Partner Facility Solutions
For children and teachers, Summer is the time to relax and enjoy the fact that there is no school for the next few months. However, for the janitorial and maintenance staff, Summer is the time to deep clean the classrooms, cafeterias, libraries, and every area of the campus. Although schools have janitors and maintenance staff onsite every day, the vacant summer months are perfect for deeper cleaning and maintenance jobs that otherwise cannot be completed throughout the year. Cleaning schools over summer break lets you do an incredibly thorough and detailed job, and we have broken down the basics to help guide you through the process this summer!
Schools are among one of the highest trafficked facilities, with hundreds of students coming in and out of any given school five days a week, all year. Throughout the school year, on-site janitors typically handle the major tasks such as trash, vacuuming and mopping, repairs, and common area cleaning, while the teachers handle the daily tasks of surface cleaning, desk and chair cleaning, dusting, and general chores. The summer break, however, allows classrooms to be disinfected and sanitized completely. When cleaning schools over summer break, you will want to make sure to cover:
For administration, executing a plan for summer break school cleaning can be overwhelming, which is why many prefer to partner with a commercial cleaning company. A professional cleaning company knows the best practices for school cleaning during breaks, promoting a healthy and hygienic environment for staff, students, and guests. Before you head into summer break, make sure your school cleaning plan is complete with these tips.
As soon as the school year ends, all furniture, decorations, and materials should be taken completely out of each classroom and facility. This allows you to thoroughly mop or carpet clean the floors, including the areas that are covered by furniture for much of the year. Additionally, you can properly clean the baseboards, walls, and ceiling entirely. At the same time, you can completely dust, disinfect, and sanitize the desks, chairs, and other furniture from the space. While cleaning schools over summer break, you can use more thorough methods that involve multi-day processes that you cannot perform during the year. When you reassemble the classroom, everything will be sanitized and ready for a new group of students in the Fall.
Cafeteria cleaning is one of the largest tasks of summer break school cleaning, but they are also one of the areas that undergoes disinfection and sanitization regularly throughout the year. Although food preparation and serving stations and eating areas are routinely deep cleaned, there are many areas of school cafeterias that require extra attention during the summer break. These areas include:
Ovens, stoves, and their ventilation systems are typically surface cleaned daily, but a deeper clean is necessary over summer to take care of buildup and sanitization. As for refrigerator and pantry areas, summer break is the perfect time to completely empty out these spaces, throwing out anything that is going to expire, and sanitizing the shelves and surfaces entirely. Finally, one of the more overlooked areas of school cafeteria cleaning is the ventilation system. Due to their high volume, school cafeterias have multiple ventilation systems to keep up. Before leaving for summer break, make sure that all necessary filters and components are cleaned and replaced. Doing all of this at the beginning of summer break means that when students return in the fall they’ll be welcomed back by a clean, hygienic, kitchen that is ready to resume operations.
Although outdoor playgrounds and other facilities sit out in the hot sun which kills bacteria and germs to some extent, these facilities still need extra attention over summer break as well. Summer is the perfect time to pressure wash and bleach all outdoor facilities and materials – including gym equipment such as balls, hoops, cones, and so on. Because outdoor facilities cannot be sealed off from external factors such as weather and animals, we recommend that conducting these practices routinely throughout summer break to avoid buildup or damage that can be costly and time consuming if left until the next school year.
Areas of the school that are frequented by everyone such as libraries, computer rooms, and restrooms are also incredibly important for your summer break school cleaning routine because they see high volumes of traffic around the clock from many different groups in a day. Additionally, the materials and surfaces that are present in these areas are often sensitive – such as books and technology. For libraries, we recommend removing all books and materials from their shelves and storage, so that you can completely dust and disinfect everything. At the same time, you can also dust and surface clean all books and materials.
Computer rooms are more temperamental, as they need to be cleaned very carefully with technology safe cleaners and practices. When cleaning computer rooms, make sure to pay close attention to the keyboards, getting the spaces in between the keys using compressed air and cotton swaps with computer safe cleaner. Likewise, make sure that you also disinfect and sanitize additional computer tools such as headsets and mice which can be a germ magnet.
Like cafeterias, restroom facilities are among the regular areas that receive deep cleaning on a daily level, but that does not mean they do not require extra attention during summer break. At the start of the summer, conduct a complete sanitization of all areas of the restroom – floor to ceiling and everything in between. Next, we recommend paying extra attention to the condition of the pipes and faucets and conducting repairs if needed to avoid potential leaks or water damage while vacant over summer. Because the water remains on all summer despite the restrooms being unused, they are going to need to be revisited throughout the summer to avoid buildup from mold, rust, and bacteria.
Cleaning schools over summer break is highly involved and requires close attention to detail and a thorough sanitization process in almost every corner of your campus, which can be time consuming and challenging. If you are unsure where to begin or are looking for help from an experienced commercial cleaning service provider, contact the professionals at Partner Solutions Facility Services.
With over 30 years in owners combined experience, Partner Facility Solutions has come together to create a company model that believes superior quality service can’t be compromised. Extensive training with intelligent supervision and ownership helps us keep a clear vision of our goals and commitment. Give us a call today for a free consultation and let us be the solution for your facility’s needs. We look forward to forming a partnership with you.
