This year’s back-to-school experience in August/September is going to be much different from the norm. It is not just about new school uniforms and new schedules this fall. There will also be clear focus on effective ways to clean and sanitize classrooms, communal areas and vehicles. This is necessary to ensure the safe return of full-time in-person learning after the spread of COVID-19 disrupted the school system nationwide over the past year and a half.

Understandably, many people are cautious about the move away from remote learning. Moreover of the reopening of schools, especially as coronavirus variants continue to circulate. The U.S Department of Education has released a Return to School Roadmap to help make the transition safer and easier. This includes encouraging cleaning at least once a day. In addition, we can all do our part to help mitigate the risk of viral infection now and in the future.  

Clean and Sanitize Ideas to Welcome Students Safely Back to School

There is a great deal that we can do to support the health and safety of children as they head back to school. You can volunteer to clean and sanitize your child’s school or you can help to campaign and spread the word about ways to level up sanitization measures. Here are 6 ideas and suggestions to reassure students, parents, educators and school communities that we will do everything to help prevent a viral resurgence.

1. Personal Vehicle Deep Interior Cleaning

Transportation is a key issue as schools and communities prepare to welcome students back this fall. Parents who take their children to school or share transport responsibilities with other parents can create a safe environment for their passengers if they clean and sanitize their car interiors regularly. However, you don’t want children inhaling potentially harmful fumes from strong disinfectants within the confined space of a car. Therefore, it is important to choose safe sanitization methods to kill viruses and bacteria.

For example, you can achieve complete car sanitization with the help of steam cleaning methods and eco-friendly products. DetailXPerts use EPA-certified eco-friendly cleaning products to help you deep clean and sanitize your car interior. This will ensure a safe space for children as you transport them to and from school.

Tip: Discover more back to school tips to get your vehicle ready for the busy term ahead.

2. Hiring Professionals to Clean and Sanitize the School Bus

Providing private transport for school children is not always an option for parents. Therefore, school buses will continue to take the majority of students to and from school. What can be done to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 and make bus transportation safer for children? Parents can suggest actionable strategies to school leaders and authorities. For example, hiring professionals to regularly clean and sanitize the interior of the bus will help to reduce viral spread.

School buses can be sanitized using the same methods as cleaning the interior of a car with steam. The high heat of steam also successfully sanitizes the inside of a bus without leaving the seats wet. The steam disperses in seconds to ensure a quick turnaround to get a clean and sanitized bus back on the road without delay.

Tip: Opening windows on the bus to boost ventilation can also help to reduce viral transmissions that may rise during the winter months.

3. Weekend Deep Cleaning for Extra Safety Precautions

You can collaborate with other parents, families in your school community and school leaders to take additional steps to protect the health and safety of students. For example, weekend deep cleaning helps to sanitize a school to create a healthier environment for students, educators and other members of staff. Killing viruses with steam is an effective way to ensure a deep clean throughout the school building. It can be used for the following deep-cleaning procedures:

• Steam cleaning carpets and hard floors.
• Sanitizing door handles and light switches.
• Clean and sanitize corridor walls.
• Deep cleaning the classrooms including all desks, doors, door handles, carpets and window blinds/curtains.

Tip: Encourage schools to only hire professionals who have experience using effective steam cleaning methods to ensure the best results.

4. Recommend Restaurant Cleaning Services for the School Canteen

The school canteen is always a hub of activity when students gather together at mealtimes. Naturally, parents want to know that the kitchen, food serving and dining areas receive special attention. Suggesting the use of reputable restaurant cleaning services is a good idea. Hiring professionals to clean and sanitize the school canteen will bring peace of mind to parents who want extra cleaning measures in place for the new school term.

Tip: Research cleaning firms first to get a better idea of what their sanitization program involves and what procedures are included on their checklist of jobs and procedures.

5. Frequently Clean and Sanitize High-Touch Areas in School Buildings

Government guidelines recommend cleaning high-touch surfaces at least once a day. In a school environment this includes lockers, desks, doorknobs, stair rails, keyboards, shared educational equipment and so on. Again, parents can make recommendations to school leaders suggesting they hire the services of professional cleaners. For example, DetailXPerts has a “safe and clean with steam” sanitization program that is ideal for a school environment. It utilizes the high temperature of steam cleaning technology. It can reach more than 300 degrees Fahrenheit to clean and sanitize high touch-points throughout the school.

Tip: Parents can encourage schools to combine steam cleaning with organic products to ensure the safest and most effective sanitization results for children.

6. Clean and Sanitize School Washrooms

Another actionable strategy to support student wellbeing as they head back to school is to encourage frequent hand washing throughout the day. This means that washrooms may be busier than usual. Therefore, it is important for schools to keep these areas clean and well-maintained. This includes making sure faucets and sinks are regularly sanitized to reduce the risk of spreading viruses, germs and bacteria.

Tip: You can also encourage school leaders to place hand-sanitizing stations in communal areas, outside classrooms, along corridors, at school entrances and in reception areas.

Conclusion

You can take action in many different ways to ensure a safe back-to-school-transition this fall. These include car interior cleaning and sanitizing and making suggestions to school leaders on how to help clean and sanitize the school in the most effective and safest ways. Taking action now can help to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks or the spread of virus variants at a later date.  

To help your child transition back to school safely, DetailXPerts’ professional detailing and sanitization services can be of immense help. Simply call us at 877-317-9737 to discuss your requirements. Then we’ll come to you with our mobile units at your most convenient time.

To give you an idea of how our steam cleaning technology and techniques can be used to great effect at your child’s school, view our short video on vehicle sanitization. Our tried-and-tested steam cleaning methods and eco-friendly products also work superbly well in a school environment.