Back-to-school shopping lists are filled with the basics, like pencils, pens, rulers and notebooks, but student need more than just supplies to succeed in their educational endeavors. They also need clean, healthy classrooms and schools, especially now as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
Cleanliness and Well-Being
An effective school cleaning and sanitation can have a significant impact on students’ well-being, health and performance. Environmental research Dr. Michael Berry makes that clear in his report titled “The Contribution of Restoration and Effective Operation and Maintenance Programs on Indoor Environmental Quality and Educational Performance in Schools.” Dr. Berry concluded that “There is a demonstrated link between effective facility management programs for cleaning and maintenance and environmental quality of schools. The quality of the school environment…determines an overall sense of well-being and shapes attitudes of students, teachers and staff. Attitudes affect teaching and learning behavior. Behavior in turn affects teaching and academic performance.”
Cleanliness and Health
Clean spaces don’t just encourage concentration and focus, but they also keep students healthy and reduce illnesses that require absences from school.
Properly disinfecting and cleaning frequent touch surfaces like desks, cafeteria tables and drinking fountains can effectively lower disease transmission via both indirect and direct contact with surfaces that have been contaminated. Proper food waste disposal and management can reduce pest infections and the diseases transmitted from mosquitoes, flies, cockroaches and other critters.
Removing dust from surfaces and school floors gets rid of some of the greatest asthma triggers, including dust mite allergens, dander and mold spores. When you remove dust from the learning environment, you can minimize exposure to these triggers and create more positive health outcomes for students and teachers with allergies or asthma.
Cleanliness and Savings
A strong school cleaning program also makes financial sense: According to the “Clean School Initiative,” a 2012 study, when a school is maintained and systematically cleaned daily, the overall cost of running the janitorial operation can go down by nearly 50%.
Banner Systems is here to help you reap all these benefits through your cleaning program. If your back-to-school supply list includes disinfectants, cleaning solutions, mops, brooms, sponges and more, start shopping and saving in our online catalog!
