It’s back to school time which means students and parents are getting excited to start stocking up on school supplies and getting ready for the new school year! But back to school can also mean back to cold and flu season if you’re not prepared. Defend your district against the “school plague” by stocking up with enough school janitorial supplies to keep facilities clean and healthy all year long.
Can a Clean School Affect Attendance?
Proper cleaning not only makes schools look (and smell) better, but it also helps to protect the health of students, administrators and faculty. Each day, about 55 million students and 7 million staff attend the more than 130,000 public and private schools in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control, students and teachers miss over 60 million school days each year due to the flu and colds alone.
Studies show that stopping the spread of illnesses in educational facilities is the most essential key in lowering absentee rates. The connection to attendance is clear; therefore, it is essential to keep your space clean and healthy.
Reduce the Spread of Seasonal Influenza in K-12
According to the CDC, school districts should schedule routine surface cleaning through education, policy, and the provision of supplies. See How To Clean and Disinfect Schools To Help Slow the Spread of Flu for more information.
- Routinely clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that are touched often, such as desks, countertops, doorknobs, computer keyboards, hands-on learning items, faucet handles, and phones. Empty trash cans as needed.
- Provide adequate school janitorial supplies, such as general EPA-registered cleaning products, gloves and disinfecting wipes.
- Match your cleaning activities to the types of germs you want to remove or kill.
- Flu viruses are relatively fragile, so standard practices, such as cleaning with soap and water, can help remove and kill them.
- Studies have shown that the flu virus can live and potentially infect a person for only 2 to 8 hours after being deposited on a surface. Therefore, special sanitizing processes beyond routine cleaning, including closing schools to clean every surface in the building, are not necessary or recommended to slow the spread of flu, even during a flu outbreak.
Top 10 Must-Have School Janitorial Supplies
- Mopping Tools & Brooms
- Mop Buckets & Garbage Cans
- Deodorants & Air Fresheners
- Green Cleaners & Disinfectants
- First Aid Kits
- Gloves
- Sanitary Napkins & Seat Covers
- Soaps
- Tissues, Facial & Toilet and Paper Towels
- Floor Wax & Stripping
Clean High Traffic School Areas
A clean environment should be top priority for schools, it can go a long way in upholding a school’s reputation by protecting student and faculty health. Remember to give extra attention to high-traffic areas in a school including the cafeteria, restrooms, classrooms, gyms and locker rooms as you welcome in the next cohort of students this fall.
Keep your facility clean, safe and attractive this school year with Hughes janitorial supplies and sanitary products. For more information and assistance with ordering school janitorial supplies contact a Hughes Sales Representative for assistance.