COVID-19 has changed the dynamics of the world today. Many people believe that a lot of things will never be the same again. This includes school cleaning standards that have significantly changed for the better. The educational sector has been hit particularly hard by the novel coronavirus. For most of the year, students were out of school and forced to study from home. This has put immense responsibility on schools to ensure that all students get access to their full education. When students eventually return to in-person learning, the school premises must be thoroughly disinfected and sanitized. The government must distribute school disinfection kits so that the right standards can be maintained throughout the state. This blog is a thorough how-to guide for disinfecting and deep cleaning for both schools and child care programs.
A How-to Guide
Most schools and colleges across the world remain closed. However, institutions that are open must follow strict standards of practice.
General Preparations and Plans
- Use soap and water to wash your hands regularly. If water is not available, then use a sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. The sanitizer can also be used to sterilize surfaces or things that you touch frequently.
- If your hands are visibly dirty, then use soap to clean them.
- Communicate with the parents how important it is for their children to keep their hands clean.
- Teach the children the importance of keeping their hands away from their mouth, eyes, and face.
Intense Cleaning and Disinfecting
- Facilities need to come up with a deep and thorough cleaning routine. Usually, cleaning is done once a day in normal circumstances. However, this will need to change considering the current situation.
- Regularly clean, sanitize, and disinfect surfaces touched by children or staff routinely. This could include activity boards, toys, reading books or stationery.
- All cleaning products should be cleaned according to the labels on the bottles. It is essential only to use the products that are recommended by the government, so 100% of the intended results are achieved.
- Since you are in a school, all the cleaning supplies should be well out of reach of the children. The products should be contained in the original bottles to avoid an unfortunate accident.
- Cleaning toys and sanitizing them should be a priority since toys are usually going from one hand to another.
- Any toys that cannot be sanitized should not be used during COVID-19 times.
- If possible, each child should have his or her own toy bin, and the sharing of toys should be restricted.
- If you work at a pre-school or daycare center, then this means you will have a lot of toddlers and children crawling around on the floor. You must ensure that your floors remain clean. You must also ensure that your professional cleaners are using products that are safe for children.
Most of the schools in the United States are closed. However, if your school is open for any reason, then strict cleaning practices must be implemented at all times. These procedures are for the safety of the children and the entire faculty.