Winter break will soon be here. Students and teachers head out for two weeks of holiday – away from classes and classrooms. Janitorial staff, however, head in.
A lot is going to happen while the school is vacated!
This is your chance to do some serious classroom cleaning; – scour out the washrooms, scrub and recoat hard flooring and tackle any projects that aren’t practical to do while students are around.

The high amount of people per square foot in a school means that

1. A lot of germs are produced, and
2. These germs spread easily and quickly– especially in winter.

This is why its extremely important to get your school clean, disinfected and germ-free before the students return.

To ensure that you’re ready to go the moment winter break starts, begin by making a comprehensive assessment of your school cleaning and maintenance needs.

Once that is done, line up the janitorial equipment and make a cleaning supplies list. Some vendors close over the holiday season, so don’t get stuck because you lack the tools or cleaning products for the job!

We’ve put together some of the most important items to add to your school cleaning checklist as well as a list of the janitorial supplies you’ll need.

Winter break cleaning list

In commercial cleaning the following areas will need to be targeted.

1. Entries – a good place to start.

• Eradicate every trace of grime, salt and snow.
• Scrub and recoat if necessary.
• Vacuum and steam-clean entry matting.
• Consider replacing matting if necessary. It’s your first line of defence!

2. Walls

• Spot-clean hallway and classroom walls.
• It’s a good time to paint chipped or worn surfaces. Earlier in winter break is best so that paint fumes have disappeared before the students return.

3. Remove dust – this allergen must go. Vacuum all surfaces including:

• Ledges
• Ceilings
• Furnishings
• Air vents

4. Desks – perhaps the most important factor in classroom cleaning

• Clean each desk thoroughly.
• Remove gum and other sticky substances.
• Wipe off seats

5. Bathrooms – deep cleaning and sanitizing are needed here.

• Toilets and urinals. Clean, remove stains, sanitize.
• Clean and sanitize
• Polish mirrors
• Check floor drains and clean if necessary
• Remove stubborn stains from grout
• Clean and sanitize all ‘touch surfaces’ – faucets, door handles, flush buttons.

6. Flooring
   This is a good time to do a scrub and recoat. Less work than a full strip and recoat, your shiny floors will welcome returning students.

• Scrub to remove dirt, grit and sand
• Remove any slurry and rinse to make sure all residue is removed.
• Allow floor to dry.
• Apply finish thinly and evenly. This could take 2 – 4 coats.
• Burnish for a glossy finish.

Janitorial supplies you’ll need

1 Janitorial equipment

• Sweepers
• Scrubbers
• Burnishers and Floor machines
• Extractors
• Sweepers
• Vacuums
• Parts and consumables for all your machinery

2 Cleaning products

• All-purpose cleaners
• Bathroom cleaners
• Bleach
• Disinfectant
• Furniture polish
• Cleaner/degreaser
• Glass cleaner
• Specific floorcare products

So with your to-do list made,

your janitorial equipment and cleaning product needs itemized;

You can click All Systems Go for help to make it happen.