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The Best Practices for Disinfecting Schools in 2021

Cleaning and disinfecting are part of a broad approach to preventing infectious diseases in schools. To put simply, cleaning and disinfecting are important actions that should be taken every day to slow the spread of infectious diseases, such as COVID-19, as well as protect students and staff. According to the CDC, it’s important to know the difference between cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitizing. To briefly summarize:

  • Cleaning removes germs and dirt from surfaces and objects
  • Disinfecting kills germs on surfaces and objects. It doesn’t necessarily remove them.
  • Sanitizing lowers the number of germs on surfaces and objects. Sanitizing involves cleaning or disinfecting surfaces.

The Importance of the Emergence of COVID-19 Variants

With several COVID-19 variants coming out, it’s important now, more than ever, that schools are being cleaned and sanitized to ensure the safety of students and staff. Thankfully, earlier this year, Congress approved a $900 billion COVID-19 relief package that will provide aid for the economy, with about $82 billion going to education itself. There are many benefits of this bill passing: Public, private, and charter schools that have been closed can open their doors with access to professional-grade cleaning equipment and chemicals that are necessary for cleaning.

Maintain a Process of Cleaning and Disinfecting Schools

According to the EPA, you should follow three steps to maintain a process of cleaning and disinfecting schools: develop, implement, and maintain (sometimes revise) your plan. Along with several other practices to keep in mind, here are some of the best ones:

  • Follow CDC, state, and local public health guidelines
  • Clean surfaces with soap and water routinely
  • Use EPA-Registered disinfectants according to label directions
  • Be careful using disinfectants around people with asthma
  • Don’t ask children or students to apply disinfectants

Using Professional Equipment to Clean Schools

It’s also important to have professional equipment to clean and sanitize spaces throughout schools. A great example of this would be Lavo Solutions’ equipment: We identify the health hazards in schools, which includes preventing the spread of COVID-19, and can deliver simple and effective products to clean, sanitize, and disinfect various types of surfaces and environments. Review the infographic below that provides beneficial information regarding products that can be used to clean and sanitize schools.

Schools are an integral part of the communities they serve, and it is important that they be models of effective infection control. Disinfection is the key to maintaining a clean school environment and needs careful planning. With the use of personal hygiene, regular cleaning practices, this is possible. With the emergence of the newest COVID-19 variants, it’s more important than ever. To learn more about the best cleaning practices and most updated information, review our latest blogs here.