 is to avoid being exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19, which is believed to spread primarily from person to person. Another key preventive measure you can take is cleaning your hands regularly.
Cleaning your hands at key moments with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available is one of the most important steps you can take. Take a person to avoid getting sick. This habit prevents a variety of infections because:
- Germs on unwashed hands can be transferred to other objects — such as handrails, countertops, or keyboards — and then be transferred to someone else’s hands.
- Therefore, eliminating germs through hand washing helps prevent diarrhea and respiratory infections.
In addition, school programs that promote handwashing and hand hygiene can reduce the occurrence of gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses and prevent the loss of school days.
How to Establish a Culture of Hand Hygiene?
- Teach and enforce the practice of handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and increase monitoring to ensure that all teachers, students, and staff adhere to these standards.
- Set aside time during daily routines for students and staff members to wash their hands, especially at important times like after using the bathroom, before lunch, or after playing outside. Be aware of the additional time students or staff members may need to wash their hands while practicing social distancing.
- Consider providing hand sanitizer with at least 70% alcohol to teachers, staff members, and students. Hand sanitizer can be placed near frequently touched surfaces (eg, drinking fountains, doors, shared equipment) and areas where antibacterial soap and water are not available (e.g., cafeterias, classrooms, gymnasiums). Supervise young children under 6 years of age while using hand sanitizer to avoid swallowing it or getting it into their eyes.
- Promote hand washing hygiene throughout the school by placing visual aids such as posters, stickers, and other handwashing materials in high-visibility areas.
- Download and print materials
- Order free CDC handwashing materials through CDC’s On-Demand Information Service
Using Hand Sanitizers to Reduce the Presence of Germs On Your Hands
Hand Sanitizer Poisoning
Ingesting alcohol-based hand sanitizer can lead to alcohol poisoning. In fact, calls to U.S. poison centers related to alcohol-based hand sanitizers increased by 36% from 2019 to 2020.
Prevent Accidental Poisonings
Hand sanitizer should be stored up high, out of the way, and out of the sight of children and should be used by children under six years of age with adult supervision.
Get Help in Case of Poisoning
- Call the Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222 if you think a child is poisoned but is awake and alert; You can contact the center 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- Call 911 if you have a poisoning emergency or a child has passed out or is not breathing.
Hope this article helps you to know important considerations for cleaning and disinfectant schools to protect students’ health, safety, and well-being. Stay safe!
